Serious Tick Bite....

[dave_wilson1]

<p>Not really a question, but I just wanted to share, and will pose a question in the end to consider. I have been photographing outdoors for a very long time, not to mention fishing since a kid. I have dealt with ticks without problems, but apparently not the New Jersey "deer tick". So, last week I guess (obviously) I missed this little teeny-tiny menace in the back of my thigh just above my knee. Thursday, Friday there was a slight stinging but saw nothing, so I figured inflamed hair folicle or something. By Sunday night there's a rash so I washed it and wasn't sure what to make of it. By Monday it's blown up and the center is clearly infected but it's a holiday and Dr's closed I figured I'll go first thing Tuesday. Wrong... by Monday 6pm I'm major sick, went to Emergency Room, all my joints are as stiff as could be, fierce headache, stiff neck and somewhat mentally confused. Doctor says looks too severe for a tick, must have been a brown recluse spider or other similar. Prescribes meds and I'm sent home must follow up in two days or sooner if more trouble. Yesterday (Thur) I go to medi-center for follow up, swelling is reduced some, Dr. says definite no spider, it's a deer tick bite, and that my reaction was particularly severe. Leg pain at site is bad enough, the flu like symptoms and stiff joints are tollerable, but the headache was just incredible with little help from Advil/Tylenol etc. Thank heavens for noticeable relief today except I'm just kind of tired.<br>

So in keeping in line with this great and supportive forum: Have you had any similar experience with any such things, not necessarily a tick, that have at least taken away some of your enthusiasm to run back out in the brush and get those shots? Whether it's fishing, photographing, cleaning the yard (which is where I suspect this happened right here at home) or just going for a nature walk, I'm now a little weed shy.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>My wife had a slightly similar experience back in 1994, but she didn't experience any serious effects. At that time we were living in New Jersey and she was bitten on her arm in our backyard. A couple of days later we flew to Northern California to hike and photograph. At the Redwood National Park we ran into a woman; she saw the rash on my wife's arm and said that she was a nurse, and she thought that was a tick bite. We went to a local hospital (near the northern tip of California), but they didn't have much experience with ticks. They did a blood test that eventually came back negative for lyme disease.</p>

[dave_wilson1]

<p>Ooops, see I said I was confused... I wrote "Yesterday (thur)" it should have been "Yesterday (wed)". Shun, thanks for sharing :) glad it worked out well.</p>

[stemked]

<p>I was shooting in Eastern Minnesota, also a spot where both Lymes Disease and Deer ticks are common, although the incidence of Lymes in Minnesota is no where near as high as the East Coast (Forgive me I'm a Microbiologist). I too found a deer tick in my shoulder (for those who don't know Deer Ticks are tiny, not to be confused with Wood, Dog, or Lone Star Ticks. Anyway I saw a dark spot on my shoulder and immediately recognized what it was. I got it out and then went to the doctor to get the antibiotic Tetracycline.<br>

That's not the end of the story though. I was told by the doctor, "Stay out of the Sun". This was early spring in coldish Minnesota I didn't take the warning seriously enough. The next weekend I was up in the Porcupine mountains (MIch) I was wearing a hat with a wide brim , long sleeves, long pants, I had nothing to worry about, right? Wrong! My hands were exposed to the light. By mid day my hands began to BURN! Very painful. The tetracycline was breaking down in the sunlight and it wasn't a pleasant trip.<br>

Funny thing is two of my friends are researchers who work on Lymes disease, a very close one has started her own lab at Ohio State. It remains a somewhat controversial/mysterious disease in part because the early symptoms go (often) unseen and then its hard to ID the organism. It produces the effects you mentioned which can look like a lot of other diseases.<br>

Anyway, glad to hear you are better. And listen very closely to those warnings about the antibiotics you use!</p>

[kerry_grim]

<p>I've had many friend infected by Lyme disease. Here is SE Pennsylvania, deer tick ares active even in winter. Some areas are just infested with them and other areas seeming don't have them. But, nowhere in my area is totally immune. I stay away from fields that I know are loaded with ticks, dog tick or deer tick. I've taken pictures of rabbits in the backyard, and later noticed that one will occasionally have a tick attached to its ear. </p>

<p>I found one tick on me which was not on long enough to spread the disease, supposedly. But it itched like crazy for days after I removed it. There is a certain amount of time deer ticks are attached before spreading the disease. I don't recall how long that is, but there is a lot on the internet about the disease.</p>

<p>My only suggestion would be to purchase a tick removal kit and keep it with you. If you remove a tick, it can be saved and later checked for the disease if necessary. I have one friend that carries a deer tick with him, under tape which he uses to educate others as to what they look like. I had another friend wind up in the hospital for a week with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever caused by a dog tick. So all ticks should be taken seriously.</p>

[Two23]

<p>I live in deer tick country, as well as all the other kind. My strategy is to wear light colored clothing so I can see them faster. My socks, pants, shirt have been treated with Permanone, a permethrin based insecticide that is the ONLY thing I've found that reliably repels ticks. The clothing treatment lasts all summer, even with a few washings.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[dcstep]

<p>I too use the permethrin insecticide on clothing and my blind. It really is much more effective than deet from tests I've read and seen. You still need deet or an alternative for your skin, but if you can keep them off you clothing it's a big step. Don't forget to treat your hat. I buy the large bottles at REI.</p>

[vivid_earth_photographics]

<p>If you live in Lyme disease area, IT IS CRITICAL you include Lyme test in annual physical regardless of whether you recall being bitten. The treatment is an easy 3 weeks on Doxycyclin if you are positive. Waiting to feel symptoms or only seeking treatment if you see a "target" around a bite is not wise. Many people exhibit no symptoms but the infection can cause serious joint and heart and other problems in time.</p>

[dave_wilson1]

<p>Good info all, thanks for the replies. I'm feeling markedly better today but still have to go for Lyme tests in a few weeks, I've had a few of them over the years all negative, let's hope this stays that way. <em>Now if I can only keep people from shooting at the 5" bullseye on the back of my leg.....</em></p>

[steven_f1]

<p>My advise is to tuck your pants into your socks. They would then have to climb up on the outside of your pants and your can then just brush them off. Don't forget the lyme test. Your symptoms are consistnent with it and you will start to get better (for now) but later it will get worse (much worse).</p>

[dcstep]

<p><strong>If not using permethrin on your shoes, socks, pants, etc. then tucking in is good, but not as effective as treating your clothes. I saw images of ticks on shoes, one with fresh deet and one with 30-day old permethrin. With the deet the tick just walked across the cloth, but with permethrin they immediately rolled off. They're not going to climb up on that stuff. Thinking of the other end, treating your hat and shirt will head off almost any situation other than a tick direct into the neck of your shirt.</strong></p>

[pjmeade]

<p>That sounds pretty vile.<br>

I picked up some sort of bite on my neck when I was on holidy in the Auvergne a few years ago, I still have a scar there and the reaction didn't subside for months. I wonder if that was a tick of some sort.<br>

Some of the horses I photograph graze in an area that had deer, and the horses frequently have ticks on their noses. Clearly i haven't looked on that situation seriously enough.</p>

 

[steve_levine]

<p>I live in Lyme disease "ground zero", Dutchess County, NY.And this has been a serious local health issue for at least 20 years around here.<br>

The reaction you had is most likely from the bite itself. It has always been my understanding that Lyme disease doesn't incubate instantly.</p>

<p>it's best to have a health professional remove embedded ticks when at all possible. The reason being that they can break apart when being removed if this isn't done carefully. Also an MD can start you a routine course of anti-biotics as a precaution</p>

<p>Lyme can indeed cripple and debilitate ,making it essential to follow up with a medical professional. The little buggers always seem to bite where we don't see them too. In places like the backs of limbs etc.</p>

[Christa Binder]

<p>My stepdad caught Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, from a tick about 10 years ago. He was in the hospital for two weeks.</p>

[2Oceans]

<p>Dave, there are permethrin impregnated bands like the "live strong" bands that folks wear. I bought mine at Dick's Sporting Goods. Once opened they have a limited life but they may be helpful. In Central America I have seen Kuna indians remove/pick the parasites off their partners after they return from the Panamanian rain forest to the San Blas islands they live on. I am certain that is not an exclusive practice. Just a thought. Glad your getting better. Good hunting. Andy</p>

[wpahnelas]

<p>i had my first run in with a nasty tick bite this past summer. as i spend a lot of time outdoors photographing, i take the usual precautions when going outdoors. this particular sunday morning, i found a tick on my belly, a day after NOT having been outdoors at all. i tried to remove it by smothering the tick in vaseline, but it was extremely stubborn, so i eventually pulled it off (cleanly, by the way). the next day the location of the bite had become infected; two days later, it was seriously bad. i didn't go to the doctor's until the following week (already had an appointment). that was entirely too long to wait, but i'm hard-headed. i have a rather nasty looking scar on my body now, to remind me of my run-in with a tick. nevertheless, after a course of doxycycline and a month or so of being a bit out of it, i'm back out there again. still taking precautions and a little wiser, i hope, about a tick bite that gets worse instead of better.</p>

[katherinemichael]

<p>Wow, this thread has been an eye opener for me. I understand how you feel about being a little "brush shy" when it comes to shooting after that kind of experience. I actually must confess that I haven't done any nature shooting this whole year thus far in part because of tick bites. The year prior, I was bitten by seven ticks. They weren't deer ticks, although I think we do have them down here in FL. Every one of the bites got a red, insanely itchy rash around it and took forever to fade, like months. The last one nailed me in the hip joint area and my lymph node got <strong>really</strong> swollen and sore. I went to the doctor, ended up on some antibiotics and 2X allergy meds per day. After that I was uninspired to go out into nature with my camera and take the risk of another bite. I should add that in all the instances I was bitten, I was wearing long sleeves, long pants tucked into my pants, a large brimmed hat and DEET repellent. I still picked up seven and that was just the ones that attached. I knocked many, many more off my clothes and camera. I am finally starting to miss being out there shooting. I will definitely be trying the permethrin this time out. When I first saw people mentioning it in this thread, I thought that I had never heard of it before, but then I remembered from when I kept horses that it is a major ingredient in many equine insect repellent sprays. </p>

<p>Anyway, I hope that <strong>you</strong> are feeling much better now. Just give yourself time to get better. I ended up focusing on tabletop macro photography for a while and now I am happy to have a different skill set and perspective to take with me on the trail. Take care. </p>

<p>Katherine</p>

[dave_wilson1]

<p>Holy cow, lots of stuff to absorb on here. Thanks very much for the well wishes Katherine and everybody, today I'm feeling pretty good and had to go work a small job, low and behold it ended up outside in a big park grove (where else would it be...). Just to follow up on Katherine's episode, I too have had multiple tick bites in the past, but they were the bigger wood ticks and even when I missed one for two days it was no big deal, just minor irritation. Katherine sounds like you were sensitive to even the common ones, so the deer tick could be worse. For me this really threw me because I have never been sensitive to much of anything besides mosquitos. I have read everyone's replies thoroughly, valuable info for sure.</p>

[2Oceans]

<p>Dave, Deet containing repellants and Deep Woods Off are probably the best products and are great for mosquitoes. There is no guarantee but you should try to get the tick off within 48 hours. Preferably sooner. Lyme disease was first identified as an entity in the Lyme Connecticut area by a house wife. I think this PDF is best. Good to take things seriously. I have had two ticks this yearand now assume that they will get on me when I am in the woods.<br /><cite><a href="http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/.../tickbiteprevention05.pdf">www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/.../<strong>tickbite</strong>prevention05.pdf</a></cite><br /><cite>Again good hunting. Andy</cite></p>

[paul_de_ley]

<p>Ticks are not that common around here in southern California, although I've had to brush them off during at least one long hike. No bites or lasting effects fortunately. A month ago I had a less pleasant and much more surprising first experience with some of their relatives though: chiggers.</p>

<p>I'd spent the weekend about 3 hours away from home in Malibu Lagoon, getting good shots of Black Skimmers & not noticing anything biting or crawling onto me. By the time I got home however little red bumps started showing and itching all over my lower legs, hands and forearms. I even had two on my forehead - presumably from having put my hat on the ground during cloudy spells. The itching was worse than any I've ever experienced before (i'm a biting bugs & skeeters magnet) plus lasted a whole week even with regular applications of hydrocortisone. A month later some of them are still clearly visible and ready to itch if accidentally rubbed by clothes or such.</p>

<p>Didn't know what they were until I talked to the local parasitologist, who informed me that Malibu Lagoon is the one place on the west coast known to have chiggers in residence.</p>

<p> </p>

[herb_schreiber]

<p>Dave,<br>

I have recently begun purchasing clothing for hiking that is under the "Insect Shield" (formerly BuzzOff) label. They have a patented method of permanently bonding the repellent to their clothing. I believe the US military uses similar technology to minimize vector diseases. I still use DEET on exposed skin. This just makes it faster/easier to get out there without applying a ton of DEET everywhere. There is no odor and it lasts the life of the garment. It is EPA registered and it works. No, I am not affiliated with that company in any way.<br>

Herb</p>

 

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2826&q=378174</p>

[john_anderson22]

<p>Dave,<br>

I like a pump spray Permethrin from Cabela's which can be applied to socks and clothing. It lasts for 6 weeks or 6 washings, whichever comes first. It is not recommended for hats. Exposed skin must still be protected. I use DEET in strengths up to 100%. Some stores have much weaker concentrations so check the label. Lower %'s mean more frequent reapplication. I spent 5 days in the Amazon jungle with this strategy and left without a single mosquito bite. Unfortunately, Permithrin doesn't work on fire ants. I sprayed the clothing about a week before the trip, so the strength was at its best.<br>

If you spend a lot of time outdoors, the clothing with built-in fabric treatment is probably worth the money. There is no time limit for the clothing, and they say it lasts through 70 washings which is a lot. Some military research shows it lasts through many more washings. I recently acquired a couple of shirts and hiking socks on sale from LLBean. They also have pants and hats. Waiting for a sale.<br>

John Anderson</p>

[jwallphoto]

<p>Man, I thought I'd had some bad tick bites, but a few of these stories knock my socks off. I've had to make ER visits on three occasions of tick bites, but none of my symptoms were long-lasting. I had a couple of bites this season (spring is high tick season here in Northern California) that were a pain. I phoned the on-call physician on the second bite -- it was a weekend so my regular doc wasn't available -- and she told me I didn't have to worry about lyme because I got the tick out the same day it bit me. She said something about 24 hours, but frankly I don't buy it. I never heard of a lyme test, but it sounds like a good thing to get.</p>

<p>By the way, I've found the best thing for removing dug-in ticks -- fingernail cutters. Nothing else pinches down so precisely and so strongly. You have to be careful to grip, not cut, but it works great, and you don't end up squeezing the tick's innards into your wound the way you do with tweezers and the like.</p>

[joseph_smith3]

<p>Lots of good info here about how to avoid ticks. I do two things. I treat my clothes by soaking them with the "Perxxxxxxx" chemical already mentioned that you can get at REI or Passport Health locations (where you get your travel shots.) I get the soaking formula, not the spray on type. I also like pants with a tick cuff sold by LL Bean. This way the little critters cannot crawl up your legs. If you are going to be around bushes or trees at "hat height" I suggest you get a see thru bug net for your wide brim hat and treat it too. Info on the pants is here:<br>

<a href="http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/38505?parentCategory=506578&feat=506578-tn&cat4=506557">http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/38505?parentCategory=506578&feat=506578-tn&cat4=506557</a></p>

<p>Joe Smith</p>