I imagine most everyone by now has heard about, experienced and/or read about the way to avoid picking up the ticks, and also the terrible possible results of not taking precautions and ending up with a tick bite.
A tick bite can cause one to have a myriad of negative results including rapid heartbeats, increased blood pressure, swollen joints and glands, lethargy, dizziness, aches and pains all over, severe arthritis, and if left untreated and/or undetected, brain damage and/or death, to name a few. A friend of ours who developed some of these symptons years ago before the symptons and the results of Lyme Disease were known, ended up in a very poor state whereas she was previously a dynamic, energetic, do anything type of person.
This is not intended to be a medical report as I am not qualified for that, however, the prevention steps are widely distributed and pretty easy once one starts using them. Any questions, please consult your local health dept.
Some preventative steps-
1. wear long, light colored pants so any ticks will be easier seen
2. tuck the bottom of the pants into your light colored socks
3. wear long sleeved shirts, preferably a light color
4. check your clothing and socks often
5. most doctors and advisories say that the best spray to use is one with DEET.
6. ticks love layers of leaves, mulch, thick grass, bushes and any place else that will provide them with a moist haven. You can also get them on your arms and shoulders from branches and bushes.
7. ticks can be hard to see as they can be the size of the head of a pin, and smaller than the poppy seed on a roll or bagelat certain times of the year.
8. I have spotted them on my pants at one time or another and they are very hard to kill. One cannot just roll them with one's finger like an ant and squash them. I have had to use the head of a pen and/or the blade of a jackknife to actually crush them.
9. unfortunately, it's not like the old days where one could just run around and roll in the grass without a care in the world. We HAVE to take precautions with our kids, our pets, as they can pick them up and pass them on to us, and ourselves to prevent any lifetime, debiltating, or worse, results from a tick bite.
10. try and avoid walking in grasses, brush and leaves, but if you must, please take the precautions listed above for your own sake and your family's.
11. golfers please remember that they are out on that nice manicured fairway and also in the rough that
seems to attract our shots!
12. any doubt or question about an unusual looking bite, inflammation, and/or the reported "target" on ones skin, seek medical attention. Many times the "target" does not appear, so if one feels lethargic, has flu-like symptoms, fever, dizziness and so forth, see a doctor.
13.after working in the yard, take those clothes off away from your living space and place them so you
don't have to handle them a lot before washing them.
14. check your self over and in every crevice. It works best if you can have your partner help you and you can help them. Shower or take a bath right away.
I'm very careful, however, I have run my excavating company for 46 years and I am in the woods, brush and grasses quite a lot and I have had two tick bites in 30 years. Fortunately I discovered them when I showered and called my doctor right away. He ordered an antibiotic for me which I took without any side effects or further effects.
To repeat, please check with your local health dept. or your doctor for more detailed info.
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