Ticks and the countryside! :(

Narj said:
Depends on the species. You should also avoid touching them.



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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I've also just started another 2 week antibiotics course as I wasnt back to normal after 14 days and the 3 day gap of not being on doxycycline made the symptoms start to come back.

I was bitten by a small tick whilst mountain biking in Longleat Forest Wiltshire (fixing puncture and sat on floor - my sweaty under carriage must have been like a beacon to the tics. I got bitten on the upper thigh but removed it crudely with fingers whilst in the bath)

I didnt get the classic bullseye rash but did have a small rash around the bite area. My main issues have been general aches and pains around back and hips but most noticably has been the insertion points of my achilles tendons - which were agony and crippled me. First the right and then the left, but luckily not both together.

I kept dismissing it as Lymes for several week but as the list of ailments grew I eventually went to see GP.

The NHS did a blood test but that came back negative - although they only test for antibody response to one strain of the bacteria but there are actually several in UK fromwhat I have read. On the lab report there is a caveat suggesting that the test isnt that great and if the patient has a tick bite and physical symptoms they should be treated anyway!

The message really is to be aware of ticks, try to avoid getting bitten, remove then quickly and efficiently if you do get bitten and keep an eye out for any of the symptoms. Lyme disease isnt that well known to the NHS so you may need to insist on treatment and tests.
 
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***F1ZZY*** said:
I've also just started another 2 week antibiotics course as I wasnt back to normal after 14 days and the 3 day gap of not being on doxycycline made the symptoms start to come back.
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Articles online do question whether people get the optimum dose and duration - there's limited research though. To be fair, the NHS guideline is 14 days of 100mgx2 per day without arthritic type symptoms. That obviously doesn't seem to be enough in some cases. If you look on a lot of US sites, people are being put on antibiotics for 6 weeks! :o

I'm not a medical professional so I can't really claim to know anything. I presume it's just a case by case thing.

Hope you feel better soon mate, you left it quite a while! This really is no fun. I think the doxycycline is almost as bad as the illness as it seems to make me even more tired. I can easily sleep for 12+ hours.

Fingers crossed it goes soon. I can imagine it being a really awful and stressful experience if your doctor isn't receptive to the idea of it being a tick-borne infection or Lyme.
 
My missus has finally managed to get a referral to the infectious diseases unit. Her blood test came back negative and the doctor said she probably has CFS but she insisted and he referred her in the end. Although they messed up the referral when she phoned up and have to reissue it now!

I did a tick check on the dog yesterday when we got back and pulled 3 off of him so it shows how easy it is to get bitten!
 
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I got one the other week when I was watering my window boxes & pots. It's not just when you are out in the countryside that you can get bitten, you need to be careful when gardening too (my window boxes/pots are in town on a 1st floor roof). I assume it was from a bird that carried it up there (they aren't a ticks favourite but they will do for want of a host). I noticed it pretty much right away so removed it with pointed tweezers and put it in a jar. No ill effects and it was 7 weeks ago now.
 
Tauren said:
Doesn't the heat of a lit cigarette end make them drop off in fear of being burnt alive? Or is this an urban myth?
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Most old-school methods work to some degree (like with leeches), but have consequences. Typically part of the tick/leech/whatever will be left behind in the wound, and/or it will spew back into you in the process.

Don't use a cigarette, though - The whiners in the anti-smoking thread will have your guts for garters!! :p
You could try a e-cig, but I don't think that will be as effective...

Someone mentioned dogs - Definitely check them over frequently.
For the first time ever, we've started finding ticks on our Collie and she's definitely the most susceptible to them.

I've often been told (by medical practitioners) that gripping with proper tick removers/tweezers and turning anti-clockwise is the best method, as the jaws are like corkscrews... seems to work so far, on the dog at least. Never knowing been bitten myself, which is surprising as my job used to comprise hiding in long grass quite often!
 
My cat had a tick just above his eye recently. After reading all the scare stories, dont' do do this, don't touch that.. I took him to the vets. The vet used bare fingers to grip it and a quick twist to pull it out. When it was out he gave it a quick squeeze to check blood came out first (blood from the cat) and then followed by the tick juices/innards.
 
ttaskmaster said:
Someone mentioned dogs - Definitely check them over frequently.
For the first time ever, we've started finding ticks on our Collie and she's definitely the most susceptible to them.
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Our Collie is a magnet for them.. I think it's because he loves charging about and rolling in heather!

Here are a couple of the ones I pulled off yesterday..
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