Ticks and Lyme's Disease

[Whoppa Choppa]

A chap I used to work for had his life totally destroyed by Lymes disease (from a tick bite).

 

He went from young fit happy surfer to bed ridden mess within a week. He has NEVER recovered. 

 

All I know is that a bullseye rash may be delayed so assuming you can find a competent Dr, you need to go on Doxycycline IMMEDIATELY. 

 

Absolutely evil.

[Tree monkey 1682]

On 24/06/2025 at 12:54, sime42 said:

I want to mention Lyme's Disease, just to raise awareness really. I'm sure most on here already know all about it, but some may not. It's carried by ticks and can be passed on to people when they bite you. They are particularly prevalent at this time off year, but are both generally on the increase for various reasons  Lyme's can be mild, but it can also be very serious, with some pretty horrible long term consequences.

 

I've got some close experience as my brother is currently suffering with a suspected case of the disease, after getting a tick bite in the New Forest a few of weeks ago. It has completely knocked him out for the last week or so, (Flu or other virus like symptoms: headache, extreme tiredness, fever etc.). He is OK, and on the mend now, albeit very slowly. He was lucky though as he mentioned Lyme's to the doctors and they put him on a long course of antibiotics straight away. A lot of people don't get diagnosed and treated in time apparently due to a lack of awareness in both the medical profession and general population. 

 

Be careful out there folks.
 

Lyme Disease UK - a brief explanation of Lyme disease in the UK

LYMEDISEASEUK.COM

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Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia, a spirochete bacteria. It’s the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the...

 

Lyme Disease Action — Lyme Disease Action: The longest established UK charity working on Lyme disease and tick-borne diseases. Accredited to the UK quality mark PIF Tick for trustworthy information.

WWW.LYMEDISEASEACTION.ORG.UK

 

 

It's a shit way to go,someone local to me had developed it after going  to Glastonbury  think 36 months later and he was dead from it ...slow and painful way to go...often mistaken for a fever ..

Good article and comment 

[Tree monkey 1682]

18 hours ago, Paul in the woods said:

Down here in Devon we get ticks all year round, you just get more in the Summer. I've had a couple this year and they've all been the tiny nymphs, one in my belly button and one somewhere where it is hard to see... They can scuttle off of me onto my OH who hasn't been outside - so worth checking everyone.

 

I gather if you get them off quickly (24hrs?) then you're far less likely to get Lymes. I have found those tick twisters quite good at getting the tiny ones off, I don't pull but just twist. 

 

Worth mentioning again don't burn, freeze, squeeze, smother, show them the Mail; but pull/twist them out by the head to stop them regurgitating into you. I find special tick remover ideal.

I used a mates fag and it let go head and all

[Macpherson]

I've had many ticks over the years as have my dogs, I have a reasonably bad reaction to them, usually a very itchy lump about the size of 1/2 a golf ball which can take around a month to completely subside.

 

Probably more than 10 years ago after a particularly bad reaction to a tick just above my c*ck I went to a busy multiple GP practice in the NW of Glasgow and asked for a Lyme test.... I was surprised to find out that they had never done this before and I knew far more about Lyme than the experienced GP did although this practice is less than 1/2 a mile from a wild park which deer inhabit.

 

When I asked where they would send my blood to be tested The GP didn't know, although I had already done my own research and had found that German labs had the best results as the OP mentioned.. but mine sample was sent to somewhere in Ayrshire and came back negative.. I'm not surprised by any of this as the deeper I dig the more ignorance I discover.

 

I spend most of my time in the NW Highlands where we are inundated with tourists from all around the world, and I've often wondered how many of them go home after a short holiday and a lot of masking of other insects by midgie bites to find that after a while they have an undiagnosed life changing illness where no one can join the dots.

 

 

[kram]

On 24/06/2025 at 14:19, Haironyourchest said:

Germany is the country to consult for suspected Lyme's. The medical system takes it seriously there and has accurate tests for it, you can order a test kit from them, not cheap. Don't wait for your clueless doctor to get around to diagnosing it, heard too many stories about three docs and a dozen tests later before it was flagged, etc etc.

There is not an accurate test for it. That is most of the problem.

 

Lymes is nothing I was reading the other day about liver flukes. In certain countries , any contact with fresh water, be it swimming, rinsing dirt of your leg in a stream, splashing your face for half a second, can have the parasites burrow into your skin and then around your circulation. They eventually burrow through to your organs where they cause proper damage.

 

I used to do a lot of trail running through thick woodland and technical ground in shorts where there are deer and cows. Suprised nothing has got me but never noticed any.

[Welshfred]

It is anti clockwise you twist out isn't it? I was taught to anaesthetise with meths, lighter fluid or, like tree monkey, the hot end of a fag. Then twist confidently! Haven't had to do one on myself for years, just a few on dogs. I wouldn't use the fag trick on a dog tho!!!

[AHPP]

First thing this morning, I dug the mouth parts out of one behind Sailor’s ear with the end of a knife. The tick card broke it in half. It gets the grey ones but the red ones are tougher. Anyway, he stood there biddably for long enough to do him a small tattoo. You want to get yourself a harder dog. 

[Paul in the woods]

43 minutes ago, Welshfred said:

It is anti clockwise you twist out isn't it? I was taught to anaesthetise with meths, lighter fluid or, like tree monkey, the hot end of a fag. Then twist confidently! Haven't had to do one on myself for years, just a few on dogs. I wouldn't use the fag trick on a dog tho!!!

 

You can twist in either direction. I'm surprised people still use heat or other substances on ticks these days as that goes against all advice which is easy to find.

 

From the site linked in the original post: 

 

Lyme Disease UK Online Support - How to Correctly Remove a Tick

LYMEDISEASEUK.COM

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If you find an embedded tick in your skin it's important to remove it as soon as possible, but just as important to remove it correctly.

 

[Haironyourchest]

I read the latest medical advice is no twist, just straight out with slow steady pull. And use the proper tick tweezers. Don't aggrevate the tick so it burrows deeper, and don't apply chemicals to stun it, as they can also make the tick vomit and introduce Lyme's.

[sime42]

The twist/no twist dilemma is an odd one. It seems to depend entirely on the type of tick tool or tweezers that you're using. The instructions on some are adamant that only a pull should be used, others say a twist and a pull. Doesn't make much sense to me as all devices are essentially the same thing; a design to grip the tick as close to the skin as possible.

 

There is however, consensus on not using anything else, substance or heat etc. For fear of aggravating the filthy things. Saying that though. Apparently in Romania the use of a tick freeze spray, (similar to wart remover stuff), is the standard method to get rid of them. It's readily available there.