DeerTick!

[jonny_redhorse]

I figured since I'm always useing this site I could pass on my info here ...I just pulled off what I thought was a deer tick off my lower left leg this morning(with a pair of tweezers)..smaller then a "normal" woodtick(about 1/4 the size)... I also pulled the head and or mouth parts out of the skin(hopefully I got it all out )...it didn't come out with the tick the first time....I had to "drill and blast"...burns somewhat(I pulled it out about an hour ago,did the antiseptic thing...I looked deer ticks up on the net"after" I pulled it out and I probably should have placed it in a baggie for IDing later ...well I didn't...now I have to watch the site of the tick for any signs of "the red ring" for the next 2-14 days ....never had a deer tick stuck on me before,only the "normal ones"...I've been checking each day I've been coming in from the woods but this little demon from hell got by me ...just a reminder to check when coming in from the great outdoors!

[MN Shutterbug]

Keep an eye on it and I wish you the best of luck. I've never seen one and hope I never do.

[nofishfisherman]

A couple years ago I found a Chigger or some other little bug on me and let me tell you that thing made my life miserable for awhile as well.

A couple days after I pulled it off the bite area was red and puffy and I felt like dump. Apparently it gave me some sort of infection. It laid me out for atleast a week with a fever that reached 103 degrees. It was basically like the worst flu you can ever imagine. The meds took awhile to kick in, I didn't have any insurance so I could only afford the cheapest meds. Getting sick like that with no insurance is pretty scary.

So make sure you get every little bug off yourself, the other ones can make you pretty sick as well.

[Nate McVey]

Johnny, you will know in a day or two if it was carrying lime disease. You will be very ill and very soar, ankles and shoulders, back and neck. They can give you a shot within 72 hours of the bite....might want to get it checked out, after the 72 hours, I think it is more involved than just a shot. I know a handful of guys that have had limes disease and they equate it to a WICKED hangover.

[jonny_redhorse]

Happy! Happy! ..I don't have lyme disease!...just got back from the doc about half hour ago (here in Hibbing)...doc said the tick was definitely a deer tick that chomped me...but that it had to be in (on) me for at least 24 hours...I had it on me about 10 hours...doc also said she removed a deer tick from a guys butt crack(can I say that )earlier today!(guess he couldn't maneuver enough to get it out ...3 people were in for deer ticks at the clinic today!......anyway...she said there wouldn't be a need for any antibiotics.........happy camper here ....lesson to be learned here...I'm checkin every inch of skin after comin in from the outdoors...leavin my clothes in the garage...then taken a shower! ....

[Steve Foss]

Good news, Jonny. Hope the experience didn't tick you off.

[Nate McVey]

ST, that is a stretch .......glad to hear you're ok Johnny!

[Jim Almquist]

Good to hear that everything turned out all right Jonny .

[Surface Tension]

I got bite by something and am on my last day of taking antibiotics.

Got it on the side of my but cheek. Started out with the skin bing sensitive in the area, later I noticed the bite after it swelled up. For 3 weeks it got bigger and my limp node swelled and hurt.

[MN Shutterbug]

That's great news Jonny. I'm glad to hear you're out of the woods. Actually, maybe you should stay out of the woods for awhile.

[bmc]

Congrats Johnny!

I spent last summer taking meds for lyme's disease and it sucked!!! I never found the tell tale "bullseye" but had a rash for about a week all over my chest and back. I woke up that Friday morning to go to work and my left wrist really ached, by noon I couldn't use my left hand AT ALL. I called my wife, who's in the medical field and told her what was going on. Later that night, we went to the ER and sure enough after a blood test, lyme's disease. I took 2 batches of meds that worked, the only bad thing I was SUPER sensitive to the sun. Supposedly, after you've had it, it never really completely goes away? I had a flare up or two while taking the meds one tingling forearms and one sore right knee, but have been good to go for a long time. Knock on wood.

Brian

[jonny_redhorse]

wow Brian!.you are lucky for sure!.....for being cured I mean!.nasty stuff for sure...the doc told me that the deer ticks in St.Louis county have yet to carry the Lyme disease factor...she said it's no doubt out there, but not in any numbers "yet"...also stated she personally only knew of one verified case .... most of the cases that come into the clinic here are from people that come back from say turkey hunting from down south in the spring or along the minnesota/wisconsin border area(where the deer ticks carry the most Lyme disease)..I was relieved after she said that ....I was bit last monday...it's been a week now and I've had no symptoms at all...no rash's ,joint pain ,head aches,flu-like symptoms...nothing...The site of the actual bite is still somewhat red(about the size of a small pea)...no pain ,itching scratching...nothing!)guess I'm just lucky THIS TIME! ...NEVER WANT TO BE BIT BY ANOTHER ONE!

[nofishfisherman]

Quote:

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the doc told me that the deer ticks in St.Louis county have yet to carry the Lyme disease factor...she said it's no doubt out there, but not in any numbers "yet"...also stated she personally only knew of one verified case

---

My aunt in Duluth has gotten Lyme Disease while out in the woods just outside of Duluth, in St. Louis county. So thats atleast one more verified case of it.

The doctors didn't diagnose it correctly for years actually. So she is still suffering from it, its a nasty thing for sure.

[maros91]

Alright, here is my story: I was bowhunting last September in the morning and came in around 10:30 a.m. I took a nap and woke up to take a shower. I took off my shirt and their was a wood tick not a deer tick stuck really good to my stomach. I pulled it off. The next day it swelled instantly. I didn't touch it for about a week and the swelling went down and it finally almost healed but itched like a son of a gun. Needless to say it is the end of May and swollen to the size of a dime and is really red. I went to the doctor in April and he said not to worry and to rub cream on it. It worked for awhile but itched so bad it became swollen again. My joints do not hurt so I don't know what the hell it is. Any thoughts?

[nofishfisherman]

Not sure why it would have a reaction 8 months later. sounds strange, my guess is that your body is having an allergic reaction to something that might have gotten left behind at the site of the tick bite. But I have a degree in art so take that into account when relying on any of my so called wisdom.

[maros91]

I didn't have a reaction 8 months later it had stayed swollen from the day after the tick bite in September. It hasn't hurt me yet, I am just getting sick of looking at it.

[nofishfisherman]

Ah I see. But I think it could still be some sort of allergic reaction. I am surprised the doctor didn't say to much. there are pretty basic meds for allerigc reactions like that. They cost like $5-6 without insurance.

If it was an infection of some sort you would think it would have gotten worse over time.

Maybe you just have a new tattoo, try drawing flower pedals around it and make it into a flower.

[maros91]

I get allergies really bad in the middle of April and my meds didn't take care of my bite Flower Pedals; there has to be something more macho than that.

[Nate McVey]

I got a good one on Sunday from Pattison State Park south of Superior. I pulled a dozen or so off during the day, but found one around midnight that was buried in my back up to the last leg. My fiance dug it out with a knife and some tweezers, but it broke It is still a little red, but no other symptoms. I'm going to watch it for a few days and see what happens.

[MN Shutterbug]

Does anyone ever consider using a tick repellant before going into the woods? Seriously, what is a good one? My wife and I will be vacationing near Duluth in July and we planned on doing some hiking. After reading these stories, I'm almost afraid to go in the woods.

[Nate McVey]

OFF! makes a good one and any thing with a high % of Deet will work. Don't let these posts scare you too bad, they're more of an annoyance most of the time.

[jonny_redhorse]

This was in the Hibbing paper this morning....a good article on what the DNR believes where the deer tick has spread or is a problem at this time...it somewhat coincides with what my doctor stated in that St.Louis county is "not" in a "high threat"area as of yet(deer ticks are there,yes,but not the ones that carry the lyme disease....isolated cases no doubt)...of course they certainly may be in the county(Duluth area for sure) but not in substantial numbers yet....good reading anyways

[Swimmer]

WHen I first saw the title of this post, I was expecting a macro of the beast...of which Jonny is so "famous" for. Thanks for posting that article Jonny and glad you escaped. Did they make a typo on the caption under the ruler photo? Isn't the deer tick the smaller of the two?

[maros91]

I was watching the CBS early morning show and caught the tail end of the segment on Lymes disease. The last thing I saw was that less than 1% of deer ticks carry lymes disease.