A tick in the usa thats bite can basically turn you vegan...

[Tom Leoni]

I knew two people with this from a tick bite. They could eat chicken. I also have had patients with this. It has been around for years, I guess it is in the news due to rising cases?

Miss you, Gina! Hope to see you at SCI next year (time flies!). Pierre says hello! Please say hi to Bob too.

 

[AustinM]

Sounds like a trip to a good Chiropractor and possibly an Acupuncturist, would help this issue quite a bit, if not solve the issue.

 

[Velo Dog]

I like taking doxycycline for malaria prevention in Africa for this reason as well, added protection from tick bites. It’s a similar treatment for Lyme disease. I think you mean 100 mg though.

Hello 375Fox,

Back 15 or so years ago, when my wife and myself were treated for the particular strain of African Tic Bite Fever we had been infected with, I believe our prescriptions were each for, 10 mg of Doxycycline per day, for 30 days.

My elderly memory is admittedly not perfect by any measure.
So perhaps I’m wrong.
But, 10 mg for 30 days is how I remember it.
My wife just now said that she only remembers it as a “very low dose for 30 days”.

Anyway, your comment about 100 mg per day made me curious.
So, I googled it.

Turns out that today’s latest trend in treating this disease and similar ones (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever for one example) is to give the patient 200 mg of Doxycycline each day for 5 to 7 days (100 mg twice per each 24 hours).

So evidently, the medical community has departed from a low daily dose, that was taken for 30 days.
Today, the shift to administering a very high dose, for only a few days, reportedly resulted from people complaining that long term use of Doxycycline was causing their teeth to become discolored.

Kind Regards,
Velo Dog.

 

[rgsiii]

Hello 375Fox,

Back 15 or so years ago, when my wife and myself were treated for the particular strain of African Tic Bite Fever we had been infected with, I believe our prescriptions were each for, 10 mg of Doxycycline per day, for 30 days.

My elderly memory is admittedly not perfect by any measure.
So perhaps I’m wrong.
But, 10 mg for 30 days is how I remember it.
My wife just now said that she only remembers it as a “very low dose for 30 days”.

Anyway, your comment about 100 mg per day made me curious.
So, I googled it.

Turns out that today’s latest trend in treating this disease and similar ones (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever for one example) is to give the patient 200 mg of Doxycycline each day for 5 to 7 days (100 mg twice per each 24 hours).

So evidently, the medical community has departed from a low daily dose, that was taken for 30 days.
Today, the shift to administering a very high dose, for only a few days, reportedly resulted from people complaining that long term use of Doxycycline was causing their teeth to become discolored.

Kind Regards,
Velo Dog.

First prescribed Vibramycin (Doxycycline) 40+ years ago. It was 100 mg then.
In normal treatment dosing it will not cause dental discoloration in adults.

 

[Just Gina]

Does anyone know if this starts to fade over time or does it become a life long condition? These ticks are supposedly in my area but I really only see deer ticks, however 20 years ago it was rare to see any tick now they are almost impossible to avoid. I’m glad there is permethrin.

Of the two people I personally knew with it, one became progressively worse. The other stayed the same. No improvement or escalation in reaction.

 

[Just Gina]

Miss you, Gina! Hope to see you at SCI next year (time flies!). Pierre says hello! Please say hi to Bob too.

@Tom Leoni

Miss you too, Tom! Please tell Pierre hello from me as well! I hope you both are doing well! We are planning to be at SCI. Looking forward to more fun!

 

[Josh P]

Prevention is the best solution. For ticks the best is to us a 0.5% solution of permethrin sprayed on your clothes and allowed to dry completely.
View attachment 548527

At a friend's suggestion, I started spraying it on a pair of boot gaitors instead of clothing that would be directly on the skin. It helps substantially in keeping the ticks off, and is a good solution if you're out in shorts and still want some protection.

 

[BeeMaa]

At a friend's suggestion, I started spraying it on a pair of boot gaitors instead of clothing that would be directly on the skin. It helps substantially in keeping the ticks off, and is a good solution if you're out in shorts and still want some protection.

I’ve never had an issue with putting it on clothing, but I suppose some people could have a sensitivity.

 

[rgsiii]

At a friend's suggestion, I started spraying it on a pair of boot gaitors instead of clothing that would be directly on the skin. It helps substantially in keeping the ticks off, and is a good solution if you're out in shorts and still want some protection.

Permethrin is good for multiple creatures including mosquitoes. I would spray any clothing bar possibly underwear. I have used it appropriately and without problems. I would also use picardin or DEET on non covered areas.
I think just spraying gaiters may not be sufficient.

 

[Velo Dog]

Doxycicline is the stuff! Stupid doc gave me the wrong prescription. It was the day before my daughter's wedding. Pharmacist called in a nurse practioner and he changed the prescription. Within hours I was perking up.

Doctors are human and make mistakes now and then.
But thankfully they are usually spot-on and many times we survive due to their proper diagnosis and swift treatment of our medical emergencies.

 

[Velo Dog]

First prescribed Vibramycin (Doxycycline) 40+ years ago. It was 100 mg then.
In normal treatment dosing it will not cause dental discoloration in adults.

Hello rdsiii,

Maybe our former Family Doctor (he retired in his late 70’s), thought we had periodontal issues.

And dental discoloration in adults ya, you’re probably right.
But, as shown in the attachment (below right) there are always reported exceptions.

At any rate, this lone star tic carrying disease is thankfully treatable with today’s advanced medicine.

I am thankful that I live during a time when medical science can keep the body alive and spry, beyond what was possible a hundred years ago.

Now if they can just figure out how to stop the brain (especially mine) from continuing to deteriorate.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Doctors are human and make mistakes now and then.
But thankfully they are usually spot-on and many times we survive due to their proper diagnosis and swift treatment of our medical emergencies.

Well, I TOLD this guy it was African tick bite fever. He just chuckled, wrote me a prescription for some antibiotic, and told me to leave. If he'd taken two minutes to Google it on Wikipedia he'd have got it right. While I was in the clinic the lodge operator called my daughter and told her exactly what meds I needed. I questioned the prescription with pharmacist, she went on line, "Yep you need the other stuff." Nurse comes in from golf course, looks at my leg, looks on line, and agrees it's the wrong meds. Next day as I'm just leaving for my daughter's wedding the doctor phones very angry that some damn nurse changed his prescription (pharmacy had to inform clinic). I straightened him out quick. "Next time listen to the patient and do your homework."

 

[Velo Dog]

I totally get it.
Recently I had to endure the tedium of finding a new Doctor, because the one I had since turning 65 and being forced to buy USA Communist Medicare, was stuck, on Covid, like a broken record.
He seemed extremely resistant to my concerns for any and all other medical topics.
Most Doctors are well above average intellect.
A few are obviously not.

 

[Stephen Ausband]

The alpha-gal business is really bad news. I have known two people who have had it (and still have it, 15 years later). One was a colleague of mine who explained he could only eat meat that had once worn "either fins or feathers." He went to a low-country shrimp boil (if you're from the Carolinas, you know that involves lots of shrimp, corn on the cob, potatoes, and usually chunks of link sausage.) There was enough sausage taste on his shrimp to merit and ambulance ride to the nearest hospital.

 

[V.Veritas]

Doctors are human and make mistakes now and then.
But thankfully they are usually spot-on and many times we survive due to their proper diagnosis and swift treatment of our medical emergencies.

This comment rang a bell. So I'll share a different opinion. The author's opinion.

Spotlight: Medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in Canada

Personal injury lawyer Catherine Shearer is concerned our overburdened healthcare system is going to lead to more errors

www.guelphtoday.com

 

[Velo Dog]

This comment rang a bell. So I'll share a different opinion. The author's opinion.

Spotlight: Medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in Canada

Personal injury lawyer Catherine Shearer is concerned our overburdened healthcare system is going to lead to more errors

www.guelphtoday.com

Wow, third leading cause of death in Canada.
If it’s not just your media making up fake news to sell news, (they do that often here in the USA), such a statistic is staggering and scary.

 

[Velo Dog]

The alpha-gal business is really bad news. I have known two people who have had it (and still have it, 15 years later). One was a colleague of mine who explained he could only eat meat that had once worn "either fins or feathers." He went to a low-country shrimp boil (if you're from the Carolinas, you know that involves lots of shrimp, corn on the cob, potatoes, and usually chunks of link sausage.) There was enough sausage taste on his shrimp to merit and ambulance ride to the nearest hospital.

Man I am sorry to learn of your two friends having this terrible disease for 15 years.
Until now, I was presuming that effective treatment is available.
Very sad situation.

 

[Josh P]

Permethrin is good for multiple creatures including mosquitoes. I would spray any clothing bar possibly underwear. I have used it appropriately and without problems. I would also use picardin or DEET on non covered areas.
I think just spraying gaiters may not be sufficient.

I have had zero tick bites while wearing permethrin sprayed lighter, short, OR brand gaiters. Sample size of one, but it has been sufficient in the tick covered woods of the southeast US.

 

[lwaters]

I was fishing on the river one night years ago. I was sitting in some dead logs catching a few catfish. The next morning picked over thirty ticks off me. I developed a fever and felt somewhat achy. I went to my Doc and never had spotted fever or Lyme disease. He gave me a round of antibiotics and it cleared up. Doc said with that many bits I probably got some sort of infection. I get the little bastards on me every year.

 

[Velo Dog]

Alaska used to be a place to get away from snakes, scorpions, poisonous spiders, tics and foaming at the mouth anti-hunter types.

We are now hearing of the occasional black widow spider, brown recluse spider, tic and flea being found here.

Anchorage is fast becoming saturated with rabid anti-hunters now as well.

Hopefully the snakes and scorpions will wait awhile longer to invade this formerly great sanctuary.