Break Out the Bug Dope: The Ticks are Here!

[Peter Miller]

16 Tick Day

The three of us, two humans and one golden retriever, included a short bushwhack through mostly open woods in our NH Lakes Region hike today. Our "reward" was 16 ticks (and counting), fairly equally distributed between the three of us. This was in an area we have very rarely picked up ticks before, on trail or off.

 

[Sticks]

After reading all this on ticks I thought I would share this with the hiking community.
Last year (around mid March) I found a tick on my inner thigh that had imbedded itself. This was after a hike in the Whites. I removed the tick and thought that I removed all of it.
A few days later a rash appeared but I was feeling just fine. I went to the doctors anyway and all they said was it was a reaction to the bite of the tick and the clasic bulleye rash was not there , so no need to test for Lyme diease.....however they did give me antibiotics for the rash....

A month later I developed very severe haedaches(nearly passing out on several occasions)The headaches would come and go at random but occuring at least 2x a week.
I again went to the doctors and they did a blood test for Lyme and set me up for a cat scan (they still did not think I had Lyme diease). Cat scane came back negative but Lyme test was positive

They gave me a strong dose of 3 weeks worth of Doxycylin.
So I guess my point is if you are exposed to ticks and develope a rash, insist that you get the blood test done. Trust me you do not want to go through what I did. Messed up my hiking all last summer.
By the way I still test positive for Lyme (as of 3 months ago)and still have minor not severe headaches along with very stiff neck. and sholders.

 

[iceNsnow]

don't stop now , Sticks!

I have had friends in similar situations.

Keep following up on the treatments!!

There are new treatments coming up all the time. Stay with it !! Don't stop now.

This is serious and can more than mess up one summer's worth of hiking.

It messed my friend's life up!! She has had it for over15yrs.

Early treatment is important. And if the 21day cycle doesn't cure you, keep working at finding one that works!!

I hope the best for you!

 

[slowmo68]

My daughter contracted lyme disease 2 years ago at age 8. What i have found out is that most doctors don't really know much about lyme disease. If you are infected by a tick and you get the bullseye, (in my daughters case it took up her whole chest) insist on at least 28 days of antibiotics not 21. The thing that a tick injects into you that causes lyme disease is called a spyrochete (may have spelled this wrong). The information my friend showed me was that 21 days of antibiotics does not kill the spyrochete. I also know someone in government service and when they got bitten the government put him on 60 days of antibiotics. I know this seems like a lot of antibiotics but the consequences of not killing this thing (lyme disease) I have seen 1st hand with my daughter ( severely swollen joints, heart arithmya and chronic fatigue). My daughter will always test positive for lyme now all though it is not reared its ugly head in the last 6 months I am always worried for her. Check your selves and wear bug dope.
Chris

 

[KenG]

I live on Glen Lake about 50 miles north of Albany, and I always hike north of where I live. I hate wearing bug dope, and put it on as a last line of defense against black flies and misquitos. They really have to be bad! Last hunting season a friend of mine from the Albany area was saying how bad the ticks were in the southern zone, I was surprised. Anyway, my question is twofold. Are ticks spreading northward, and does bug dope really work on them, if so, what brand works best?
Don't get me wrong, I realize there are ticks in the ADKs, but not as bad as he described