Ticks and Lyme Disease
May 21, 2017 18:46:24 GMT -5
Post by 40oz on May 21, 2017 18:46:24 GMT -5
For those of us who are in the United States, I've been hearing that this year is going to be pretty nasty when it comes to ticks. If you've never dealt with these before, Ticks are disease carrying parasites that are often found on vegetation like trees and shrubs and tall plants. They're very small -- about half the size of the button on your collared shirt. They also have a flat base, so you they're resilient, and tough to kill. You can't successfully kill them by stomping on them with your shoe. If you find one on you, you may have a knee-jerk reaction to brush it off of you as quickly as you can. What you'll really want to do is get rid of them by flushing them down the toilet or burning them so they can't find you again.
Ticks have a bite that you can barely feel. But when they do, they latch on for days and suck blood from under your skin to the point where their bodies inflate. In exchange they leave behind some nasty saliva in your bloodstream that is likely to cause a terrible illness known as lyme disease. Lyme disease is usually pretty dormant for a while and it's possible to go several weeks without experiencing its symptoms, but if it's not treated early, it can be extremely painful, unpleasant, and often fatal. So if you go out in public near a wooded area, it would be wise to check yourself afterwards.
Not trying to shock anyone here, but you usually get them by hiking through a forest or while doing some gardening, and especially if you're wearing short sleeves and lowcut socks. I went for a bike ride with my dog and afterwards I managed to find one under my pant leg, and two more on my dogs fur. It had to have been at least a half hour before I felt the gentle tickle of it crawling slowly around the surface of my skin. No bite, thankfully, but it was pretty alarming because I don't know where I could have possibly gotten it from. After that, I'm convinced this isn't bull shit.
Be careful out there, you guys
www.techtimes.com/articles/207835/20170520/experts-predict-2017-to-be-the-worst-tick-season-ever.htm
Ticks have a bite that you can barely feel. But when they do, they latch on for days and suck blood from under your skin to the point where their bodies inflate. In exchange they leave behind some nasty saliva in your bloodstream that is likely to cause a terrible illness known as lyme disease. Lyme disease is usually pretty dormant for a while and it's possible to go several weeks without experiencing its symptoms, but if it's not treated early, it can be extremely painful, unpleasant, and often fatal. So if you go out in public near a wooded area, it would be wise to check yourself afterwards.
Not trying to shock anyone here, but you usually get them by hiking through a forest or while doing some gardening, and especially if you're wearing short sleeves and lowcut socks. I went for a bike ride with my dog and afterwards I managed to find one under my pant leg, and two more on my dogs fur. It had to have been at least a half hour before I felt the gentle tickle of it crawling slowly around the surface of my skin. No bite, thankfully, but it was pretty alarming because I don't know where I could have possibly gotten it from. After that, I'm convinced this isn't bull shit.
Be careful out there, you guys
www.techtimes.com/articles/207835/20170520/experts-predict-2017-to-be-the-worst-tick-season-ever.htm