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Latest thinking on Lymes disease


taximan
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Ticks are bad news ... My shooting gear has been soaked in pemethryn after washing, then air dried. Camo nets are also soaked in it and what's left put in a spray bottle. Keeps gnats etc away too. Also Bayticol spray on boots, sox and gaiters in tick country.

I believe the Sawer is a pemethrin mix, its the stuff used too treat mosquito nets and some military uniforms ..

I use this..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0018BNWJG/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1469619693&sr=8-4&pi=SL75&keywords=permethrin

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I'd be potentially more worried about the effects of all this permethrin on myself.

 

Lymes is a very serious disease that u should be aware off.

 

Think it depends how often u get bit by ticks and how 'ticky' ur ground is, not all ground has a lot of ticks so soaking in chemicals may be overkill for many places, but some bits are moving with them so might be wise for places like that.

Just got to use a bit of common sense.

 

Plenty of other sensible things u can do, tucking socks into trousers or wearing gaiters, shirt tucked into trousers, some/most base layer clothing offers some protection and u really won't know ur wearing them.

Try to avoid ticky areas if u can, not always possible thou.

 

Probably the most important thing is knowing to insepct for ticks, then taking them of correctly (ie NOT the old ways fingers, vaseline or lighter) and knowing possible syptoms/sign of potential infection

 

The BADA or Lyme Disease Action websites used to have a fair bit of info on it and easy things to minimise being bit.

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Well I've HAD lymes disease so know a bit about how bad you feel.

I stalk deer, so come into contact with ticks on a weekly basis. On some of my patches, a walk through long grass usually results in five or six ticks on my outer clothing, and there aren't many months when I dont have at least one tick embedding itself into me somewhere or other.

 

Government and local medical agencies seem to be unaware of the potential of this condidtion. If the Lymes disease is not detected early ( and only 40% of cases are characterised by the classic bullseye rash), it can be missed, then you get the long term chronic condidtion, which is the one that plays havock with your body.

Arthritis, Hypersensitivity to light and sound, depression, Joint pain, and swelling joints, symptoms similar to ME, listlessness, Suicidal tendencies, LOng term nerve damage, Constant pain, are all possible effects of Chronic Lymes. Ultimately the condidtion can kill you. It dont get much more serious than that. Anyone that ventures into the countryside should be tick and Lymes aware, and if you suspect that you have Lymes, seek medical advice PDQ. IF caught early it is easier to treat.

 

HOWEVER

 

The current tests are not that good at detecting that Lymes is present ( and most doctors often attribute symptoms to other things than Lymes), and are also not that good in confirming when it had been eliminated. All in all a bit of a lottery really. NOT GOOD !

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Old un i get quite a few ticks on dogs (usually when they need spot treated again) and usually in places where u don't expect them, quite public busy footpaths with no bracken in sight, and when on grouse moors and working in forestry dogs hardly get any and u'd expect to get loads.

 

But i get very few actually attaching to me, so i'd say covering my clothes in permerthin would be overkill for me, but it may be a reasonble precaution for others in more ticky country.

Must admit i never like putting chemical stuff on me/or clothes as both deet and permithrin are quite nasty chemicals and i don't imagine long term regular exposure will be that good for u either so i try to keep socks tucked in, gaiters on and shirt tucked in.

 

There is a 'sticky' on the SD forum which goes into quite a bit of detail and some have printed it off to actually take to the doctors with them if they were worried as (from memory) highlights the various blood tests but some are more efective than others deppending on wot stage infection is, all quite complicated really

But really worth reading up on it no matter how often u get bitten, as taximan says can really cripple u, know a youngish lad who had to retire from keepering due to it and a couple more who really struggle if/when it kicks in

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I had a patient who was from poland. her daughter came back from a school trip with a tick attached and she freaked. went to a+e , they pulled it out put it in the bin and said job done. The patient told me in germany they take the tick, test it for lyme then offer antibiotics before you get symptoms if its a carrier. we are way behind if that is true but also (probably ) have less incidence of the disease in ticks (or it could be very under- diagnosed?).

 

also i didnt read the story but saw a headline today on the net that in germany they just discovered mosquitoes carring lyme. that is a worrying development.

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Hate ticks, get them all the time, no matter what i do to protect skin, they always find a way in. one of the joys of deer stalking. it is always roe areas that i get them as well. never when out on fallow or muntjac.

 

Lymes is the only one that worries me as the uk health have very little idea on it.

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