I call shens.

PSA: Ticks and Lyme disease

It’s warmed up so now people are spending oodles more time outside than they normally would, I figured I would throw down some mythbusting on ticks and lyme disease, because there are a ton out there (ticks, and myths) and as someone who has had Lyme from a tick, I happened to know a lot on the topic.

Myth: Only deer ticks (the kind with the white dot on their back) can spread Lyme
Fact: Nearly any tick can carry Lyme.

Myth: The best way to remove a tick is to suffocate it with oil, tape of any kind, burn it or tear it off.
Fact: This one is a biggie.  The way that ticks release themselves in a hurry from your skin, is by spewing into the hole they’ve worked themselves into, to lubricate it and release.  Bad news - that spew contains any disease they might be carrying.  All of the methods mentioned above are a sure fire way to make sure you get injected with whatever they had.  
The only proper way to remove a tick is by using a pair of tweezers and grasping it by the neck (not the abdomen) and pulling until it pops out (like so: http://apps.caes.uga.edu/news/graphicsfiles/TickRemovalTweezers1lr.jpg). 

Myth: Lyme always presents with a bullseye rash
Fact: Sometimes they do, sometimes they dont

Myth: You have to go for a walk in the woods to get a tick, staying out of low brush will keep you safe.
Fact: Ticks are anywhere that things grow.  Trees, grass and bushes.  They will cling onto leaves in hopes that you brush against them, and they will free-fall from trees above. 

Do I have Lyme?

The disease presents itself by causing an infection somewhere in the body.  For me, it was the fluid sac in my right knee, which caused it to balloon to the size of a grapefruit. Some people get a rash, some people don’t.  If you suddenly have soreness or inflammation of a joint you didn’t injure, even strong back pain, Lyme can be the cause.

Straight dope: Worst case scenario, you don’t realize you have Lyme, it gets to your brain, and not caught in time, can be fatal.

As someone who had to come home from school every day for six months and hook myself up to an IV pack, I can tell you that Lyme is no fun.  But if you take the right precautions, and get the right info, you’ll be fine.  If you went camping, went on a hike, or wandered through any wooded areas, next time you get in the shower, take a look over your body.  They can be as small as a pinhead or as big as a pinky nail.  If you find a tick, remove it and keep it in a bag.  If you develop symptoms later, the doc can test the tick to get a solid diagnosis