My 'local pharmacist' is a 30 mile round trip. Not tried to get a GP appointment since covid but it could take a few days before being seen.
Ticks - Given it is said the best cure is prevention, what tick......?
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My 'local pharmacist' is a 30 mile round trip. Not tried to get a GP appointment since covid but it could take a few days before being seen.
That's interesting. I don't normally get ticks but so far this year I've removed 5 from myself and found several more on my clothing. The last one was tiny, poppy seed sized as they say. I'm not sure I'd want a 5 courses of antibiotics. I do get checked and remove them promptly so hope that helps.
Even the last 1mm sized tick came off with the small green tick twister, no damage to me or the tick. Alcohol was only take in wine form.
If you get them off within 24-48 hours it's usually before they've had time to actually start feeding, so the risk is deemed low.
That is what I heard too. In fact one one forum I was on that was talking about ticks there was a very, very knowledgable poster who gave the full timeline of how a tick transfers the bug that causes lymes disease to you. IIRC that was from when the tick last had a feed through to how long after it you got symptoms.
I cannot recall where I read that post or the exact details. It did leave me with the feeling that you have to have a lot of bad luck to actually get it. IIRC the tick has to have fed off some animal with the bug in their blood withint a certain time before biting you. The bug has to multiply within their gut to reach a dose that could make you ill. Then you have to have the tick feeding off you for a long time without being noticed and removed. Then you have to disturb the tick enough to trigger the regurgitation of its guts. Then you have to... and so on. All this without the victim paying any attention to spotting ticks and removing them. Or you mess up the removal really bad. Or you fail to spot the signs you might have it. Or you just ignore it all and don't get treated.
I think we are all knowledgable to take precautions to avoid getting bitten. Or to check yourself after or even during activities in tick infected areas. Or fail to remove them cleanly with tick removal tools. Or having been bitten and removed the tools you fail to check the site for signs or for moree general symptoms. I think knowledge is power and I doubt anyone on here does not know what to do and signs to look for. So what is the real risk of having issues for us due to ticks with all this knowledge? It is one thing to be in a high risk area for lymes disease carrying ticks and another thing not to know how to deal with it safely. I think we are all sensible enough to educate ourselves to mitigate those risks down to as low as reasonably possible (ALARP).
24 hrs was my understanding but I read the other day that there isn't much evidence to prove this. ( I'll stick with the belief getting a tick off quickly is best). I think there's still much to know and plenty of old advice out there.
For example, I understand and agree with @Pupers view on alcohol wipes. But I note the CDC stills recommends wiping a tick bite with 'rubbing alcohol ' amongst other things.
I also note the CDC.suggests the small ticks are the biggest risk, due to not being noticed.
You are right, there is old advice. The risk for Lyme goes up with time when a tick is feeding on your blood. But a TBE infection is possible immediately after a bite.
My experience of getting medical care is very similar to Silverclaws, maybe due to being in arguably an over populated southern area. e.g. a few weeks ago:-
Went to my local pharmacist for an eyelid stye. Used to be able to get a cream which works well, no, blew me off, insisted I had to go to my GP.
My GP practice actually refuse to see anybody, telephone appointments only, but seem to make an exception for children and asians. (Thats factual not some political comment). The only time I got to see a doctor in the flesh was when I had a total mental meltdown in their reception.
As it was the weekend I tried the 111 website - useless, "See your GP", or leave a message, so I left a message. Hours later I used sterile products and burst the stye myself = much better. 111 eventually rang back, "See your GP, antibiotics etc etc". Alarmed that I had done something myself they agreed to ask a locum Doc to ring me, hour or two later he did, only because I had burst it myself, he reluctantly prescribed the eye cream in case of infection.
Went to a different Chemist and obtained it, asked why it was n't normally available - very rare is issued, antibiotics preferred by GP's, ban on Chemists prescribing it.
Looking at it as a whole, I've come to the conclusion that despite the over-prescription of antibiotics, it is the least cost option preferred by the NHS and GP's. Had I gone down the anti-biotic route it would have taken 24-36 hours to work, if at all. By which time my eye would have closed and I would have been unable to work or drive.
Apparently prescription costs come off a GP Practices budget, as do tests.) My local chemist is very keen on doing blood tests, and badgers customers to have one, because they get paid extra for them.
Went to my local pharmacist for an eyelid stye. Used to be able to get a cream which works well, no, blew me off, insisted I had to go to my GP.
My GP practice actually refuse to see anybody, telephone appointments only, but seem to make an exception for children and asians. (Thats factual not some political comment). The only time I got to see a doctor in the flesh was when I had a total mental meltdown in their reception.
As it was the weekend I tried the 111 website - useless, "See your GP", or leave a message, so I left a message. Hours later I used sterile products and burst the stye myself = much better. 111 eventually rang back, "See your GP, antibiotics etc etc". Alarmed that I had done something myself they agreed to ask a locum Doc to ring me, hour or two later he did, only because I had burst it myself, he reluctantly prescribed the eye cream in case of infection.
Went to a different Chemist and obtained it, asked why it was n't normally available - very rare is issued, antibiotics preferred by GP's, ban on Chemists prescribing it.
Looking at it as a whole, I've come to the conclusion that despite the over-prescription of antibiotics, it is the least cost option preferred by the NHS and GP's. Had I gone down the anti-biotic route it would have taken 24-36 hours to work, if at all. By which time my eye would have closed and I would have been unable to work or drive.
Apparently prescription costs come off a GP Practices budget, as do tests.) My local chemist is very keen on doing blood tests, and badgers customers to have one, because they get paid extra for them.
Folk may have wondered why I might have come across as a bit fanatical in my desire to ward off ticks, but my recent tick experience in ways scared me because I have in recent years had a particularly bad experience with a spider bite.
What spider, I don't know as I obliterated it in my bid to stop the pain the bite imparted but I remember it was a pea sized pretty hard bodied thing felt through the fabric of my jeans, of which is how it came to bite me. To leave me with a case of ever expanding antibiotic resistant necrotising fasciitis that in eventually required the use of an medicinal silver compound and zinc oxide to bring under control of which was useful as surgery was being discussed as a potential last resort. Gone now I have an inch diameter circular scar of flesh that won't resolve to remind me.
Where I was in the world for this to happen was dear old Devon, in fact in my bedroom, to now as I did in the tropics, shake and bang out all my clothing before donning, and the spider, it was suggested it might have been one of the Steatoda varieties
And though the Steatoda, a native of Madeira it is said has been here since the 19th century, there are perhaps as a result of the warming climes and shifting weather patterns; other beasties that pack a powerful punch even vector borne diseases moving in that we need to be aware of to guard against....
What spider, I don't know as I obliterated it in my bid to stop the pain the bite imparted but I remember it was a pea sized pretty hard bodied thing felt through the fabric of my jeans, of which is how it came to bite me. To leave me with a case of ever expanding antibiotic resistant necrotising fasciitis that in eventually required the use of an medicinal silver compound and zinc oxide to bring under control of which was useful as surgery was being discussed as a potential last resort. Gone now I have an inch diameter circular scar of flesh that won't resolve to remind me.
Where I was in the world for this to happen was dear old Devon, in fact in my bedroom, to now as I did in the tropics, shake and bang out all my clothing before donning, and the spider, it was suggested it might have been one of the Steatoda varieties
And though the Steatoda, a native of Madeira it is said has been here since the 19th century, there are perhaps as a result of the warming climes and shifting weather patterns; other beasties that pack a powerful punch even vector borne diseases moving in that we need to be aware of to guard against....
Sounds horrendous! I see them “False Widow” in my garden all the time now, in fact just a couple of years ago, I was running a training course with a Spider “expert” on it, he informed me that they are now our most common spider, and they can have a nasty bite!
Spiders are to be avoided. I know Texas is not here but a work colleague got a bitee from one out there, came home and got seriously ill. it took the Liverpool infectious diseases experts to identify the issue down to the spider bite. he took a good few weeks to recover and get back to work!!
Anyway, that was not the end of it. For the next 10 years at random intervals the illness caused by the spider venom would come back with the same symptoms and he would be off for another couple of weeks. A good ten years of health interspersed with illnes due to the venom!!
There is nothing wrong with taking precautions and it is very understandable after SIlverclaws' experience, but I would say that you should not let fear take over. Not saying anyone is, just that it is our hobby to get out there and put ourselves in the way of whatever wee beastie is about with a tasste for your claret. i do not think it right to stop that. I do believe it is still not a very high risk in this country. That may change and it is better to be prepared with strategies and improved habits now for when it is as bad as other countries. That is common sense but that sense needs to be tempered with reality and risk.
We do our own risk assessments and experience is a big factor in risk acceptance. Silverclaws is qquite reasonably more cautious than I, but then I have very little tick experience through good luck perhaps or more likely ticks simply do not like my blood!! I have carried them home over a couple of hours during which they could have latched on but they didn't. instead they crawled out of my t-shirt sleeve, down my arm onto the arm of the chair I was siitting on!! It was tiny and not had a feed neither. I had no tick bite anywhere on my body so it was a passsenger not a feeder. That is not the only example of this happening. Sitting in a cafe after a walk someone brushed a tick off my arm and so on.
All 3 tick bites I have had came from one hill local to me that we were walking our dog on. Same with my son and my partner. That area hass a lot of deeer and no livestock grazing as it is a nature reserve I think. Sorry, there are cattle for environmental grazing reasons. That is it. Those attacks were one summer only and other ssummers there were no tick bites. I believe there was a real tick explosion that year.
Anyway, I take precautions oof checking after potentially risky areas and many tick removers of different sizes and types around the house and cars. I do however take more care over horseflies and midges. I get serious reaction to horsefly bites as in very painful holes in the leg or arm. Midges I am a magnet for so I have no choice to take extre precautions with those. I mean just how many midge bites can someone take before blood loss has an effect? I think I have been close a few times LOL!!
Anyway, that was not the end of it. For the next 10 years at random intervals the illness caused by the spider venom would come back with the same symptoms and he would be off for another couple of weeks. A good ten years of health interspersed with illnes due to the venom!!
There is nothing wrong with taking precautions and it is very understandable after SIlverclaws' experience, but I would say that you should not let fear take over. Not saying anyone is, just that it is our hobby to get out there and put ourselves in the way of whatever wee beastie is about with a tasste for your claret. i do not think it right to stop that. I do believe it is still not a very high risk in this country. That may change and it is better to be prepared with strategies and improved habits now for when it is as bad as other countries. That is common sense but that sense needs to be tempered with reality and risk.
We do our own risk assessments and experience is a big factor in risk acceptance. Silverclaws is qquite reasonably more cautious than I, but then I have very little tick experience through good luck perhaps or more likely ticks simply do not like my blood!! I have carried them home over a couple of hours during which they could have latched on but they didn't. instead they crawled out of my t-shirt sleeve, down my arm onto the arm of the chair I was siitting on!! It was tiny and not had a feed neither. I had no tick bite anywhere on my body so it was a passsenger not a feeder. That is not the only example of this happening. Sitting in a cafe after a walk someone brushed a tick off my arm and so on.
All 3 tick bites I have had came from one hill local to me that we were walking our dog on. Same with my son and my partner. That area hass a lot of deeer and no livestock grazing as it is a nature reserve I think. Sorry, there are cattle for environmental grazing reasons. That is it. Those attacks were one summer only and other ssummers there were no tick bites. I believe there was a real tick explosion that year.
Anyway, I take precautions oof checking after potentially risky areas and many tick removers of different sizes and types around the house and cars. I do however take more care over horseflies and midges. I get serious reaction to horsefly bites as in very painful holes in the leg or arm. Midges I am a magnet for so I have no choice to take extre precautions with those. I mean just how many midge bites can someone take before blood loss has an effect? I think I have been close a few times LOL!!
My Mum’s house in the Forest of Dean is full of them. It’s an old coach house so nooks and crannies all over the place, and I am sure there are thousands of them between the house and their wood store. Horrid looking things.
If you're a magnet for midges perhaps if you're not already doing so, need to observe mosquito bite avoidance measures given the UKHSA has reported West Nile Virus has been detected in a UK mossie population.
But AIUI no record of any instances of anyone getting infected in the UK only overseas then came in with it before symptoms. Also it is very localised and not a high risk. That was what I readmin a sober and calm article but I also read a clickbait, "we're doomed! All doomed!!!" online news source about it too. I trust one more than the other personally.
I don't read newspapers but I happen to believe being aware of a potential problems can hinder potential problems becoming actual problems.
The bigger one, "Nobilis" with the bad bite, loves my bee hives and hiding under the roof lid. Probably due to the ready food source of course. Knowing this, I have to take care, and try to keep the spider population down.
Curiously, they are very common in the Sandhurst Officers houses on site in Camberley. They like sitting on the window cills, presumably to catch insects coming into the houses. Like many military sites, they are largerly unspoilt havens for wildlife, including a lot of insect life, wasps and wild honeybees. (Imagine a large house attic filled with about a dozen 2-3ft diameter wasps nests - it was like a scene from the alien, despite my full bee suit I got out of there pronto!).
Curiously, they are very common in the Sandhurst Officers houses on site in Camberley. They like sitting on the window cills, presumably to catch insects coming into the houses. Like many military sites, they are largerly unspoilt havens for wildlife, including a lot of insect life, wasps and wild honeybees. (Imagine a large house attic filled with about a dozen 2-3ft diameter wasps nests - it was like a scene from the alien, despite my full bee suit I got out of there pronto!).
