Beware of ticks please read

**nell67** · 05-22-2014, 08:03 PM

Today, a neighbor of mine passed away after having been bitten by a lone star tick. He found the tick a couple of days after mushroom hunting just across the road in the forestry. Two days later he began having symptoms of a "cold" and after a couple days he kept getting sicker and sicker. He went to the ER and they admitted him to run tests on him to try to figure out what was wrong. He finally remembered the tick, and told the docs about it, they had already been treating him with an antibiotic, but nothing was happening. So they switched to another and still nothing good was happening. His organs had already suffered too much damage and he was placed on life support 3 days ago, there was no reversing the damage done.

He lived with his elderly parents and helped support them paying them rent and growing a garden and helped them put it away. His parents are themselves in poor health and not sure how they will make it without their boy helping out. Sad situation, but one we all face if we arent' careful.

We learned of his hospitalized just a week ago, when another neighbor called to warn of the ticks. I had been to the doc just that day with a tick in tow that I had removed from myself. It was a lone star tick. Doc put me on the antibiotic right then and I have had no issues.

BE CAREFUL!

**crashdive123** · 05-22-2014, 08:05 PM

Sorry for your loss, and a good reminder to us all.

**nell67** · 05-22-2014, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by crashdive123

Sorry for your loss, and a good reminder to us all.

It IS an eye opener, we all spend time in the woods, plus where I live we are surrounded by woods, the forestry being our front yard. I can't tell you how many times a year I find a tick on me, we just take it for granted that we are immune to them by now. But we aren't and we need to stay ever vigilant in making sure to check and double check when we come in.

**point man** · 05-22-2014, 08:16 PM

I to had a nasty tick bite just a few weeks ago. I get them often from all my time in the great outdoors but this one was particularly nasty. I wasn't about to wait for all kinds of symptoms to show up, my doc gave me that 2 pill single dose heavy antibiotic. I felt more at ease. Nothing but deer ticks round hear these days. I actually had a great big wood tick crawling across my arm just yesterday and I thought to myself that he was a welcome sight compared to the deer ticks

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**nell67** · 05-22-2014, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by point man

I to had a nasty tick bite just a few weeks ago. I get them often from all my time in the great outdoors but this one was particularly nasty. I wasn't about to wait for all kinds of symptoms to show up, my doc gave me that 2 pill single dose heavy antibiotic. I felt more at ease. Nothing but deer ticks round hear these days. I actually had a great big wood tick crawling across my arm just yesterday and I thought to myself that he was a welcome sight compared to the deer ticks

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We have all types of ticks here. Doc put me on the ten day run of antibiotic. Made me a little queasy the first day, but I took it on an empty stomach. When I walk up behind the cabin, any spot that has not been sprayed with repellant will be covered in tiny red ticks they call turkey ticks here. nasty lil buggers that burrow completely under the skin like chiggers do, and takes weeks to stop the itching.

**pete lynch** · 05-22-2014, 09:03 PM

I think that's what we call seed ticks.
I just stay the heck out of the tall grass once it warms up. Just stick to the trails.

**point man** · 05-22-2014, 09:05 PM

I got the 200 mg doxycycline treatment, pretty much the standard. You must of had something nasty

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**welderguy** · 05-22-2014, 09:27 PM

Sorry to hear of the lose of a your neighbor!

**Mr Brown** · 05-23-2014, 04:00 AM

I know more than a few people that have their lives completely disrupted my tick bites. One friend was bitten and within a week was hospitalized for several touch and go days, thankfully he has recovered. A friends daughter was bitten on a camping trip just before heading off to college - within six months she became so sick and lethargic she had to withdraw and is essentially bed ridden. Makes me want to move to the desert.

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**Rick** · 05-23-2014, 06:17 AM

Sorry for your loss, Nell. A good, timely reminder.

**letslearntogether47** · 05-23-2014, 08:09 AM

Sorry you lost somebody.

LYME Disease. is big in these parts.
I got bit a couple weekends ago. Watched for the tell tale bulls eye.
Definitely nothing to fool around with.

I'm a member of this foundation and website for central Ma.

http://www.centralmasslyme.org/#!cen...oundation/csgz

**Wildthang** · 05-23-2014, 10:18 AM

I have seen many ticks, but have never heard of a Lonestar tick. Do they look any different than the other ticks?

**hunter63** · 05-23-2014, 11:20 AM

Sorry to hear of the loss of your neighbor.

We have mostly the bigger wood ticks, some deer ticks and the little black ones........have to watch all the time.

At least with Bella being light haired much easier to see than the black dogs.

Had the Dr. remove on fro DW back, mostly for him to check out whether or not antibiotics were needed....they weren't that time.

**Batch** · 05-24-2014, 10:23 AM

Sorry for your loss.

It seems that we have a very low number of cases of tick related disease in South Florida. With the exception of Ehrlichiosis, most tick disease originates from out of state. With a small percentage originating from mostly Northern Florida and few cases in Central Florida.

I don't know why, but, we are relatively safe in South Florida. I also wear shorts and walk a lot in thick grass and weeds that deer and pigs frequent and don't get very many at all on me. My brother Sean will get covered in ticks in more northern areas such as Tallahassee and Georgia rarely gets ticks down here. They are here. But, just don't seem to pose the same problem as up north.

**WolfVanZandt** · 05-24-2014, 02:09 PM

Nope, moving to the desert won't help - there are things there that will kill you also - would you rather get bit by a tick or stung by on'a them Bark Scorpions. Around here we have prairie dogs that carry ticks that carry bubonic plague - from the tale I'm told, some bright scientist around the turn of the century decided that, to get rid of the over-populating prairie dogs, we just needed to turn loose a few with some horrible disease (y'know, they tried that with Native Americans, too) and the particular disease they decided on was the plague - only Prairie Dogs don't seem all that perturbed by the plague (I guess the fleas make them itch a little). Humans, on the other hand.....well, you know.

Back in 2007, a park wildlife researcher found a dead mountain lion and carried it home to do a post-mordem. He couldn't figure out the cause of death - all he saw was a bloody nose. A few days later he was found dead at home - he had contracted the plague.

So, if you're traveling, even in your own country, you need to know what you'll be exposed to and know how to handle it. If you stay at home, you need to know what you might have to deal with there and take the appropriate precautions. Lymes disease very rarely occurs south of the Tennessee River in Alabama, but my ex-boss caught it without going north - evidently in Florida - I guess ticks take vacations, too.