kswl

Just stumbled across this thread and can add a personal story:

Our 14-year-old son was out tramping about in the woods behind our house in central Georgia with a friend. He sat down in what he later described as a small area where the pine straw had been "sort of flattened down." When he took a shower later that night, he noticed tiny spots all over his lower legs that he though were dirt---but they wouldn't wash off. We inspected them with a magnifying glass, checked with a photo on the internet and concluded that he had sat right down where a deer had lain in the woods, and he had probably a hundred deer ticks to show for it. We used long-nosed tweezers (from an office surgical kit my husband brought home from his practice) and the magnifying glass to remove each tick. It wasn't easy, as they were pretty firmly attached and so small it was difficult to get just the tick without any surrounding skin. (ouch) He'd had them all day, so my DH started him on a 10-day course of antibiotics for good measure.

If he hadn't had so many, we would never have known---that's the scary part. We have since moved north to more acreage and it is a veritable deer park. We're considering taking steps to make our land less deer-friendly. I hate to do it, as they are beautiful out grazing near the pond, but . . .

Thanks for posting this Starrsville. I hope everyone who lives in "deer country" will read it and take heed!

Birdie

Entomologists have officially changed the name from "deer tick" to something I can't remember since most of these ticks are carried by mice rather than deer.

starrsville

You're welcome, kswl. I need more pine straw to mulch the perennial bed for winter, but I may just buy it

I was driving to visit my uncle at his "cabin" on the other end of the property and a young deer was crossing the road in the middle of the day. When I got there, he was walking through the pine grove that has all the beautiful red pine straw. He was disturbing the deer - and just validated that they are still hanging out there - as probably are their ticks.

I have a fairly noticable scar on my back from the incision to remove the remainder of my little tick friend. Yikes, I can't imagine having to pick out 100's of the little guys. Poor son! The antibiotics are probably a very good idea.

Worktowander

Adding because dsm22's story is so much like what happened to me - and it's a scenario equally typical to simply finding the tick or bullseye, getting quickly diagnosed, taking antibiotics and being fine.

Please be aware that many Lyme cases don't come with a bullseye rash, or the rash happens in a place you can't see it - the scalp, for instance.

The lab tests for Lyme disease are generally not good (studies prove this and the CDC concurs), making it even harder to diagnose. If you happen to have other chronic health problems, are pregnant, etc., your doctor may chalk your symptoms up to that situation, delaying treatment - a very bad thing. Months of visits even to the Mayo Clinic couldn't get me a correct diagnosis.

Neuropsychiatric Lyme disease is commonly misdiagnosed as MS, lupus, depression, ALS, Alzheimer's, etc.

Symptoms and problems can last for years. Some people will have aftereffects forever.

And, happiest thought of all, Lyme disease is often accompanied by coinfections like babesia and ehrlichiosis.

Please don't mess around with this. There's no need to be paranoid, but if you're just not feeling "right" and you've been bitten by or likely to have been bitten by a tick, get to a doctor.

This is a nasty one folks, and is life-changing for some people, children and adults alike. Please, please don't mess around with it.

dsm22

I cannot even imagine being covered with 100's of ticks. I cannot even begin to find the words to convey how grossed out I am right now. Kswl that is a nightmare.

About two or three weeks ago, I was petting my dog, Kiaya, and I was touching her face, and thought I felt something. It was a big grey lumpy thing. I was grossed out, and I was trying to think of what happened to her and what it was. Then it hit me, duh, it's a tick.

I called my husband in and we got it off of her. I would have though that they died off when it got cold.

Good information Worktowander. Sorry to hear of your misdiagnoses. It is very hard to live with. I see it come and go with my dad. Sometimes it is worse than others.

bmw732002

Just to add another testimonial!

I live in New Jersey...and both my wife and I have had Lyme disease! Yes! even that dense state of New Jersey has many, many Deers....although I have also heard that it is the "Mice" that carry the tick.
My wife had it first and it was not pretty! No marks or bullseye to spot!

I had it about 2 years later. No bullseye as well! It felt like the worst flu sympton you could imagine. Headaches, overall achyness, sunlight felt like needles going into my eyes!
I had to "FORCE" my doctor to give me antibiotics and not to wait for the test results (I saw him on a Friday and he wanted to wait till Monday for results) I also new that you could get a false read from the results.
Finally he relented....and when he called back on Monday he said that the test came back positive! By that time I was feeling much, much better..which I contributed to getting the antibiotics into my system ASAP!

Dont mess with this disease! It is a killer !

John