Heading into tick season

I really don’t enjoy bringing this up, but as we head into spring and enjoy the outdoors, don’t forget about ticks…

Just one tick bite can transmit one or another disease that can ruin your whole summer and perhaps drag on for years. All it takes, however, is good old common sense to keep a tick from biting you and transmitting nasty things.

There are two dangerous diseases that ticks carry and spread while feasting on us and our pets that are worth discussing: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is the most severe and frequently reported tick-borne illness in the United States, Mexico and Central and South America. Initial signs and symptoms include sudden onset of fever, headache and muscle pain, followed by a rash. Further bad news is that the disease can be difficult to diagnose in the early stages and without prompt treatment, it can be fatal.

Lyme disease is another bacterial disease that within one to two weeks of infection will cause a “bull’s-eye” rash with fever, headache and muscle or joint pain. Some people do not have any early symptoms, while others may have a fever and other “flu-like” symptoms without a rash.

Once you are infected, however, the bacteria will spread throughout the body and symptoms, such as rashes and pain that seems to move from joint to joint, will be followed by inflammation of the heart or nerves. If the disease is not treated, a victim may get additional warnings, such as swelling and pain in major joints, or suffer mental changes months after being infected. No fun at all…

Here are a few suggestions on what to do to keep ticks away from your body while you are enjoying the great out-of-doors:

I have found that wearing light-colored clothing is a very helpful deterrent to ticks dropping in on you. (Ticks do not leap on you as fleas do, but they wait at the ends of branches and grasses for a host to brush by and then fall onto clothing, hair or bare skin.)

A light-colored shirt with tight-fitting cuffs is almost perfect. A hiking companion will spot a tick on your clothing and call your attention to it, and once removed — depending on your philosophy regarding things alive — said tick could be dispatched against a rock.

Tight-fitting hiking boots and socks are another way to keep ticks from getting to you. Lunch-stop is a great time for hiking companions to look each other over for ticks wandering around clothing looking for a way in.

Some people will use tick-repellent devices and chemicals on clothing and pets. Not me… I would check with a physician or veterinarian before putting chemicals on my body, clothing or pets no matter how harmless the manufacturers claim it to be.

There is one sure way to keep ticks from embedding themselves in your body and that’s by doing a complete body check when you return from an outdoor good time.

Before bathing, check the hairline at the base of the neck; that’s a favorite place for ticks to sneak in (as seen above). Once imbedded the anticoagulant injected by the tick while slurping up blood will deaden any feeling in the area and you may not know that you’re an unwilling host.

Imbedded ticks can be removed carefully and s-l-o-w-l-y with tweezers. No need to panic. Grasp the tick right behind the head, NOT on its fat backend. If you squeeze the tick’s abdomen, you may force nasty stuff into the wound as you tug and pull to remove the tick.

Ticks sort of “screw” their mouthparts into your skin so it is best to slowly twist the tick back and forth, as you gently pull it out. Small children (and hysterical adults) may panic and demand the tick be pulled out NOW! Resist the temptation to just yank it out; some of the mouthparts may remain in the wound and will cause nasty infection in time to come.

Use plenty of disinfectant after the tick has been removed and watch the area for 36 hours afterward. If a rash appears, a fever develops or the area is tender, contact a physician immediately.

Now go on out and have a good time in our beautiful Sisters area and just use common sense to keep away from tick problems.