EVER OUTDOORS? READ THIS!

[contesstant]

Holy cow, Newboots, I'm so sorry you had to endure that! I'm with the other western gals and grateful that the tick-borne diseases aren't nearly as prevalent here. I know the risk is still out there for me living here, but I've seen 2 ticks total since moving to Utah 5 years ago. When I lived in VA, they were a constant threat.

Seems that tick-borne and mosquito-borne diseases are becoming more common. I do think that this trend will eventually pick up out west, too. It's getting warmer everywhere.

 

[newboots]

Yes, climate change is a big part of it. Also, our mobility has helped the mobility of diseases as well. My daughter said that the Lone Star Tick (but not the quickly fatal disease it can carry) was suddenly found infesting a single flock of sheep in NJ - nobody knows how. Formerly limited to Southern states, it’s now making its way up through NY and New England.

It’s how the Black Plague traveled from Asia to Europe, long before there was any modern mobility. Fleas on rats, traveling on ships and along the Silk Road, carrying the disease that killed fully 1/3 of the European population. Okay, I’m stopping now!

 

[WaterGirl]

@newboots Im glad to hear your recovering and thankful you have shared your story of perhaps a lesser know disease carried by the Black Legged Tick. Several family members and pets back east have Lymes which in their area seems to be increasing every year. While I am out west, my "neighbor hood" hiking areas are the identified tick areas - tend to stick to fire roads in the fall.

 

[marzNC]

@newboots : glad you got diagnosed! Hope all the symptoms go away completely.

White Sierra makes wonderful quick-dry, permethrin infused shirts. Often cheap on our beloved STP.

It's also possible to treat your favorite clothing, and outdoor gear like a tent. Lasts for 6 washings or 6 weeks.

https://sawyer.com/products/permethrin-insect-repellent-treatment/

 

[kiki]

So scary, thanks for following up with is amd ao glad you got help and are recovering!!!

Here is BC there are some ticks but not a lot but this year seemed worst so when I golfed I didn’t go climbing in the long grass. Good reminder to be vigilant!!!

 

[Abbi]

Auuuuuugh!! I just saw this and am so sorry I missed it until now. I'd read your posts about the migraine on steroids feel but this ..... thank god someone recognized it. I'm glad you are on the mend. Don't fight the tired by being a type A!! Let yourself heal.

One of my race crew contracted Lyme in August. Only 20 and he was flat out for a week with 102 temps. Then he went through the neuropathy in his feet. He was on doxycycline by then and symptoms did start to abate. He has NO idea where he found a tick. He was teaching sailing, racing two nights a week with me and not being in the woods or the like. Rhode Island has a huge number of Lyme cases for a tiny state. And the other forms are cropping up here too.

And people wonder why I won't go hiking! Too paranoid by now.

 

[Mary Tee]

Long Island has a terrible tick problem. Whenever I am doing yard work, I am in long sleeves and long pants, insect repellent on top of clothing, and a shower and inspection as soon as I am done. Unfortunately I have freckles on my arms and can't always spot ticks, especially the tiny deer ticks. I insist on being tested for tick borne diseases twice a year in late fall and late spring. I have too many friends who have had serious complication due to non diagnosed tick diseases. One of our problems is our out of control deer population.

 

[mustski]

Wow! I l also just saw this. How terrifying to get that sick so suddenly. I am really glad that you are on the mend. Ticks seems to be more prevalent this year. We found them on our dogs for the first time ever. We sprayed the yard and put some advantix on them which hopefully will handle it. I wonder if the wetter than normal winter has increased the tick population?

 

[MissySki]

Wow! I l also just saw this. How terrifying to get that sick so suddenly. I am really glad that you are on the mend. Ticks seems to be more prevalent this year. We found them on our dogs for the first time ever. We sprayed the yard and put some advantix on them which hopefully will handle it. I wonder if the wetter than normal winter has increased the tick population?

I hate dosing Zoey, but I really like Nexgard for flea and tick protection. I used to do the topicals and I just didn’t trust it getting through all of her fur, plus it would leave her greasy for days after. She contracted Lyme years ago when she was on the topical, so we switched to oral and haven’t had any issues since. I have my yard sprayed too.

 

[mustski]

I hate dosing Zoey, but I really like Nexgard for flea and tick protection. I used to do the topicals and I just didn’t trust it getting through all of her fur, plus it would leave her greasy for days after. She contracted Lyme years ago when she was on the topical, so we switched to oral and haven’t had any issues since. I have my yard sprayed too.

We use sentinel which covers us for flea and heart worms. I worry about heart worms because we camp a lot around lakes and rivers. Does Nexgard cover for heart worms also?

 

[MissySki]

We use sentinel which covers us for flea and heart worms. I worry about heart worms because we camp a lot around lakes and rivers. Does Nexgard cover for heart worms also?

No, we do Heartgard for heart worms separately. I can’t remember if we ever tried Sentinel. We tried a few different ones years ago when Zoey was having issues with her epilepsy because some caused more problems than others with how frequent her episodes were. Luckily she has been free of seizures and her epilepsy medicine for several years now.. *knocks on wood*

 

[newboots]

Auuuuuugh!! I just saw this and am so sorry I missed it until now. I'd read your posts about the migraine on steroids feel but this ..... thank god someone recognized it. I'm glad you are on the mend. Don't fight the tired by being a type A!! Let yourself heal.

One of my race crew contracted Lyme in August. Only 20 and he was flat out for a week with 102 temps.

I’m taking it easy. Unfortunately, today that meant going to the lab for a blood draw. Three pokes to get one test! My poor little veins, they run and hide now at the sight of a phlebotomist.

And the fever - I forgot about that! My fever was hanging in the high 99s for a long time, then half hour after 99.7 it shot up to 103!

Quick dose of Tylenol and then ice packs (for your future reference, one in each armpit and the third in the crotch). (I know everybody needs to know.). I got better. Of course, with the fever was the railroad spike headache.

But it was 68*, sunny, and clear as a bell today. I put on my self-sprayed permethrin pants, socks, and sprayed shoes and caught grasshoppers to give to the chickens. Then I returned a book to the little library that I’d forgotten I had. “Do I owe you an overdue fine?” I asked Tony, our town librarian. “No. We’re kind of relaxed around here,” he said. “I thought so,” I said. I love Vermont.

 

[newboots]

News about sepsis: I’ve been searching the medical literature to see if anaplasmosis has some of the same long-term concerns as Lyme. So far, it appears not.

Sepsis, on the other hand! I was relieved to discover that my brain fog, weakness, and exhaustion are normal. I think my case of sepsis was mild. But the feeling that it’s not clear what was real and what wasn’t - CDC specifically mentions this!

I feel less crazy. But I kind of wish I had a TV. Weakness and exhaustion are boring. And I have these amazing peaches that are crying out to be a pie.

Off to bed. Maybe pie tomorrow. Or cobbler. That would be easier.

 

[santacruz skier]

Take care @newboots ...

 

[diymom]

I have a super easy cobbler recipe, as long as you aren’t adverse to butter or sugar.

 

[VickiK]

Hang in there, @newboots .

 

[newboots]

You are all so wonderful!

I just got an email from my doctor, who said I’m not recovering too slowly but “par for the course.” He pointed out that my platelet count was scary, and my liver and lungs were infected. Reading up on sepsis was really frightening. My case was mild, but overall there’s a 40% fatality rate!

So please reread the tick safety tirades I posted above, and take heed!

I wonder if Darn Tough or another sock company serving tick country would like to make a line of socks designed to look cute (rather than ridiculous) when pants are tucked into them? But I swear by my tick gaiters!

The cobbler is delicious! I am going to mess with the recipe some more - I already cut the sugar way down. I want to taste peaches in my peach cobbler, not have the flavor dulled by too much sugar. I may hit you up, @diymom, if I can get my hands on more peaches this good!

 

[ilovepugs]

Woof! A scary story about EEE just came up as I was reading the news: https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...quito-bite-nine-days-later-he-was-brain-dead/

Stay safe outdoors! Come on, cold weather!

 

[marzNC]

Woof! A scary story about EEE just came up as I was reading the news: https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...quito-bite-nine-days-later-he-was-brain-dead/

Stay safe outdoors! Come on, cold weather!

Ack! NC is on the list of states with documented EEE cases. Have to think that the states along the coast between NC and NJ/CT/RI probably have infected mosquitos too. Symptoms don't start until 4-7 days after the bite, so healthy people who start feeling bad may not bother to head to a doctor.

" . . .
Twenty-one people in six states have been diagnosed with EEE this year, and five people have died, the Associated Press reported. Those counts reflect an uptick from the annual average of seven EEE-related illnesses and three deaths.

Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, North Carolina and Rhode Island have had confirmed EEE cases in 2019, according to the AP. The deaths have occurred in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Michigan.

Mark Fischer, an expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the AP it was unclear why EEE cases were high this year but that the numbers typically increase once every several years. Most infections happen in the summer, the AP reported.

EEE is most common in eastern and Gulf Coast states and is often transmitted in and around swampy areas, according to the CDC. People older than 50 and younger than 15 are most at risk of becoming seriously ill from the virus.
. . ."

 

[Jenny]

They’re spraying 14 counties in MI, including ours. Hope they’re right about the bees being in for the night. Schools have been rescheduling their football games, too, so they're done before dusk.

The state says the pesticide being used is Merus 3.0, which is organic and contains 5% pyrethrin, which is used to control mosquitoes, fleas, flies, moths and ants. Health risks are not expected during or after spraying, but residents with a sensitivity to pyrethrins are encouraged to stay indoors.​

​

The spraying will take place during the night hours because it is when fish are less likely to be at the surface feeding and honeybees are most likely to be in their hives. The insecticide could be harmful to bees if they come in direct contact. But the state says, due to the low level of chemical being sprayed, the application is not expected to have an impact on bees. Beekeepers can reduce exposure by covering the hive with wet burlap.​