Apparently the tick that got me didn't get the memo about the 24-hour waiting period! My doctor confirms that there are known cases of transmission in less than 24 hours. The CDC website says that in "most cases" the tick has to be attached for 36 to 48 hours. You have to be careful how you remove the tick, because if you squeeze the body then it acts like a handy hypodermic full of Lyme-causing bacteria. And you have to get all of the mouth parts out. You're supposed to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and gently, steadily pull them out. Easier said than done. It's entirely possible that I either squeezed the body of the tick or left mouth parts behind, this was about a decade ago before Lyme disease was quite as prevalent.
I agree with not depriving yourself of nature as long as you're a little bit cautious. Nick On Monday, October 22, 2012 10:28:33 PM UTC-4, Mike On A Bike wrote: > > I apprenticed with an herbalist/wildcrafter for a while who'd pulled > off innumerable ticks in his 30+ years in the field, and he'd always > say if you pull them off within 24 hours there is zero chance of > getting Lyme. He mentioned this to a Duke University infectious > disease specialist who agreed. Anecdotal evidence, but I've always > gone by that and as truly horrific as I know Lyme's is, it's no reason > to deprive yourself of nature as long as your cautious. > > On Oct 22, 2:09 pm, NickBull <nick.bike.b...@gmail.com> wrote: > > If you get Lyme disease, which is highly-prevalent among ticks found > where > > I live, your post will no longer seem quite so witty to you. I know > > several people whose lives have been devastated by Lyme disease. It's > much > > like living with MS. Myself, a few years ago I found a tick while on a > > camping trip with my son. It had been attached for only about an hour, > but > > in the next couple of days I developed the classic Lyme disease "target" > > around the tick byte. That's despite the fact that many of the Lyme > > disease websites say the tick has to be attached for 24 hours. > Fortunately > > a strong dose of antibiotics took out the Lyme disease. About half the > > time, there are no immediate symptoms of Lyme disease, so if you get bit > by > > a tick, make sure to save it so that the tick itself can be checked for > > Lyme. > > > > I still go camping, anyway. Life is full of risk. > > > > Nick > > > > On Thursday, October 18, 2012 9:35:32 PM UTC-4, Jim Thill - Hiawatha > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Cyclery wrote: > > > > > There's a lot to be afraid of in the woods: Lyme disease, West Nile > Virus, > > > Hanta virus, wild beasts, stabbing yourself in the hand while cutting > > > summer sausage, crashing your bike into a tree, lightning, tornados. > > > Sometimes there are sadistic serial killers roaming around in the > woods. > > > > > On balance, I'd say S24O trips are pretty terrifying, but fun enough > to > > > make it worth doing anyway. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/86G6Tg4EVvoJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
