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View Full Version : TICKS! OMG!



Rainy9
09-11-2010, 08:39 PM
My husband just got home from a paintball tournament that was held in the woods. He didn't even think about ticks when he decided to lay down on the pine needle to hide and snipe.

When he got home and took off his shoes and socks he noticed what looked like specks of dirt all along the edge of his sock line....but they were moving. We relocated to the bathroom to check out the whole picture. EVERYWHERE!!!! And so tiny I can hardly see them mixed in with his leg hair. Arg!

And I've already found one on myself. I'm afraid to feed the squirrels now.

How can we ensure that we get rid of them all when we cant even see them!? :osnap

Oh lordy.

Does anyone have any suggestions/remedies?

mugzeezma
09-11-2010, 10:50 PM
My husband just got home from a paintball tournament that was held in the woods. He didn't even think about ticks when he decided to lay down on the pine needle to hide and snipe.

When he got home and took off his shoes and socks he noticed what looked like specks of dirt all along the edge of his sock line....but they were moving. We relocated to the bathroom to check out the whole picture. EVERYWHERE!!!! And so tiny I can hardly see them mixed in with his leg hair. Arg!

And I've already found one on myself. I'm afraid to feed the squirrels now.

How can we ensure that we get rid of them all when we cant even see them!? :osnap

Oh lordy.

Does anyone have any suggestions/remedies?
oook! Sounds like you have deer ticks
Have any tick and flea spray for dogs? Powder? Rub it all over including and especially into your hair.
If you find any that are latched on pull slowly and hold for 20 seconds. Wait for the tick to let go. I was once given a fabulous little tick pulling tool. Looked like a tiny crowbar with a notch in it.
Transmission of Lymes from a tick bite takes over 24 hours. A tick can get pretty fat by then. I don't think TX is high on the list for Lymes disease though. Mostly NE.

island rehabber
09-12-2010, 09:33 AM
I've had Lyme disease -- don't take a chance! :nono
Check everybody thoroughly -- everywhere. These things can look like a freckle or a mole until they become really engorged (ugh)....by that time it's too late. Lyme disease is bad and has long-lasting repercussions -- I was recently turned down for health insurance because I've had it.

NewMommy
09-12-2010, 02:03 PM
I was bitten by a tick once and had all the symptoms of of Lyme disease. The doctor in the ER where I was at the time for something else, gave me the one time pill and I had no trouble after that. My boyfriend just discovered a bite on his wrist and hadn't been feeling well so he got the one time pill too (sorry, can't think of the name of it) and he's been feeling ok since. If your husband was bit, he should get blood tests though I've heard that the blood tests aren't always reliable.

Rainy9
09-12-2010, 06:33 PM
Thanks for the help everyone. Mugz....a tick puller that looks like a crow bar!? Now THAT sounds effective! lol! I will be looking into this one time pill thingy...just in case. But I think we got them all off last night. Hubby took a shower in the hottest water he could stand...with lots of scrubbing. He looked like a glowing lobster when he got out. (smelled nice too! :D ) These ticks were so tiny (newly hatched I'm guessing) that they could be smooshed between the fingernails with almost no effort. And most of them hadn't even latched on properly. Uck! Ticks. At least they weren't those ugly engorged ones *shudders*. I think he will think twice before laying on a bed of pine needles next time. :osnap

JLM27
09-12-2010, 07:31 PM
The best defense is an offense with tick repellant spray, but if you have had an opportunity to be exposed (and folks, they blow in the wind), then taking a good soap scrubbing hot shower including shampoo is the best defense.

He should also watch for any "bulls-eye" rashes and get to the doctor asap for abx if he sees any. Actually, it need not be a bulls-eye, but just a new red patch. If you don't catch it then, it goes systemic and you start getting mysterious aches and pains and it can even turn very dangerous. I almost lost a friend who had it so bad his kidneys shut down.

island rehabber
09-12-2010, 08:25 PM
I think the one-time Antibiotic is doxycycline. If you know you've been bitten, you take it one time in one large dose and that's it. If you dither around like I did and wait until you see the bullseye rash, you have to take it 3 times a day for three weeks. Problem is, 50% of the people bitten by ticks do not ever get the rash, so they don't connect the illness they get later on with the tick bite. :shakehead

NewMommy
09-12-2010, 08:31 PM
That was the name of the pill, thanks IR. It was driving me crazy trying to remember the name of it.

momma2boo
09-12-2010, 08:46 PM
Does anyone else hear Brad Paisley singing in the background "Check you for ticks" ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tiPndMqxLQ

LittleFootsMama
10-25-2010, 11:18 AM
Does anyone else hear Brad Paisley singing in the background "Check you for ticks" ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tiPndMqxLQ


Ticks make me shudder just thinking about them.. I cant stand parasites of any kind.. UGH.. Might want to go for the one dose just to play it safe, its much better than the alternative!

On the other hand, I would so let Brad Paisley check me for ticks.. :osnap