Ticks and Lyme Disease

Met a guy last week, i thought i would share this.

He'd been ill and had been going through treatment for ME after numerous tests, MRIs etc to rule out MS etc. He started to deteriorate further (leg pains, fatigue, memory, loss of hearing) and so the hospital after 18 months referred him for disease tests. Came back he had Lymes. He now has an IV line at home for anti biotics which in his words have transformed his health (he still looked quite poorly to me, so that says something). He still had concerns about long term damage and how far he will recover.

- He'd never seen a tick in his life - the discussions with experts suspect a tick nymph has bitten him and fell/washed off.
- When trying to trace symptoms back to times he didnt feel well, when he was lethargic etc, they think he has had this for 3 years - to a time he spent walking in the Lake District with a friend - this guy was not a regular hill walker/outdoor person.
- Surprising bit was the symptoms could go undetected for years, if you have a strong immune system, in good health, its possible the symptoms may come and go and are not really obvious, and take a while to take hold.
- GP's are reluctant to do random lymes test apparently, as they cost £30 (unless you go in with classic symptoms and say you had to unpick a tick 3 months ago)

Sorry if its a bit scare mongering, but coming from the horses mouth it was a bit of a shocker.

How, where and when do you use Permethrin @Shewie ?

TBH i only bought some EX4 to treat a midge head net but because I got it, also sprayed some on the ankles, calfs and waist band of my summer walking pants.

e.g Do people douse clothes?

There was an interesting interview with the founder of Phones4U on BBC breakfast the other day on the subject of Lymes.

It is a creepy disease. Have a friend who has gone through a couple of years trying to pin it down and another few dealing with it.

Want to know more about ticks?

https://tickencounter.org/tick_identification

Permethrin is my friend.

I soak my items to treat

https://tickencounter.org/prevention/soak_method

When I got diagnosed with CFS/ME one of the things my GP tested me for was Lyme disease. Really thorough GP but then she went and moved practices, other GPs in the same practice had no idea about Lyme's.

Found this https://www.letsgetchecked.com/gb/e...MIxPG0o_b73AIVqbXtCh2c0AH3EAAYAiAAEgITXvD_BwE Home testing kit. Their appears to be a few test kits on the market.

I sometimes worry about this. I've never knowingly seen a tick (even though I can spot a midge on a tent flap at twenty paces). I rely solely on the 'barrier' method of prevention, wearing boots, long trousers and gaiters on all hikes. I only have long sleeved shirts. I'm aware the little sods can attach to your clothing and find a way inside, so I try to remember to 'have a look' when retiring into my tent but usually forget.

The more I attempt to understand the science, the more it appears that Medicine doesn't give much by way of certainties, but it excels in Definite Maybes. Why, for example, can two people get exposed to the same pathogen in the same way, yet only one develop the disease? Ah, we are told in the manner of a parent telling a tiresome child, that's because the sick person had lower resistance (no s*** Sherlock). Yes, but why?...well, that could be for a whole host of reasons, or indeed a combination of several of them, or even some cause we are as yet unclear about...

If a demonstrably effective vaccine is ever forthcoming, I suppose we, as a higher-risk group, should give it serious consideration.

Does deet help?

DEET only works on your skin. Using a spray with Permethrin, a clothing-only repellent, kills ticks on contact before they even have a chance to reach a spot where they could attach.

Was asking as I often wear shorts

Picaridin/Icaridin is about the best for ticks as a traditional type spray. It's a lot more pleasant to use than DEET too,.... doesn't have that oiliness, or 'Hint of paint stripper' about it.

I wear shorts. I sometimes use repellent at the start of a trip - cheap spray on DEET or Smidge( picaridin).

Most often I don't bother.

I sometimes get ticks.

But I don't find at much a greater rate than when I wear trousers in late spring. I don't treat my trousers with permethrin though (yet).

I rarely get them, but I'm averaging 10 wasp stings a week atm

Loads of wasps this year it seems and they are starting to get a bit angry. I don't get ticks really ...had one in my life. Midges don't bother me, clegs not fond and mossie bites swell up less every year.

Chiggers on the other hand have been having a nibble all year and go straight through everything I put on, including Picaridin. They are itching torture this year, never known anything like it.

It was subtlety of the symptoms that surprised me. For 18 months he had 'spells' of feeling tired (assumed an age thing), bowel problems etc, no obvious flu like symptoms or crushing illness. And no recollection of a bite.

Rather than my half hearted spray over the pants I think I'll douse all my summer clothes from now on and take it a bit more seriously. Maybe spray on a bit of Smidge pre-walk if visiting higher tick areas.

For some reason wasps have been going for my ankles this year. Probably me standing on new nests. Makes walking tricky when your feet are like balloons. Cary an antihistamine now, made a big difference last time I was stung. Hardly any swelling.

I'll be raising money for a couple of Lymes related charities when I run my 1st full trail/fell or mountain marathon...hopefully early next year.
One of the charities helps low income families afford private overseas testing which can then lead to if needed NHS treatment.
Our tests are rubbish and can often give false results !

Where are you guys buying your permethrin from?

If you were wearing shorts, and were cycling, what would you treat? Socks and shorts? Does it wash off easily? (i.e. needs reapplying after washing your clothes)