Lyme Disease: be careful out there

[MauserMike]

Just wanted to relay a story. I was visiting my parents on my way back from turkey hunting yesterday and they told me about a friend of theirs who hunts in Norfolk county (Ontario).

Several days after a hunting trip, he found a tick in his belly button that his wife helped to remove. Days passed and the infamous ring appeared, joint pain, fever, nausea, severe headache, etc.

He's now under treatment for Lyme disease, which is a long course of antibiotics. There are increased long-term risks many years down the road for severe illness such as kidney failure.

Be careful out there - take precautions and check carefully for ticks. If removed within 12-18 hours, its unlikely they will transmit the Lyme bacteria which reside in their gut.

 

[Levi Garrett]

Good call!, June is the month, cover up, and check yourself over every night

 

[204saskman]

All ready found 4 ticks on me after shooting lately. Im hoping this snow we just got and the cold will kill some off cause its to early for ticks

 

[cdngunner]

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=345018

Lots of good info near the end of what works against ticks.....

 

[blacksmithden]

.....and you don't have to be skinning dear to pick them up.

I read an article in Ontario Outdoors years ago that said the little buggers may sit on the side of a tree in a dormant state for up to 10 !!!! years waiting for a host to walk by. Lyme disease is nasty nasty nasty.

 

[dutchhunter]

i found one on my daughters neck last fall after an evening hunt for deer .it was right on her throat and came off with out to much fuss got to be carfull DUTCH

 

[SandRoad]

Lyme disease is nasty nasty nasty.

Yep, my wife and daughter had it, plus other relatives.

Course of antibiotics is AT LEAST 6 months. Plus, the standard tests used for it, ESPECIALLY ONTARIO, don't detect it in OVER 50% to 70% of cases. The test has to be repeated MANY times over several months in hope of getting a positive result.

My wife and daughter were on antibiotics for almost a year. There are only a couple of doctors that will PROPERLY treat it.

Doctors typically prescribe the "standard" treatment which is about 4 weeks of antibiotics. This is NOT enough. More and more research is coming to light that a far longer treatment is required. The 4 weeks came out of the US many years ago, and was financially/politically motivated, because a year of patient care is VERY expensive, so they decided that 4 weeks is sufficient.

A typical bacteria has a life cycle measured in hours or days, so a week of antibiotics will cover many generations of the bacteria life cycle, so the antibiotic has the opportunity of killing the bacteria at all stages of the bacteria's lifecycle. Lyme bacteria have a life cycle of about a month, and has periods of low activity/dormancy, so 4 weeks doesn't even cover one life cycle. That is why 6 months or more of treatment is required.

One of the biggest problems is the diagnosis, most of the time the symptoms are attributed to something else. My wife has a close friend that got it 10 years ago, never diagnosed, and now that person is basically in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

(The above is a very simplified but gives you a peek into Lyme Disease)

 

[glock_it26]

With permission from a close friend who has been diagnosed with Lyme disease~
My friend Charity has been fighting this awful disease for years now all because of a tick! She has troubles everyday dealing with normal life skills. What is more heartbreaking is watching her trying to take care of her 2 small boys~ Ticks are serious. I pray everyday for Charity to get better. Everyday is a struggle. Please watch this video of Charity's fight with Lyme Disease. "PLEASE PROTECT YOURSELF THIS SUMMER!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmnGKl1jhRY

 

[Spruce Grouse]

My husband has had 4 ticks now and been on medication for lyme disease.
I haven't got one yet even though I have been in the woods just as much.