For those who don't... skip on by.

I attended a program this past week that was presented by an ob/gyn.

No.. guys don't leave yet! You have a groin too... or is it a groan? HA!

OK.. I can do this post without acting like a 6 year old.. I really can.

The report the doctor shared was rather shocking.

In the office.. on REGULAR exams .. NOT Lyme related.. the doctor is removing an average of SEVEN NYMPH TICKS A DAY from patients who didn't know they had ticks on them!!!! They had NO clue!!!!

This is shocking to say the least. I know I shower before going to the doctors.. and I would think most women would also?? So it is hard to imagine missing that many ticks.

If people are missing that many.. it really is BAD NEWS!!!!

Soooooooooooo.. what can WE do to prevent this from happening?

Do a BETTER tick check for starters!

Yes.. it is hard to bend my head down to closely examine the groin area. I am not, after all, that flexible.. and my thoughts are others may have the same situation in althletic abilities when checking the undersides of the body.

Suggestions...

Use the scrubbies when you first return from the outdoors while taking a bath or shower. Yes.. it is hard on the groin area.. but you do get use to it.

Shave any excess hair from the area so the veiw is clearer.

Use mirrors to do a closer exam.

Use fingernails to lightly scratch the skin surface looking for tiny bumps.

If you shower at night.. shower again in the morning to double check.

Don't forget your lower belly and especially the belly button too.

Have "groin checking" parties whenever returning from the outdoors and invite the neighbors.

OK.... maybe skip the last one.

Whew, I did it. It needed to be said.

Now check your privates often... and all will be well with the world.

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If you get the choice to sit it out or dance...

as usual, very humorously written ...

NP, has your face stopped hurting yet? LOL

sorry tc,i just couldn't let this one get by,without crackin' a funny,

hummm ,it's saturday night... , gary

That info is from the book "Everything you need to know about Lyme disease."

Bettyg... Soooooooo.. what are YOU doing right about now?

Big G... Another Saturday night at Lyme Net! It's going to be interesting! At least SOME one... or some THING is "in the mood".

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If you get the choice to sit it out or dance...

When you first return from out of doors.. scrubbing the skin down with a scrubbie can dislodge ticks still crawling around.. and may alert you to any that are attached.

Yes.. a tick can live underwater.. and can also drown in a drop of water. Strange.. but true.

Oh.. and about the shower you mentioned. Are you supplying the soap?

No ticks so far you say, but what else have you found in there??!! Lol.

Trying not to be gross, but the butt crack thing happened to me. The tick was right at the top of the crack, in the area where the sacrum bone ends. Something was itching and I found it there. No idea how long it was there, either. And I had not been anywhere "woodsy", just around our property.

Gives me the creeps just to think about it.

Ticks are horrible this year already. Already found one attached, but just for a short time. And 3 others crawling. The one I found attached I got walking between my house and car, all of 50 ft. It was windy that day and it must have blown down from the trees above.

Everyone, be careful!

Actually, I was staying at someone's house once and she found a tick in that area. It was a full size tick, so she spotted it easily, but I can just imagine how many get missed.

(FYI, great movie if you haven't seen it. Don't be frightened of its "chick-flickness" guys. There is something for everyone.)

Anyone remember the women's group with hand held mirrors? Now everyone get your mirror and....

This disease just keeps getting more and more disgusting. Yuck, ticks in your crack?

Dear Lord," the minister began with arms extended and a rapturous look
on his upturned face, "Without you Lord, we are but dust..." He would have
> continued, but at that moment one very obedient little girl leaned over
to her mother and asked quite audibly in her shrill little girl voice,
>
> "Mommy, what is butt dust?"
>
> Church was pretty much over at that point.
>
>
>
>

Ya know.. I was going to answer some of these replies individually.. but I am pretty sure I can't do it without stepping over that fine line we are ALL walking so gracefully right now.

HA!

Actually.. I KNOW I can't.

Cute!

I don't think if I had ticks "there" anyone would notice..

Ya think?

As for looking down there, well I can't bend over or twist around (muscle spasms/cramps/stiff/pain), and also can't see anyways, no matter what kind of mirror I have. I don't have a partner, except my old cat, George and I don't think he would really be up to the task. There is a cute single guy across the street (close to my age), I wonder what he would say if I asked him. What a line, hehehe? Guess I have to keep on using my fingers!!

This has given me such a laugh, but it is really necessary.

The husband did like the idea of daily 'tick checks'.

imanurse....That is the FUNNIEST smile icon I have ever seen. I wish I knew how to use that in my posts.

I am in Massage Therapy School at the moment, and some of the students were wearing some revealing tops etc...so they had a little intervention and reminded us all we should dress professionally...then the questions started...finally the teacher said, just remember, "Crack kills"...

He said his son came up with this when they were at a restaurant being seated...three men were sitting in a row at the bar all with their cracks hanging out...his son looked up at him and said, "remember Dad, Crack Kills..."

A dear friend just lost her son today & I've been so upset; the tears haven't stopped. Not until I decided to give my brain something else to think about.

You've brought a giggle to my life!! I also have a 382 mile round trip to my LLMD Monday, so that just topped off my mood so well.

Good to see you join us! However.. if you have been reading in the past and not posting..

May I ask... what exactly in THIS post make you FINALY come out and play?

Hmmmmmm???

I HOPE you don't make it a habit that you ONLY show up when we are "talkin' trash". HA!

Just funning with you. I do hope you are feeling better by now. I am sorry you have to travel so far for your doctor. But I hope they will make you feel MUCH better.. real soon!

Now.. all of you folks who read this and didn't reply...

Come out, come out, where ever you are. Don't be shy. We CAN keep this a NICE conversation.

Wild Condor..

You said...

"..the butt crack is another place ticks love to hide. Bed and Bath & beyond has little mirrors that magnify 10x I got one for that reason and I check all the time."

I wonder if I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and asked ... would they show me where they keep their "butt-crack checking" mirrors?

Or.. would they show me the front door, along with a good swift kick in the you-know-what as they tossed me out?

Here is Tincup after asking store clerk for butt-crack checking mirrors...

quote:

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Originally posted by Tincup:
[B]However.. if you have been reading in the past and not posting..May I ask... what exactly in THIS post make you FINALY come out and play?

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Well Tincup, what can I say? I was really depressed, needing to occupy my mind, visited the other 2 groups I belong to & decided to swing by here & give the "looking for a doc" area a glance. Then, what the heck, I went to flash discussions. I was needing to read something, anything, to keep from thinking.

I think what finally made me post was the silliness of the article; all the posts. I was giggling as I read. I loved the naked smileys too. I just wanted to share my gratitude with everyone to let them & you know, you made a difference. None of us really knows how much a role they play in someone else's life unless they're told.

Also, I think what has kept me from posting in the past, I couldn't add anything new to the answers given. I mean, geesh, you people really know your stuff. So I would only be repeating what someone else had said.

I've been dealing with this crap since 2002, wasn't dx'd till 2003, hit on a combo that was working 6 mths in to treatment, was removed 3mths after symptoms were gone, then WHAM was hit with all my symptoms again. He took me off the abx to see if the bacteria was dead! Well--big fat DUH--they weren't. So now it's back to square one since then, cause the original abx wouldn't work any longer & now we need to find something else that will. Just saw him yesterday, on same meds, could be herxing, don't know, Tindamax giving me fun heart stuff, but sticking it out till it's decided if this is herx or not.

You know, after everything I've read on forums, articles by researchers & docs, no one has yet to say, deer ticks aren't the only ones to cause Lyme. Well I've read great articles by vet's who say all ticks can pass on Lyme.

I had a regular ole wood tick on me, removed it, say it ain't so , with my fingers & ta-da here I am 3 yrs later. Don't remove any tick with your fingers for the love of Pete!!! Not all ticks are infected, but just like me, you can only roll the dice so many times!!