posted
Also, there's a possibility that you could get other strains of the Lyme bacteria.
Posts: 4638 | From South Carolina | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
I hate that I now am totally afraid to even walk in my suburban yard. I seek concrete sidewalks and driveways and am as afraind to walk in grass as I am to be on the edge of a cliff 100 feet up.
I LOVE to look out and see trees - and wildlife such as deer and squirrels - and used to live in the middle of 500 acres of wooded land and meadows. My soul seeks to be in that kind of environment.
But now I'm afraid to be even near grass.
I got my tick from the grassy lawn of my yard - nowhere near any trees. (I had moved from my sanctuary land years before.)
I hate that I now fear the kind of landscape that I used to seek out as refuge. It'sd like finding my kitchen full of hidden roaches or my church infiltrated by demons.
I don't want to hide forever away from living. Do I now have to seek a house with a tiny lot of shorn grass or barren land in order to not cringe every time I have to leave my house?
-------------------- Pam Live well. Laugh often. Love much. Posts: 53 | From Ohio - south/southeast | Registered: Oct 2005
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I bought light colored pants, tucked them into socks, long sleeve light colored shirt and gloves ---sprayed clothing with permithrin (sp)--let dry then went into the garden.
I should also say that I had my garden and entire yard sprayed by a tick expert a month ago.
I weeded, pruned, and planted pansies with my windows open and music playing.
It was a true accomplishment to do this and also a pure joy to be back doing what I love.
We cannot stop living and embracing what we love. (BTW, I did not find any ticks on me after several thorough tick checks...)
-------------------- We are spiritual beings on a human journey...
luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
You can make yourself smell and taste terrible to insects including Ticks. Research foods that work. Garlic is one. You also can buy clothing that has parithemim (sp?) in it. If you don't mind wearing toxic clothes.
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
Pam,
I hate to live in fear, but I'm like you. I rarely do gardening any more (I only dabbled in it before but enjoyed the little I did), I hired gardeners, I walk on concrete paths rather than on someone's lawn, etc.
But I do that because I realize one can get bitten in suburban areas - I was. I was feeding a cat that I knew when its owner moved, in a suburban neighborhood in a city that isn't known for a lot of Lyme.
I was wearing jeans, knee highs, running shoes, long sleeves, a coat, etc. I've never been a hiker, an outdoorsy gal, never even walked on the trails in my area. So it has made me very cautious.
My family keeps telling me not to worry, that I'm on antibiotics. But like other posters have mentioned, I don't want new strains or new coinfections.
So when the time comes that I feel like going back to gardening, or going to concerts in the park, or whatever, I'll do the drill of light-colored clothing, socks over pants, etc. I hate to use repellant because I'm so sensitive, but I have seen the clothes that have it built in (just don't know if I want it next to my skin).
I do still feed the squirrels and admire the wild bunnies - just from a much farther distance, just in case!
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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AZURE WISH
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 804
posted
I have been sick 18.5 years and disabled since 2000....
I am not about to give up what little I can do outside for fear....
The lyme and therefore the ticks have already taken enough from me and I'll be darned if Im gonna give them any more than they already got.
trails
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1620
posted
I just enjoy differently. Enjoy the view FROM the house, not in the yard itself.
Take your lawn chairs INSIDE when not in use or buy a hammock that you store in your home and put it up to sit in on the lawn.
I particularly like my hammock as it has only 2 contact points for the tick to crawl up to my body---I figure that if that tick crawled up that and bit me then it was MY TIME again.
Also--try doing other things like canoeing on a lake, kayaking, surfing, swimming, etc.
There is MUCH to fear. I was reinfected in 2000. I originally had Lyme diagnosed in 1991. I had no problems getting well in 1991. I have had terrible problems getting well since 2000. ONce bitten, it is NOT like chicken pox. You do NOT have more immunity or better ability to fight. You actually have less.
play safely.
Posts: 1950 | From New Mexico | Registered: Sep 2001
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Ann-OH
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2020
posted
You should never dismiss any tick bite.
As for Lyme, you never develop an immunity. I am living proof that the second time around can be worse than the first. There was 8 years between cases.
You get Lyme disease again, and you are going to be sick. Besides which there are about 300 strains of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease and the antibodies you have to the first one doesn't fit all strains.
And I haven't even talked about the co-infections of things like Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis (which has a new name I can't remember) plus Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Bartonella, Tick fever, Tularemia.......
posted
I live in the tick capital of the universe(it seems). I have 3 dogs and a cat and 2 horses. At certain times of the year, like now, I am dealing with ticks on almost a daily basis.
I do worry about ticks, but I cannot imagine not being outside with the animals or in the soil with the plants. These things give meaning to my life.
I am now very vigilent and use preventitive means to keep the ticks off, but every day to me is for living.
Tomorrow, it could be a truck, a heart attack or bird flu, but today I rode my horse along the lovliest wooded trail beside a running steam and was in heaven.
Of course, I came home and checked both me and the horse for ticks.....Try to fight the fear. It is far more destructive than Lyme.
~Jill
Posts: 175 | From ma. | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
I got infonet news blurbs all the time. It states that the tick has over 500 enzymes in its saliva to deactivate the victim's immune system. It would appear that a subsequent bite would also contribute to a further reduction in host immunity and potenetially restir the pot on the first set of tick infections plus the new bacterial load and virulence of the second . From my nursing and biology background, it would seem that a secondary bite would also make a bad situation worse. Lyme has taken so much away from me. I tell people to error on caution , use spray, all precautions. I am cautious since the circumstances of my bite were in such a metropolitan area and shouldnt have happen- I am very p[aranoid over any other bites. Stars what would happen. Adding insult to injury, Mom who is my caregiver now, also has lyme. I am beginning to feel like chicken little.Posts: 719 | From Delaware | Registered: Jan 2006
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david1097
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3662
posted
One of my 10yog was bit last weekend by a female lone star tick - 2 separate bite locations.
Does it matter that she has been on zith & flagyl, tested for lyme, tested for coinfections in the past? Not much.
We now have more testing, a broader array of coinfections and probably several more months of treatment. She wasn't progressing well to start. This will not help.
This is the 2nd of my children that has been "re-bit" since Feb - no I don't live in the woods. I have 3 maples on 3/4 acre.
I put flea/tick killer (2 large bags) down with a broadcast spreader 2 weeks ago and my husband sprayed the trees. The birds are bringing ticks in our yard.
-------------------- When I feel blue . . . . . . its time to take another breath Posts: 296 | From East Coast | Registered: Aug 2005
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