Post by rainbowchaser10 on Apr 11, 2013 13:56:58 GMT 1
Saw this on another forum and thought it might be good idea to put it on here in case there are people who not aware of this.
The following info is not opinion, it’s accurate and has been carefully researched over a long period of time, it is either based on research by experts or personal experience, above all it’s not scaremongering and is aimed at hopefully preventing someone a lot of grief. There is considerable ignorance on this subject and a good degree of that is unfortunately amongst Doctors.
The spring is here and the grass is beginning take off, this is the worst time of the year for Ticks and the associated risk of Lyme disease and various other tick borne diseases. Lyme disease is a serious illness with many different transient symptoms (up to 70 different ones); it can affect the central nervous system and cause long lasting damage. Lyme is often misdiagnosed, Multiple Sclerosis is frequently erroneously believed responsible for the symptoms – that’s how serious the CNS damage can be.
ADVICE - SHORT VERSION!
Avoid getting bitten; if you are, go to the GP immediately and get some antibiotics. Two weeks of antibiotics is the treatment offered at my A&E for a tick bite, take the antibiotics and it's job done.
THE LONGER VERSION IF YOU HAVE THE TIME TO READ IT!
The best thing is prevention, tuck your trousers in your socks when walking through grass, be careful of brushing against shrubs especially in shaded areas (Ticks can climb up to around a metre in height on shrubs). Consider wearing light coloured clothing if gardening or walking through woods so you can see any ticks walking on you. Ticks are still active at temperatures as low as 3 deg C, especially in places such as woods. Check yourself frequently in warmer temps - especially if it has just rained after a dry spell.
Some insect repellents work. I have found Neem oil mixed with Tea tree and Citronella essential oils works quite well, it reduces the number of ticks climbing on our dog by around 75%. Put a few teaspoons of Neem into a 500ml water mist spray, add a squirt of washing up liquid as an emulsifier and ten or so drops each of the two essential oils and you have a natural non chemical repellent/insecticide which is ok for animals and spraying on your clothing and skin; shake before each use to mix the Neem oil. Neems good for the skin and works as a repellent for flying insects too.
When you've been out and about on grass etc check yourself carefully when you have a shower at the end of the day, Ticks will often attach in areas of soft skin at places difficult to find them. If you find one attached remove it immediately, preferably by using the little plastic tick removal tool which can be found on the counter at the vets; it looks like a miniature case opener, hook it under it and spin until it comes free DON'T pull or aggravate the tick - just keep spinning it until it comes off. Under a microscope the Ticks pointy nose looks like a barbed Swordfish snout, that's why it can break off if pulled. If you have a VenomEx , the little 1st aid suction tool for snake bites, consider using that to remove some blood/lymph (and hopefully any bacteria) from the bite wound.
If you find a tick attached no matter how long you think it was there, go to your GP and ask for antibiotics. If he/she seems to think it’s unnecessary and offers a test (which you have to wait 4-6 weeks before taking), decline the offer of the (inaccurate) test and go to Urgences/A&E and ask there. I recently went to A&E when my GP was on holiday expecting difficulties with the antibiotics request but the Doc agreed and said, ' You MUST take them!’
Lyme is an inflammatory auto immune illness caused by a bacteria originating in white footed mice. The mouse transfers the bacteria to the tiny 1st stage larval tick, it then grows into an infected 2nd stage larger black Nymph tick (still often no larger than half a grain of rice) then looks for a bigger host. After a blood meal the black Nymph won’t be swollen and obviously gorged, so you may mistakenly believe the Nymph hasn’t been attached for long; this is unlike the Orangey brown coloured adult tick that becomes huge when gorged. The small black nymph tick is the most risk to us as you are often unlikely to notice it attached.
It's accepted by the experts that probably one in two ticks in an endemic area will be carrying Lyme, a tick can transfer the bacteria at the time of the bite or within a couple of hours and doesn't need to be attached for 24-36 hrs to do so. It’s possible for the bacteria to get into the central nervous system within a day or so. Some experts believe that infection can be transmitted by horse flies too.
There are no 100% accurate tests currently available, you don't need to have the typical bulls eye rash and flu symptoms to be infected; in a study, 50% of confirmed Lyme sufferers never had the rash or recalled a tick bite. Diagnosis is clinical, i.e. by questions and answer re symptoms, test results are only part of the diagnosis evidence. There are numerous strains of the bacteria which help to make testing unreliable.
France has lots of Lyme and tick borne illnesses, Berry Sud in Central France is top of the league table for reported Lyme. There are numerous places in the UK where it’s prevalent too.
It's simple to get rid of with antibiotics if you take them asap after a bite; however, after weeks/months of infection you will likely need intravenous antibiotics twice daily for a month and then oral antibiotics for another month to get rid of it. Symptoms/damage can take years to dissipate.
TICKS ARE LIKE SHARING DIRTY NEEDLES! Don’t take any risks if bitten!
The following info is not opinion, it’s accurate and has been carefully researched over a long period of time, it is either based on research by experts or personal experience, above all it’s not scaremongering and is aimed at hopefully preventing someone a lot of grief. There is considerable ignorance on this subject and a good degree of that is unfortunately amongst Doctors.
The spring is here and the grass is beginning take off, this is the worst time of the year for Ticks and the associated risk of Lyme disease and various other tick borne diseases. Lyme disease is a serious illness with many different transient symptoms (up to 70 different ones); it can affect the central nervous system and cause long lasting damage. Lyme is often misdiagnosed, Multiple Sclerosis is frequently erroneously believed responsible for the symptoms – that’s how serious the CNS damage can be.
ADVICE - SHORT VERSION!
Avoid getting bitten; if you are, go to the GP immediately and get some antibiotics. Two weeks of antibiotics is the treatment offered at my A&E for a tick bite, take the antibiotics and it's job done.
THE LONGER VERSION IF YOU HAVE THE TIME TO READ IT!
The best thing is prevention, tuck your trousers in your socks when walking through grass, be careful of brushing against shrubs especially in shaded areas (Ticks can climb up to around a metre in height on shrubs). Consider wearing light coloured clothing if gardening or walking through woods so you can see any ticks walking on you. Ticks are still active at temperatures as low as 3 deg C, especially in places such as woods. Check yourself frequently in warmer temps - especially if it has just rained after a dry spell.
Some insect repellents work. I have found Neem oil mixed with Tea tree and Citronella essential oils works quite well, it reduces the number of ticks climbing on our dog by around 75%. Put a few teaspoons of Neem into a 500ml water mist spray, add a squirt of washing up liquid as an emulsifier and ten or so drops each of the two essential oils and you have a natural non chemical repellent/insecticide which is ok for animals and spraying on your clothing and skin; shake before each use to mix the Neem oil. Neems good for the skin and works as a repellent for flying insects too.
When you've been out and about on grass etc check yourself carefully when you have a shower at the end of the day, Ticks will often attach in areas of soft skin at places difficult to find them. If you find one attached remove it immediately, preferably by using the little plastic tick removal tool which can be found on the counter at the vets; it looks like a miniature case opener, hook it under it and spin until it comes free DON'T pull or aggravate the tick - just keep spinning it until it comes off. Under a microscope the Ticks pointy nose looks like a barbed Swordfish snout, that's why it can break off if pulled. If you have a VenomEx , the little 1st aid suction tool for snake bites, consider using that to remove some blood/lymph (and hopefully any bacteria) from the bite wound.
If you find a tick attached no matter how long you think it was there, go to your GP and ask for antibiotics. If he/she seems to think it’s unnecessary and offers a test (which you have to wait 4-6 weeks before taking), decline the offer of the (inaccurate) test and go to Urgences/A&E and ask there. I recently went to A&E when my GP was on holiday expecting difficulties with the antibiotics request but the Doc agreed and said, ' You MUST take them!’
Lyme is an inflammatory auto immune illness caused by a bacteria originating in white footed mice. The mouse transfers the bacteria to the tiny 1st stage larval tick, it then grows into an infected 2nd stage larger black Nymph tick (still often no larger than half a grain of rice) then looks for a bigger host. After a blood meal the black Nymph won’t be swollen and obviously gorged, so you may mistakenly believe the Nymph hasn’t been attached for long; this is unlike the Orangey brown coloured adult tick that becomes huge when gorged. The small black nymph tick is the most risk to us as you are often unlikely to notice it attached.
It's accepted by the experts that probably one in two ticks in an endemic area will be carrying Lyme, a tick can transfer the bacteria at the time of the bite or within a couple of hours and doesn't need to be attached for 24-36 hrs to do so. It’s possible for the bacteria to get into the central nervous system within a day or so. Some experts believe that infection can be transmitted by horse flies too.
There are no 100% accurate tests currently available, you don't need to have the typical bulls eye rash and flu symptoms to be infected; in a study, 50% of confirmed Lyme sufferers never had the rash or recalled a tick bite. Diagnosis is clinical, i.e. by questions and answer re symptoms, test results are only part of the diagnosis evidence. There are numerous strains of the bacteria which help to make testing unreliable.
France has lots of Lyme and tick borne illnesses, Berry Sud in Central France is top of the league table for reported Lyme. There are numerous places in the UK where it’s prevalent too.
It's simple to get rid of with antibiotics if you take them asap after a bite; however, after weeks/months of infection you will likely need intravenous antibiotics twice daily for a month and then oral antibiotics for another month to get rid of it. Symptoms/damage can take years to dissipate.
TICKS ARE LIKE SHARING DIRTY NEEDLES! Don’t take any risks if bitten!
