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Burnaby, BC
Canada
289 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 09:54 AM
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| I've used this trick a number of times to remove ticks from my dog. If you poor some oil over top of the tick or on a cloth to put over the tick for a few minutes, the tick retracts out without having to pull on it. I don't know why or how but some dude on the trail told us that once and it works. |
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114 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2004 : 5:11 PM
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| Ticks related diseases are hardly a concern for people on the prairies when compared to WNV. A lot of birds died from it last year where I am. In fact, I found a dead sparrow on my lawn last year which I suspected was the result of WNV. I had to carefully dispose of it as the city was no longer picking them up on private property. |
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448 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 10:09 PM
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Bump!
Thought this may be important.
A couple of co-workers told me that they contracted Lyme disease from BC, one from the Grouse Grind a couple of years ago, one from the British Properties. The person who got bitten at Grouse Grind was fortunate enough to discover this early and only had to take a lot of antibiotics (very expensive) for one month. The other person, unfortunately, suffered for five years with wrong diagnosis until now...and that was by chance of meeting someone who is paralysed from Lyme disease.
They have signs at the British properties warning people of ticks, possibly carrying Lyme disease. What I'm rather pissed about is that this is not posted at Grouse Mountain or any of the North Shore mountains...politics?
The girl who suffered for 5 years met a BC expert who is fully aware that there is a lot to be concerned about but due to politics cannot get the proper testing done in Canada. The test in Canada is insufficient and usually shows negative. The patients who showed negative results had another sample sent to California ($300 out of the patient's own pocket) and found it positive. The test done in California is more accurate.
Why so concerned? I thought maybe I was suffering from a thyroid problem, or chronic fatigue or lupus and a few other diseases. The girl with the 5-year undiagnosed Lyme disease said that that is usually what people think because Lyme disease is poo-pooed off by the doctors as there is not enough info here and symptoms are very overlapping. I only started doing a lot of hiking last year and this year I have a lot less energy and many of the Lyme symptoms. I'm am usually very energetic, extremely healthy and a health nut. Now to go get it checked, possibly plunking down $300 to get it done right, too!
For your info:
www.canlyme.com
www.lyme.net
http://www.bccdc.org/downloads/pdf/lab/Lyme_Advisory2004.doc
http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~ron-anne/
I now know of 4 people from BC lower mainland who has or had Lyme disease. I think something is not right when USA alone has 300,000 confirmed cases and rising and Canada has only 300 confirmed cases(source from the BC expert.) I suspect red tape is covering up the actual urgency is this matter.
I don't want to sound like an alarmist. I just want people to be aware that it does exist in your own backyard.
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Just be happy...dammit! |
Edited by - carmen on 06/10/2004 10:38 PM |
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Rmd, BC
Canada
1360 Posts |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 10:24 PM
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omg those pictures are freakin GROSS! UGH... ticks are nasty.
I know someone with lyme disease right now. She's been knocked on her but for about 5 months now.
I read in Backpacker last year that another way to remove them is with a piece of thread. Just loop it around the tick and tie it gently, then pull. Hope I never have to try it out.
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The Mountains are calling and I must go. ~John Muir |
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Makati
Philippines
955 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2004 : 12:29 AM
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Just an update: A friend of mine found a tick on her arm (not embedded) after a bikeride through stanley park 2 weeks ago. We were just riding around the seawall and the only time we went into the forested part was for one quick minute to snap a few shots of this place...
...so there are active ticks around there.
She also found one crawling up her pantleg after a quick jaunt around deeks bluffs trail a few weeks before that.
Also there are signs posted at the BlackMountain trailhead (beside the ferry terminal) warning that the local tick populations carry lyme' disease. however I hiked around in there for 6 or seven hours a few weeks ago, including some bushwacking, and didn't see a single tick. Nor did my partner.
Looks like this spring has sprung a healthy population.
Happy Trails. |
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 Fowl photographin, animal lovin, thread trollin, dry bag humpin, canoe canoodler
Vancouver, BC
Canada
4039 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2004 : 12:59 AM
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Quote from http://www.bccdc.org/downloads/pdf/lab/Lyme_Advisory2004.doc
“Six cases of Lyme disease were reported in 2003. This brings the number of reported cases since 1991 to a total of 69,” says Fyfe. “Lyme disease often starts with a 5 cm (2 inch) red circular patch on the skin with a central clear area that looks like a bulls-eye. The disease can be cured with antibiotics, but if left untreated it can affect a person’s heart, nervous system and joints.”
Yikes, twice I've had em attached to me, once last year in Whistler and again this year on the Harrison River. Never came down with a two inch bulls-eye but I'm now concerned enough to wrap up a little better. |
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Makati
Philippines
955 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2004 : 01:40 AM
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I think the best way to deal with ticks is to wear pants/shirts with tight fitting cuffs and apply deet to exposed areas. Ticks seek out warm areas of the body to feed from (armpits, behind ears, GROIN AREAS!!! are all common places)... keep these areas cinched off with tight fitting cuffs.
Check yourself often. If you find them when they're still crawling you should be 100% fine and free of any infections that may be carried by the tick.
You're more likely aquire ticks when hiking through dense brush or trails that may be slightly overgrown. Another good place to pick them up is in wild grassy meadows. If ya wanna stop for lunch in such a meadow might be a good idea to lay down some sort of groundsheet so you can at least see them approaching.
Again, check yourself often.
A good way to get a tick to retract is to put a glob of vaseline/petroleum jelly on it. Apparently it smothers them or hampers the ticks ability to breathe and they instinctivly retract, giving you the oppertunity to flick the tick without worry of having any of it's mouthparts left embedded in your skin, which can cause infection.
There's the old myth about burning them... problem is they often appear in places and areas of your body that you wouldn't nessesarily want flames applied. |
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opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4642 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2004 : 08:52 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by carmen
The girl who suffered for 5 years met a BC expert who is fully aware that there is a lot to be concerned about but due to politics cannot get the proper testing done in Canada. The test in Canada is insufficient and usually shows negative. The patients who showed negative results had another sample sent to California ($300 out of the patient's own pocket) and found it positive. The test done in California is more accurate.
What expert? Which test? There is no one "Canada wide test". Here in BC, Prov Labs runs several types of tests for Borellia, the organism which causes the disease. They can do serological testing on blood or they can culture a blood sample, the tick, CSF for it. It's all up to your physician which tests he wants to order. No doubt there are probably more sensitive serological tests out there.
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"Function is beauty" |
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448 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2004 : 09:19 AM
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From what I understand, the sample sent to California looks for Lyme, Rocky Mountain and a few other possiblities. The expert I'm referring to is Dr. Murakami. He researches at UBCs Bacteriology and Immunology dept. Presently he is trying to push the medical community to do similar testing as California, because it is much more thorough. He's had many patients test negative locally when they were actually positive.
The people I know who has Lyme disease were all tested for various other things and suffered several years not knowing that the culprit was Lyme disease. Maybe it's not so much the test but moreso the doctor's ignorance.
The person I know is strong as an ox so the doctor dismissed her complaint. One doctor said it was all in her head, one said it was carpal tunnel, one told her it was depression! Apparently, the bullseye marking does not occur with everyone and people will have varying symptoms and varying degrees of them.
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Just be happy...dammit! |
Edited by - carmen on 06/11/2004 09:22 AM |
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opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4642 Posts |
Posted - 06/11/2004 : 09:30 AM
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I can understand the confusion. It probably get's misdiagnosed more than we know. Lymes is quite similar to other chronic ailments and autoimmune type diseases becuase it is systemic. Physicians tend to blow off people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue as mental in origin.
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"Function is beauty" |
Edited by - Hiker Boy on 07/21/2004 5:37 PM |
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448 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2004 : 12:16 AM
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So my regular doctor refused to send for a lab test to see if I had Lyme. So I went on my own accord to the specialist and he sent for tests and I'm positive for parasites which are co-infections to Lyme!!!!!
Looks like this article is worth considering:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20030620/west_nile_suit_030619/Health?s_name=&no_ads=
I can't stress enough to people to be cautious when out in the woods or anywhere where ticks can survive (on animals, yes, even dogs and cats, mosquito bites, in parks, gardens...)
The best book I found is "Everything You Need to Know About Lyme Disease", by Karen Vanderhoof-Forschner (2003). Information I got from ClubTread is just the tip of the iceberg.
After researching intensively on Lyme, it seems like the BC medical community (let alone, entire of Canada) are turning a blind eye to this because of ignorance and politics. I am peeved that friends and I had to suffer needlessly and people taking this so lightly.
Spraying with bug repellent, tucking in pants and wearing longs sleeves are not 100% preventative. So check your skin (especially your hair/head) after being anywhere bugs can proliferate.Most importantly, check kids and pets.
I suggest to people who have bug bites or unexplained symptoms (fatigue, muscle soreness, insomnia, headaches, backaches and more) to do a little research if your doctor can't find anything and he/she dismisses Lyme disease.
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Just be happy...dammit! |
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 | Q
Senior Member
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chocolate lovin, Bailey's slurpin, cold feet hatin', veggie eatin', true Cancerian water lovin', CT smilin', boulder dodgin', nosummitosis survivor
1594 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2004 : 01:50 AM
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I had a tick lodged in the crook of my elbow joint when I was trekking in Nepal. We were in the middle of nowhere at a "hotel". A family's home with a plywood attatchment for weary travellers. Literally the only place for miles.
I freaked out when I found it and took a lighter to it. All that did was burn the $@#% out of my arm. We started putting all kinds of crap on it. Finally, in a frenzy I went to the Nepalese woman whose home it was and showed her. She very clamly placed her fingers around the creepy (much larger than a sesame seed!!!) thing and gently pulled it out and threw it on the fire. I kept panicking trying to signal to her about the head..... the head...... was it still in there?? She thought I was nuts and pushed me out the door and to bed, where I then had to deal with the rats in the walls.
Ah, the joys of travel.
I had no idea there were so many issues with them so close to Vancouver though. Am happy to have the knowledge.
Q |
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Nanaimo, BC
Canada
220 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2004 : 11:15 AM
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EXCELLENT posts Carmen and Hiker Boy!! I have a friend suffering from Lyme disease... it is horrific. She finally was diagnosed with it a few months ago, after being sick for years.
This disease is a lot more prevalent than the "medical community" is letting on. It is a hard disease to detect and difficult to treat. Antibiotics aren't always an option for everyone. And even for those that can tolerate the antibiotics, this isn't a short-term, painless or instant treatment for the disease. |
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Tick Season
