You may have noticed that I have been absent on here for some time now, and it is due to my ill health this year. I have caught Lyme disease, which I had heard of in the past but never really bothered about. The disease is transmitted through tic bites, and the first signs are a red spot surrounded by a circular rash.Please be warned that the disease is an absolute sod, with all sorts of debilitating symptoms, but the sooner it is treated, the less serious the outcome.
Due to the fact that we are all nature photographers, and naturally spend a great deal of our time out in the countryside where tics abound, we are very much at risk of this disease and its consequences.
If you get bitten by a tic, especially the small ones, and have the "bulls eye" rash, do not hesitate to see your doctor, as an early course of antibiotics can really make a big difference.
Best wishes to all
Phil
It is a very good point Phil and one I never thought about until moving to Munich where there are billions of them, everywhere and carrying meningitis related disease as well as all the others. I am vaccinated for the worst but Lymes is not possible. Unfortunately tics often stick you in dark corners, yes those corners you are thinking of, where you can not notice or see a bite. It is one reason I give up the forest in summer as about now they explode and there are too many....I often have dozens on my trousers...always wear light colours so you can see them.
If you can find the tic before it falls off there is a good chance you will have no disease as it is once they are quite full they push some of the stomach contents back into your system...and the disease is in their stomachs. But to get them off use only specific tic tweasers and squeasing the body can of course empty the stomach into your blood.
Thanks for this Phil i do hope you are soon on the mend.
I think warning like these do make you stop and think about some of the places we get to in pursuit of our hobby/ocupation.
Hi Phil,
I've had Lymes three times now and on none of the occasions did the classic bullseye mark show up. My first warning was feeling tired and lethargic. If caught within a couple of days of being bitten Lymes is quite curable with a course of Doxycycline antibiotics, but be warned that most doctors who do not know much about the disease will initially give you enough for a 14 day course, insist on it being a 28 day course, the 14 days is not enough to rid your system of the cursed disease and after a couple of weeks it can easily come back again.
Your doctor should also be made aware that Lymes mimics a number of other diseases and is impossible to diagnose from a blood test if you have had it previously.
It is reckoned that about one in ten ticks carry it. The first time I caught it I pulled about 80 pin head sized ones off my legs; I had crawled through a nest of them in late september time. April, May and Sept are peak months for them.
I now dab on a little "Spot On" tick repellant for dogs on all my out door clothes.
A number of my reptile sites are in Hampshire, in places that are also good for deer. I find these tend to be the places with large populations of ticks, and I therefore only carry out fieldwork in those areas wearing long trousers and long-sleeved shirts, regardless of how hot it is. It isn't a guaranteed way to avoid being bitten, but it does help.
Thanks for the timely reminder, Phil, and wishing you a speedy return to full health.
Been there bought the tee shirt not pleasant been ticked off as it were. As David suggests long trousers long sleeve shirt a hat will help but they will still get you they head for damp dark places all of which need to be checked half the time you don't feel them. One big no no don't try picking them off with your fingers. Spraying clothes helps but they can still get through even then. All good sound advice above.
Blimey, touch wood I've never suffered this despite many years of conservation work on lowland heaths, its not something you think about when younger and full of energy ie still capable of wielding a billhook or slasher!....a timely reminder tho'
Sorry to hear this, Phil. I join the others in wishing you a full and speedy recovery.
Added as an afterthought:
The best way to remove ticks in my experience is with a dab of ethyl acetate or actetone (nail varnish remover) on cotton wool. After a minute or so they will be narcotised and release their grip and come away without leaving anything behind.
Wish you a speedy recovery and am glad you warn people of the disease. I have been extremely tired for over 5-8 years now and do think i have caught Lymes disease at one point as we have many infected ticks down here in Holland and i have been bitten quite a few times. Still trying to find a cure but it is not easy to find out wether a tick bite was the cause though likely due to my line of work as a wildlife photographer.
The doctors are often mistaken that you only need treatment with anti-biotics if you have the circular red mark after a bite but only in 50% of the bites will a red circular mark appear and in the other 50% you will get Lymes disease but will not get treatment if your doctor does not know this.
Furthermore in many cases Lymes disease will not be easy to detect and the consequences are horrible.
So..please be carefull out there as ticks can be very very dangerous!
Discussion
13 repliesDue to the fact that we are all nature photographers, and naturally spend a great deal of our time out in the countryside where tics abound, we are very much at risk of this disease and its consequences.
If you get bitten by a tic, especially the small ones, and have the "bulls eye" rash, do not hesitate to see your doctor, as an early course of antibiotics can really make a big difference.
Best wishes to all
Phil
Hope you soon get sorted.
JR
If you can find the tic before it falls off there is a good chance you will have no disease as it is once they are quite full they push some of the stomach contents back into your system...and the disease is in their stomachs. But to get them off use only specific tic tweasers and squeasing the body can of course empty the stomach into your blood.
Matt
I think warning like these do make you stop and think about some of the places we get to in pursuit of our hobby/ocupation.
Keith.
I've had Lymes three times now and on none of the occasions did the classic bullseye mark show up. My first warning was feeling tired and lethargic. If caught within a couple of days of being bitten Lymes is quite curable with a course of Doxycycline antibiotics, but be warned that most doctors who do not know much about the disease will initially give you enough for a 14 day course, insist on it being a 28 day course, the 14 days is not enough to rid your system of the cursed disease and after a couple of weeks it can easily come back again.
Your doctor should also be made aware that Lymes mimics a number of other diseases and is impossible to diagnose from a blood test if you have had it previously.
It is reckoned that about one in ten ticks carry it. The first time I caught it I pulled about 80 pin head sized ones off my legs; I had crawled through a nest of them in late september time. April, May and Sept are peak months for them.
I now dab on a little "Spot On" tick repellant for dogs on all my out door clothes.
Hope you're back to normal soon Phil
Thanks for the timely reminder, Phil, and wishing you a speedy return to full health.
David
Been there bought the tee shirt not pleasant been ticked off as it were. As David suggests long trousers long sleeve shirt a hat will help but they will still get you they head for damp dark places all of which need to be checked half the time you don't feel them. One big no no don't try picking them off with your fingers. Spraying clothes helps but they can still get through even then. All good sound advice above.
Wish you well Phil
Bob
Added as an afterthought:
The best way to remove ticks in my experience is with a dab of ethyl acetate or actetone (nail varnish remover) on cotton wool. After a minute or so they will be narcotised and release their grip and come away without leaving anything behind.
Wish you a speedy recovery and am glad you warn people of the disease. I have been extremely tired for over 5-8 years now and do think i have caught Lymes disease at one point as we have many infected ticks down here in Holland and i have been bitten quite a few times. Still trying to find a cure but it is not easy to find out wether a tick bite was the cause though likely due to my line of work as a wildlife photographer.
The doctors are often mistaken that you only need treatment with anti-biotics if you have the circular red mark after a bite but only in 50% of the bites will a red circular mark appear and in the other 50% you will get Lymes disease but will not get treatment if your doctor does not know this.
Furthermore in many cases Lymes disease will not be easy to detect and the consequences are horrible.
So..please be carefull out there as ticks can be very very dangerous!
greetings,
Jeroen Stel
Hope you get well soon..
T