PSA While Out Shooting...

I live in the country also... I never gave it a second thought about ticks... until a few years ago. my wife got lyme disease from a tick bite. From now on.. when out and about on the farm we spray down for the ticks and those damn chiggers!
Get to feeling better..

I live out in the sticks, and am in the forrest frequently. These two I keep on hand, and every so often treat the cab of the truck. Hope you feel better soon.

Rob_in_NC said:

Chiggers....yes... wife and I got into a mess of those a few years back and it wasnt fun.
Your wife having any lasting effects from Lyme? I've read that flare ups can happen even after treatment.

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Yes she has a flare up from time to time.
Headache and joint aching. My personal fear of those things is getting that disease ticks give you where you can't eat red meat.. (can't remember what the disease is called) not being able to eat cow would be the worst

That’s what I was going to recommend it’s good stuf. You can spray it on your dog , but not cats.

Yeah, one year I got ate up real bad out in the woods. A friend of mine pointed me towards this and it was night and day difference for chiggers and ticks. I followed the directions to a "T" and watched a tick climb halfway up my boot and fall off dead. Never looked back.

The mosquitoes are bad here down south in Louisiana. I keep a standalone mosquitoe repellent that is good for 10 feet and i must admit it's the best idea set in motion for me in my shooting area

I've lived on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere for 25 years. I'd get 1 - 3 ticks on me every year, until I bought some blousing straps off Amazon like I used in the Air Force in the early 80's. In the past four years that I've used them during tick season, I've only had one on me, and it wasn't attached yet when I discovered it.

Unlike some of you, I've always taken them seriously because I've known others who have had serious problems because of them. Thankfully, I haven't, and I hope it stays that way.

I just remembered - some people in the USAF used to put a dog flea and tick collar around their ankles under their bloused trousers while out on maneuvers. The ticks were pretty thick in Missouri. I'd do that before I'd smear or spray poison all over my body. To each his own, though.

Lyme disease is pretty nasty.
A few years ago i thought i had caught it as the back of my one leg started to go red, and soon i had alternating fever and then freezing my ass off.
Turned out i had a skin infection, so for about a month i was thru several kinds of staph and strep infection, and so of course also versions of penicillin.

To this day years later the calf of my leg are still discolored.

My brother knew somebody who got Lyme disease so bad it destroyed her liver. She had to go on dialysis three times a week. She had lots of other complications, too. She's probably passed away from it long ago.

So sorry to hear you contracted Lyme! Hope you recover QUICKLY!

The ticks around here have been extra bad this year, especially the tiny seed ticks, some of them even smaller than a sesame seed. Most of the squirrels I'm seeing this year have multiple seed ticks in the armpits.

People who have lyme need more manganese, which is somewhat of a vasodilator and anticonvulsant because the lyme bacteria deplete manganese.

Along with your antibiotic therapy, try some extra zinc piccolinate and this manganese glycinate. You can break the manganese tablets in half to start small and work your way up until you notice your feeling better. A b complex may help as well.

GL,
Feinwerk

Rob_in_NC said:

Deet is your friend. I live out in the country and ticks are common here. I've been around them my whole life save for my stint in the Army and never thought anything about pulling them out of me.
Last year was really bad and I was catching 2-4 a day off me. This year, not as bad, but still finding a couple each week. About a month ago, one left a mark and instead of me taking notice, I just figured I'd left the head in so I dug around with a knife and after finding no head, I forgot about it. Until earlier this week. Started with a headache... shoulders...neck...back.... then fever. Then all joints aching and finally me in convulsions.
Trip to the doc after that night.
So yes... it appears I've contracted Lyme disease. Antibiotics now have me feeling human again and today has been the first day I've been moving about.
I know a lot of you might live in the sticks like me and dont think of preventative measures for ticks and view them as a simple annoyance. I know I did. Not any more.
Stay safe out there!

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Sounds very similar to Rockey Mountain Spotted Fever...Almost killed me TWICE in Tennessee...fever 105.5 and blood clots in both lungs...got bit in my yard...I had covid twice and it is a vacation compared to RMSF...Tick fever is an AWFUL disease. I've never been the same since.

I live out in the country as well. The ticks are the worst I've ever seen. Deer ticks mostly. The Permethrin clothing treatment DirtyGator mentioned works well, and I use a locally brewed skin safe bug juice with 40% Deet for everything else. Don't use the clothing treatment stuff on your skin. Ticks like to sit on high grass with their front legs out and as soon as you walk by, they grab hold of your leg or pants and move north. Keeping the grass on my property mowed extra short really helps on that front.

Had a deer tick dug in deep last year. Came out in pieces. Had to numb the spot with ice and dig with a sterilized X-Acto to get the rest. It was a deer tick, the kind most likely to carry Lyme here. Went to my Dr. first thing the next morning, he assumed it was a Lyme carrier and gave me an antibiotic shot. He sent the parts of the tick to a local lab and sure enough, it was positive for Lyme. The shot worked, never got Lyme.

If you find a tick you think has been dug in longer than 24 hours, it's worth talking to your Dr. about a precautionary antibiotic shot. The repellants work well, but just to be sure, after being out in the woods I toss my clothes into the dryer for 20 minutes on high to kill any ticks, do a visual check with a mirror, and take a shower. Sounds like a lot, but it's better than the alternative. And don't forget to protect your 4 legged family members.

Glad you're on the mend Rob_in_NC.

dormitionskete said:

I've lived on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere for 25 years. I'd get 1 - 3 ticks on me every year, until I bought some blousing straps off Amazon like I used in the Air Force in the early 80's. In the past four years that I've used them during tick season, I've only had one on me, and it wasn't attached yet when I discovered it.

Unlike some of you, I've always taken them seriously because I've known others who have had serious problems because of them. Thankfully, I haven't, and I hope it stays that way.

Amazon.com

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Great idea. I still have some blousing bands/straps from my time in the Army.

OH sorry to hear Rob , nasty little buggers . see you @ Hickory this year

If it is less than 24hrs. Put Dawn dishwashing soap on the tick. It will try to back out. Easy to remove as long as it has not been there long. Lyme disease will make you insane. Also take Ivermectin with the Antibiotics if ever contracted and unfortunately lyme is for life and can be sexually or blood transmitted, terrible fun fact. Lol