Ticks and the countryside! :(

beamer said:
What does a tick bite feel like ... would you definitely know you have been biten ?

I suspect I may have been bitten judging by the bite mark left behind but I definitely didn't feel anything bite me. Kind of worried I have now got Lyme's ... what the infection rate from a bite from a tick - we talking 100% you've got Lyme's now or you would need to be bitten by 1000s of different ticks before you realistically might have it ?
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Ticks have an anaesthetic in their saliva so you don't feel them biting you. Those sites have plenty of info but you may or may not get a bullseye style rash. My symptoms were feverish feeling, tension headache, being extremely fatigued and also stiff/sore neck. I didn't get a rash.

Not all ticks are infected. Chances are you will be fine especially if the tick is removed promptly and properly but you do have to be vigilant if you feel ill. Left untreated, things can get nasty. Worst case is them dropping off after having their fill and you not knowing and then getting ill. Then your GP has to play Sherlock figuring out what's wrong.
 
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beamer said:
What does a tick bite feel like ... would you definitely know you have been biten ?

I suspect I may have been bitten judging by the bite mark left behind but I definitely didn't feel anything bite me. Kind of worried I have now got Lyme's ... what the infection rate from a bite from a tick - we talking 100% you've got Lyme's now or you would need to be bitten by 1000s of different ticks before you realistically might have it ?
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dont they inject an anesthetic like mossies?

edit - gah slightly too slow
 
beamer said:
What does a tick bite feel like ... would you definitely know you have been biten ?

I suspect I may have been bitten judging by the bite mark left behind but I definitely didn't feel anything bite me. Kind of worried I have now got Lyme's ... what the infection rate from a bite from a tick - we talking 100% you've got Lyme's now or you would need to be bitten by 1000s of different ticks before you realistically might have it ?
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I can't answer this question but its likely if it was a tick that bit you it would still be attached so I wouldn't worry about it, it's not like ticks are the only creatures that want a piece of you in the wilderness

Captain Fizz said:
Obtain one of these:
http://www.tickcard.co.uk/

Get someone to check you down once you return from walk/camping.
Tie your trousers around your boots to prevent ingress.

Just a side effect from being outside.
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I see they missed the final step on that website where you remove the tick from the card and violently stamp on it until it is a bloody mush.

I hate parasites, i'm fortunate enough to never have been bitten by a tick but I did find one on my bed once from when my old cat would disappear for weeks on end and come back infested with them, it did not survive the encounter.
 
Narj said:
I've treated my gear with permethrin which will deter/kill the things.
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Didn't that sting a bit? :p

DXP55 said:
When we were kids we burnt them off with a match or rich kids used a lighter - also ciggy does it as well - Mind we were hard in those days. ;);)

Dave :D:D
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My mum used to stick a ball of cotton wool in whisky and then hold it over them, apparently they get drunk and pass out...
 
Haggisman said:
Didn't that sting a bit? :p



My mum used to stick a ball of cotton wool in whisky and then hold it over them, apparently they get drunk and pass out...
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all that happens there is they panic and they do come off but there is a high chance they will regurgitate everything back into you as a reflex before detaching. which will infect you if the tick has anything, so not the best idea! its the same kind of idea as covering with Vaseline or burning them, it will detach them but it leaves you at risk of infection
 
I'm out climbing in Snowdonia quite often and I've been bitten several times. The dog has had a couple as well already and he's only 6 months old. I always make a point to check when I get back but I'm generally covered in DEET as I'm a magnet for midges!

My missus has been constantly fatigued and had aching joints etc for the last couple months (pretty much all the symptoms of Lyme disease). She went to the doctors and they fobbed her off saying they couldn't find anything wrong with her blood tests. I told her to go back and specifically mention she did a lot of climbing and things outdoors in high tick areas when I realised she had all the signs of Lyme. They sent her for a different blood test last week so she should be finding out soon!

How long were you ill for? Did it clear up pretty quick once they realised you had Lyme and got you on antibiotics?
 
Even a "large" tick is still extremely small.

They are not soft either, they have a relatively tough body and are very flat.

Back of a fingernail on a hard smooth surface works though due to the highly focused pressure.

Mind you if they've been left to gorge in peace for a while they may be fat enough to be burst quite easily.


I have some tick tweezers which curve round the tick with very thin jaws to grip and pull it out by the mouth.

If you muck about with clumsy methods you might disintegrate the tick and leave mouth pieces embedded or have the tick regurgitate its guts into the bite hole.
 
Hotwired said:
They are not soft either, they have a relatively tough body and are very flat.
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Depends on the species. You should also avoid touching them.

Street said:
My missus has been constantly fatigued and had aching joints etc for the last couple months (pretty much all the symptoms of Lyme disease). She went to the doctors and they fobbed her off saying they couldn't find anything wrong with her blood tests. I told her to go back and specifically mention she did a lot of climbing and things outdoors in high tick areas when I realised she had all the signs of Lyme. They sent her for a different blood test last week so she should be finding out soon!

How long were you ill for? Did it clear up pretty quick once they realised you had Lyme and got you on antibiotics?
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Your missus should definitely be pushy with her GP if they aren't helpful and refer them to the various PHE and LDA information online. I was told that if the antibiotics did't work, I'd get sent to an infectious disease unit to be dealt with! :D

I got seen about a week after I started feeling ill. I'm on the latter half of a 28 day course of Doxycyclene because the first 2 weeks didn't quite manage to clear it all. I feel a lot better but I still have an anxious/tense headache and feel very tired. Stiff neck and feeling nauseous has gone though.

I'm not the only one that's got ill from my group so I wonder if the number of infected ticks has risen or whether we're just unlucky.
 
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Jono said:
What about that damp cotton bud swirly method?
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I'd personally avoid that as there's a chance you will agitate the tick. In the absence of removal tools/tick tweezers, use a loop of cotton to pull it out (google the method). Definitely invest in one of the various removal tools if you're spending a lot of time in these sort of areas.
 
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Narj said:
Your missus should definitely be pushy with her GP if they aren't helpful and refer them to the various PHE and LDA information online. I was told that if the antibiotics did't work, I'd get sent to an infectious disease unit to be dealt with! :D

I got seen about a week after I started feeling ill. I'm on the latter half of a 28 day course of Doxycyclene because the first 2 weeks didn't quite manage to clear it all. I feel a lot better but I still have an anxious/tense headache and feel very tired. Stiff neck and feeling nauseous has gone though.
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That's good you're getting sorted at least. Those are the exact symptoms she has.. We even got a pregnancy test to rule out the nausea as being morning sickness! At least the second doctor was receptive to her saying it could be Lyme, unlike the first who didn't seem bothered and just told her there was nothing wrong with her blood tests or it was CFS/Fibromyalgia.
 
Street said:
That's good you're getting sorted at least. Those are the exact symptoms she has.. We even got a pregnancy test to rule out the nausea as being morning sickness! At least the second doctor was receptive to her saying it could be Lyme, unlike the first who didn't seem bothered and just told her there was nothing wrong with her blood tests or it was CFS/Fibromyalgia.
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Wishing her the best of luck with it mate. It's not funny and I've been less useful than I'd like at work with reduced attention span/tiredness. My boss is understanding though.

I probably wouldn't have bothered going to the doctor if I hadn't seen it mentioned that someone from our group had recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease. I'd never heard of it before. I thought I was coming down with flu at first.
 
Threepwood said:
The ticks this year seem massive.

Yesterdays walk saw umpteen ticks of at least 2 different species gather upon the dog.

They were up to 6mm in diameter!
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I usually encounter deer ticks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixodes_ricinus

As you see they are quite flat normally.

I run into them in a semi-commercial wood of about 50 acres with a great deal of bracken (like lanky ferns), brambles, and tall grasses where the sunlight gets down through the trees. Various small mammals and deer live in there.
 
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