I have been spraying myself head to toe with tick repellent and wearing a hat, pants, socks, and shoes when I walk my dogs, but I just had the second tick of the season crawling on my neck when I got home.
What else can I do? I am terrified of going outdoors, but the reality is I have to. I live in the country and have dogs so I have no choice.
I appreciate any suggestions. My life is falling apart not only because of my physical illness, but because of my fear of the outdoors.
Posted by Faith6 (Member # 14072) on :
I'm fearful too. I don't go out in the grass much, but we have two cats that do. I don't have the physical or emotional energy to fight ticks anymore. It seems like a loosing battle. Thankfully my husband sprays for them. We have had very dry weather in MN so I'm hoping that the dryness kills many of them.
Posted by pepperspeck (Member # 18837) on :
It has been very wet here and the ticks are everywhere. I have removed a total of 8 from 3 different family members in the past month.
I get the property sprayed twice a year, control the mouse population and keep the grass short and brush cut back.
I rarely step foot in the grass or go on a trail or hiking. I loved those things, but I feel like I might be one tick away from death.
I hear you about feeling fearful. I do tick checks on the kids several times a day, depending on where they have been, of course. It is so hard to find a balance.
Posted by kitty9309 (Member # 19945) on :
Permethrin spray for the yard and clothes/shoes etc.
It was very nice of all of you to reply. So many of us are scared. The tick problem is taking the joy out of everything.
kitty, I appreciate the link. They mentioned Sawyer permethrin tick repellent in the article. We recently bought some of that so it's good to know we are on the right track.
Posted by nenet (Member # 13174) on :
There are several natural repellants that use ingredients that are up to 10X more effective than DEET.
We use a brand called Lewey's Eco-Blends, which is one of those more effective than DEET, and is also safe for horses (not sure about cats or dogs, have to check).
It is made from all natural plant essential oils, and is actually really good for your skin, so something that you would enjoy applying and is safe/non-toxic to get on your hands when you eat, etc.
(I am not associated with the company or anything, just very happy to find something natural that also works)
You also want to make sure to keep the yard mowed well, and put up barriers around your property if you get a lot of wildlife browsing your yard. Keep back any overgrowth, especially near the house.
Also, don't feed stray animals (hard one for us to follow). Also be sure to always treat your pets and check them often before they go back into the house.
Posted by pepperspeck (Member # 18837) on :
Yes, Permethrin spray is good but not to be in contact with skin until dry. I spray shoes/sneakers and when I used to venture out to garden, a pair of pants and a top designated for this use.
I loved feeding (and watching) the birds, but no longer feed them to reduce the mice population. I also fenced in out back yard to keep out the deer.
I want to look into the tick tubes. Thanks for that!
My daughter wants to join the town pool and I am balking at her request because I do not want to sit in the grass (even in a chair). How pathetic is that?!
Posted by Faith6 (Member # 14072) on :
Does anyone use garlic spray which is supposed to dry the ticks out and kill them? We have done this for several years, but haven't found anyone else who uses it and we aren't sure of the results. We use this on lakeshore property in WI where many other products are illegal.
Posted by s0ngbird1962 (Member # 16395) on :
My son and dog both have lyme. I suspect I have it, but have never been tested, trying to get my son well first.
So, yes....I am somewhat fearful outside also. BUT, I force myself to try to be as normal as possible. Still go camping, play in the grass with dogs and kids.
My question to you who spray your lawns, aren't you afraid that the chemicals will cause harm to your kids etc? Not sure if the possible carcigenic effects outweigh the risk of lyme.
Just a thought. I struggle with this because I have thought of spraying, but so far have put it off.... Not sure which one is the worst.
Posted by pepperspeck (Member # 18837) on :
I have my property sprayed because I do not want to walk in the wooded area and do not want the exposure to the pesticide. The perimeter of the property, stone walls and a few other places are sprayed, not the actual lawn.
My kids are 12 and 14 and do very little playing in the grass anymore. I am in an area of high tick concentration, so I feel the risk of illness from the chemicals outweighs that of more tick bites because we know what areas are treated.
Posted by cactus (Member # 7347) on :
Buzz Off clothes. You can google them - they are available several places.
They do work!
Posted by Leelee (Member # 19112) on :
quote:Originally posted by cactus: Buzz Off clothes. You can google them - they are available several places.
They do work!
Wow! I like the looks of that!
I found a few places on-line that sell them. Have you purchased any of the bottoms (pants or shorts)? I wonder how they fit. I like the look of the Bermuda shorts.
There was a sunburst button-down shirt that I think I will order as well as the hat with the neck flap and a bandana for added protection around my neck.
For some reason both the ticks I have had on me this year have been crawling on my neck.
Thank you so much for the information. Posted by cactus (Member # 7347) on :
Sometimes you can find them on sale - esp around holidays.
I usually order from Ex Officio, but have gotten them from LL Bean and some other places as well.
I live in a houseful of boys - none of which are as thorough as I'd like with the tick checks.
Socks have been a winner here, as well as the hats, too. Oh! And the gardening gloves.
There are some other options - rhynoskin (spelling?) socks that are woven very tightly, and some others I haven't tried.
You might search for WildCondor's posts on this topic, most of my ideas came straight from her. (Thanks, WC!)
Posted by cottonbrain (Member # 13769) on :
i'm with you all -- i am scared to death to go out in my yard -- just a minute ago i found another tick on me -- I find them every day, and on my dogs too.
About the Daminex Tick Tubes: what happens if a dog gets ahold of the filling and chews it? i have a young dog who is in to everything. anybody know?
Posted by Faith6 (Member # 14072) on :
Songbird - that's one of the reasons we use the garlic spray... it's all natural.
Posted by Abxnomore (Member # 18936) on :
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Posted by catskillmamala (Member # 12536) on :
I know lyme patients who won't walk on grass. I myself was afraid to go outside for 1 year solid.
I have young kids who play in the grass- they have been treated for lyme/babs, etc. I spray my yard with beneficial nematodes and I have guinea hens. I tick check.
My cats are kicked outside for the summer and are indoor cats in the winter. The dog is sprayed and advantixed.
I use daminix tubes, but find that I don't know how to "think" like a mouse or chipmunk so they weren't very effective- cotton remained in the tubes for months.
Those measures reduced the number of visible ticks coming into the house from like 10 per day to 1 per week, but who knows if it has more to do with local ecology? Maybe last year was not a big tick or rodent year for whatever reason.
Posted by swachsler (Member # 18155) on :
It's very natural to be afraid to go outside after what we've been through. I was afraid to at the beginning of this summer, but since we have instituted our protocol so successfully, I'm beginning to feel more confident.
And, if you have found these ticks crawling on you, before they have bitten you, then you have prevented yourself from getting reinfected! That is a good thing!
(Not that it doesn't completely freak me out anytime I find one crawling on myself.)
Our method requires consistancy and vigilance, but it has worked for the past two years, and it is 100% nontoxic.
I have severe multiple chemical sensitivity. Pesticides are life-threatening to me, therefore I don't use them.
And as you've learned, they do not prevent you from having ticks on you. I know lots of people who use Frontline, Advantix, or Revolution on their pets, and their pets still get Lyme.
Our dog is "au naturel." ;-)
When my neighbor put down herbicide pellets (which included 2,4-D) on his lawn, I was projectile vomiting with nonstop migraines, and other misery for over a week. We had to decontaminate everything and everyone in the house. Now my dog has lymphoma, which is twice as common among dogs that have been exposed to 2-4,D.
Pesticides are also harmful to other people, pets, birds, and the earth, in general.
Children, esp. infants and young children, whose immune and nervous systems are still developing, are especially at risk from pesticides, as are the elderly and people with immune system suppression (which includes people with Lyme!).
Pesticides have been implicated in numerous forms of human as well as animal cancers as well as Parkinson's, Alzheimers, and numerous other diseases.
My household, which includes a dog, is rural, surrounded by woods, and has the worst tick problem of any place I've ever lived. In wet weather, we actually have ticks crawl under the crack in the door and walk into the house!
Since I got Lyme, we have prevented reinfection/tick bites like this:
Every time anyone comes in from outdoors, we check our clothes, shoes, skin, and under our hair/scalp.
Then, at night, before we go to bed, everyone, dog and people, get tick-checked again.
So far, the only family member that has embedded ticks has been the dog. But we almost always find them before they've been there long.
If any ticks are found on people or on the floor, etc., they are not engorged, they have not been embedded. They are walking around. THey are put to death!
If you do not do tick checks of every member of the family at least every 24 hours, I really encourage you to start. Remember to check the hair, under the hair, and the scalp -- ticks like to attach there, and that's the easiest place to miss.
-Sharon
Posted by aileenhome (Member # 3960) on :
I am having yard sprayed 3 times/year.
I had my 2 golden retrievers hair cut way down and use Frontline Plus on them. Brush them frequently. When I walk them I don't let them go on the grass unless they have to. I also walk in street rather than sidewalk so I don't have to walk under low trees/shrubs.
I had my own hair cut shorter and I wear knee length yoga pants so that if something got on the bare part of my leg I would hopefully feel it crawling.
At bedtime I strip off and check everywhere, including between toes, using bathroom mirrors to see behind me. I also brush my hair vigorously in case anything is crawling and feel around scalp with my fingers.
I vaccum frequently.
I make husband take off gardening clothes in laundry room. I also make him check himself before getting in bed.
I pull back sheets and check before getting in.
I use Avon Bug Guard Plus on myself. I never walk barefoot in my back yard.
Sounds like a lot but not that hard.
Do I feel safe - NO!!
Posted by Buster (Member # 19472) on :
Under Armor and several other sport apparel companies make athletic tights that can be worn under clothing. I pull some long socks over the tights and there is no way for the ticks to get on me from waist to toe. I only wear them when going into tall grass or out in the woods, but summer time they can get really hot.
Posted by Just Julie (Member # 1119) on :
I normally do not respond to these types of posts these days, as it seems there is an "either/or" type of mentality thinking to people who live in areas with ticks.
But, I will respond today, because I continue to read posts that include the word "fear". To me, after 9 years of living a lifestyle that AVOIDS tick (infested or not) areas, I do not agree with the word "fear" being attached to what should be and COULD BE just a comment or a post that is worded differently, thus not offending anyone, or getting their backs up.
Use the word "common sense" instead of fear. It is healthy to have a fear about returning to areas where you know you could be rebitten, or reinfected, but to continue to have this mentality, this one of FEAR, really, only harms yourself, and your familie(s). And it also contributes to letting other's not familiar with lyme, get away with their thinking that all lyme disease people can turn into nutso's, if they don't "get back out there" and return to the scene of the crime!
Every single one, and I mean EVERY SINGLE piece of lyme information includes "avoid tick infested areas" as a means to caution people to the dangers of getting bit by a tick.
To me, I took that to read: stay out of places where ticks are known to be". To me, that means just that. NOT being "afraid" or petrified, or scared, into not going outside anymore. I have radically changed our lifestyle to include NOT going into tall grass areas, not go camping, not go hiking, not having indoor/outdoor pets, so that I will NOT have to deal with the incredibly painful, horrendous, hideous, life-sucking ordeal of finding a tick on me. Crawling or not, you don't know if they've just attached to you, have already attached to you, and are crawling off, so you really don't know, do you?
Just common sense. If you decide to take the mentality thinking of "I won't let the ticks win" thought process, then you have already lost. Because once you go out in the tick habitats again, it is only a matter of time before a tick finds you, bites you and spews it garbage ridden vomit into your body (or your childs) and you either can fight it off, or you go tumbling down the well again. . .
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
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Since ticks are attracted by our breath, I've wondered if garlic breath would be a repellent. One allicin capsule (I prefer Hepapro) and my whole body emits that special aroma.
You need to spray grass and shrubs, under any porches and on any wood pile. In fact, it's best to take your present wood pile apart and re-stack it in an areas that has been sprayed. Be sure to clean the old area where the wood pile was previously stacked.
A typical formula for a 2 gallon canister sprayer is to mix 6 ounces of Mosquito Barrier into 2 gallons of water.
TO KEEP TICKS OFF DOGS:
If you feed your dog some garlic juice daily, it will keep the ticks away and will prevent worms at same time!
Click here for the best garlic juice to use and for instructions on how to use it.
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