caddisguy vs ticks: The video

[caddisguy]

Slow evening... going through the raw video archives and thought I would put something together about ticks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2y7_79kJOU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2y7_79kJOU

[Bag1]

cool thanks, found one crawling across the kitchen floor last week here in urban Langley, must have came in on the dog or cat

[JDR]

The one that came out of your arm looks like a black legged tick or deer tick and the one on your wall looks like a wood tick. I've read that deer ticks are more likely to carry disease than wood ticks, but I'm no expert. Did you get the tell tale bulls eye from any of your bites?

[caddisguy]

The one that came out of your arm looks like a black legged tick or deer tick and the one on your wall looks like a wood tick. I've read that deer ticks are more likely to carry disease than wood ticks, but I'm no expert. Did you get the tell tale bulls eye from any of your bites?

Most of the ticks I have run into are black legged deer ticks (usually adults, females 4-7mm with red abdomen and males black and approx 2-3mm) with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 wood ticks (like the one crawling on the wall as you pointed out)

I have yet to be bit by one of those wood ticks as far as I know. The adults are a bit bigger on average. The females look similar to the female deer ticks, except larger, clumsier and duller red or brown. I have found them crawling on my neck/face/head but they seem to hitch a ride and take their time whereas the deer ticks seem to bite me as soon as they find skin. I would guess around 98% black legged deer ticks around the Fraser Valley, unless there are some wood tick honey holes I haven't run into.

I think you are right that deer ticks are more likely to carry B. burgdorferi which causes lyme, but all species of ticks carry all sorts of bacteria, some of which are arguably as bad as lyme or opportunistically become problematic co-infections when someones immune system is overwhelmed with the lyme infection (Bartonella henselae for example which causes "cat scratch fever" is carried by ticks within their saliva)

Never had a bulls-eye rash (erythema migrans) but rather just really red and swollen. Sometimes they get mildly infected. I am not sure if it's just me or if this is normal, but often my tick bites leave a hard bump that itches off and on for months. Worth noting that EM often does not occur. I don't suspect I have lyme, but I do have a requisition for a blood test sitting in my drawer at work I'll probably get done this week.

This page has a long list of nasty diseases that ticks carry:

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/dtopics/tickborne/diseases.html

[JDR]

Most of the ticks I have run into are black legged deer ticks (usually adults, females 4-7mm with red abdomen and males black and approx 2-3mm) with the exception of maybe 3 or 4 wood ticks (like the one crawling on the wall as you pointed out)

I have yet to be bit by one of those wood ticks as far as I know. The adults are a bit bigger on average. The females look similar to the female deer ticks, except larger, clumsier and duller red or brown. I have found them crawling on my neck/face/head but they seem to hitch a ride and take their time whereas the deer ticks seem to bite me as soon as they find skin. I would guess around 98% black legged deer ticks around the Fraser Valley, unless there are some wood tick honey holes I haven't run into.

I think you are right that deer ticks are more likely to carry B. burgdorferi which causes lyme, but all species of ticks carry all sorts of bacteria, some of which are arguably as bad as lyme or opportunistically become problematic co-infections when someones immune system is overwhelmed with the lyme infection (Bartonella henselae for example which causes "cat scratch fever" is carried by ticks within their saliva)

Never had a bulls-eye rash (erythema migrans) but rather just really red and swollen. Sometimes they get mildly infected. I am not sure if it's just me or if this is normal, but often my tick bites leave a hard bump that itches off and on for months. Worth noting that EM often does not occur. I don't suspect I have lyme, but I do have a requisition for a blood test sitting in my drawer at work I'll probably get done this week.

This page has a long list of nasty diseases that ticks carry:

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/dtopics/tickborne/diseases.html

Interesting that you have a lot more deer ticks at the coast and here in the southern interior we seem to have more wood ticks from my experience. Good idea to get tested; hopefully all checks out for you.

[Lionhill]

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/vbz.2015.1854

Surveillance for Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes Ticksand Small Rodents in British Columbia

Abstract:
To determine the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in British Columbian ticks, fieldwork was conducted overa 2-year period. In all, 893 ticks (Ixodes pacificus, I. angustus, I. soricis, Ixodes spp., and Dermacentorandersoni) of different life stages were retrieved from 483 small rodents (Peromyscus maniculatus, Perognathusparvus, and Reithrodontomys megalotis). B. burgdorferi DNA was detected in 5 out of 359 tick pools,and 41 out of 483 mice were serologically confirmed to have antibodies against B. burgdorferi. These resultswere consistent with previous studies, data from passive surveillance in British Columbia, and data fromneighboring states in the Pacific Northwest, suggesting a continually low prevalence of B. burgdorferi in BritishColumbia ticks.

[caddisguy]

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/vbz.2015.1854

Surveillance for Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes Ticksand Small Rodents in British Columbia

Abstract:
To determine the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi in British Columbian ticks, fieldwork was conducted overa 2-year period. In all, 893 ticks (Ixodes pacificus, I. angustus, I. soricis, Ixodes spp., and Dermacentorandersoni) of different life stages were retrieved from 483 small rodents (Peromyscus maniculatus, Perognathusparvus, and Reithrodontomys megalotis). B. burgdorferi DNA was detected in 5 out of 359 tick pools,and 41 out of 483 mice were serologically confirmed to have antibodies against B. burgdorferi. These resultswere consistent with previous studies, data from passive surveillance in British Columbia, and data fromneighboring states in the Pacific Northwest, suggesting a continually low prevalence of B. burgdorferi in BritishColumbia ticks.

That sounds like a reasonable study. I will read the link later, as I am interested in which parts of BC they surveyed. I recall a distribution map last year that indicated the Chilliwack/Hope areas were "hot spots" and if I recall correctly 20% of ticks carried the bacteria (don't quote me on that though as I have to go back and check)

Last year I was going to carry out my own study in my tick "honey hole" using the "CarePlus Tick Test", but then I discovered research papers showed that test was virtually useless (close to 100% inaccurate) ... glad I found that out before I dumped $1000 on 20 test kits @ London Drugs !!! It was a member who tipped me off to that too. I would have to look back to give proper credit, but in lieu of that, THANK YOU!!! (you saved me 1k) ... I can't believe London Drugs still sells it too after my correspondence with them. They settled for the manufacture saying "oh yeah our 1.0 tests were all bad but our 2.0 is like totally better and stuff" (worth noting all the media outlets and canlyme who all promoted this test did not reply or refused to comment) ... sad people just want to profit off of disease... just as parasitic as the ticks themselves.

[DarekG]

What the hell man, I spend a ton of time trudging through tall grass and sitting around in the woods here and even though ticks are a somewhat common occurrence you... You are seeing too many and it freaks me out! :lol:

Ticks are attracted to humans similarly to the way mosquitoes are by the air we exhale, the urea in our sweat, urine, tears, etc. but they have proven that mosquitoes are attracted to some more than others!

Couple of interesting skeeter facts:


- As an example of preference Skeeters prefer blood type O over A.

- About 85 percent of people secrete a chemical signal through their skin that indicates which blood type they have, while 15 percent do not, and mosquitoes are also more attracted to secretors than nonsecretors regardless of which type they are.

- Mosquitoes are attracted to larger people as they exhale larger amounts of air therefor releasing larger amounts of carbon dioxide (which attracts them).

- BEER! Just a single 12-ounce bottle of beer can make you more attractive to the insects, one study found (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=12083361&ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum). But even though researchers had suspected this was because drinking increases the amount of ethanol excreted in sweat, or because it increases body temperature, neither of these factors were found to correlate with mosquito landings, making their affinity for drinkers a mystery.


I have to wonder how similar they are to ticks in these regards?

For example I know somebody who will have ticks crawling on them, but they'll never actually find a place to bite so they carry around and shed these little *******s but on the flipside I also know of someone who will have a tick try to latch on almost the instant it goes on their skin.

[caddisguy]

Black legged ticks seem to bite me the second they find skin. If I don't tuck in my socks, my ankles get hit. If I tuck in my socks but not my shirt, my hips get hit. If I have everything tucked in good my neck gets hit. I think I have only ever found one deer tick on my skin that was not biting. Wood ticks seem less eager.

My wife has had the odd one on her skin or clothing but never a biter. My brother seems to get nailed at a similar rate as me, but doesn't spend much time out in the bush.

I wonder how long you sweat ethanol after a beer. I usually drink a few before bed. Maybe it's a combo with the blood type thing. I am not sure what my blood type is off-hand... I should probably find that out.

I posted up a survey on one of the Facebook forums. Not a single person answered that they had been bit by more than 10 ticks in a season. I am perhaps the most delicious tick meal in BC. I was really hoping for a better super power like xray vision in invisibility.

[caddisguy]

Ok this is strange.

After I posted that tick video, my YouTube has gone all weird

For the past few years, I have been getting around 50-100 views per hour over total on all my videos. After I posted that tick video it dropped to around 10-15/hour.

When I view the live real-time analytics, I see it build up to the usual 50-100 views per hour, but when I refresh the page (that I have been watching updating live) it's getting knocked down back to 10-15 views... watch it for a while and it builds up the usual numbers, refresh and the views get knocked down.

Should I get my tinfoil hat out? Never seen anything like this. Holy crap... seems like posting that video hit some kind of nerve and stuff is being manipulated now.

[Busterpayton54]

Somewhat of a detail... before heading into the gang ranch area 2 weeks ago, I stopped in at the local feed horse feed/tac store and picked up some permetherine spray. We hosed ourselves down, as well as the dog before heading in, and every 2 days while in. Not one single tick was seen. Last time out that way, they were crawling all over us.

[newhunterette]

Y'all I never saw a living tick until two years ago at my cabin (region 5) while picking Saskatoon Berries. I have seen lots of dead ones because they come in on the critters to the taxidermist and he has to dispose of them before he can even begin working on y'all mounts. I've seen them in jars (gross how many come off the deer (mostly) brought in).

My daughter works with our BC wildlife and she gets deer in her facility crawling with ticks (she is Langley).

Lyme disease is becoming wide spread.... world. Canada is is so far behind in it's testing and treatment. We do have a vaccine for dogs. I would recommend you get it for your dog if you take your dog into the bush or talk to your vet in regards to the vaccine.

Any articles you read at this moment regarding a vaccine for humans is not conclusive and has been high risk to those who have tried it. There is no preventative vaccine at this time. There is more strains of Lyme than they had originally found and diagnosed that even the known antibiotics are not helping some people. If you are lucky enough to get treated right away for a lyme disease infection your golden. Some of us arent so lucky and we become experiments. part of the studies, guinea pigs........

all I can say over and over is protect you and you pets the best you can...... that tiny bug is an asshole

if y'all want information about Lyme Disease and its other partners in crime feel free to pm, I'll try and help with information....... I myself am still researching options now that I know antibiotics are off my list.

[caddisguy]

Soo..... I went for the blood test Friday last week.

Today I get a call from the doctors office. They left a VM so I called them back, waited on hold a bit, gave them my name.... she says

"This is about a recent lab test. The docotor *needs* to see you"

Appointment is for 1:20 today. There was 1 and only 1 test on the requisition.. Lyme serology... the ELISA one I believe.


So there is 1 of 3 things going on...

1) It's negative and they just want to let me know (usually they don't call you in for this, but it can happen if they feel like making an extra few bucks)
2) It's positive
3) When they got the result back they looked at my file and decided they want to check up on some other unrelated things

A little bit nervous now to be honest ... I'll report back in a few hours (or an eternity from my perspective) lol

[DarekG]

Yikes, I've never been asked to "come in" unless they found something that needed attention.
Have you ever felt any of the following? :lol:




Head, Face, Neck

Unexplained hair loss
Headache, mild or severe, seizures
Pressure in head, white matter lesions in brain (MRI)
Twitching of facial or other muscles
Facial paralysis (Bell’s Palsy, Horner’s syndrome)
Tingling of nose, (tip of) tongue, cheek or facial flushing
Stiff or painful neck
Jaw pain or stiffness
Dental problems
10. Sore throat, clearing throat a lot, phlegm (flem), hoarseness, runny nose

Eyes/Vision

Double or blurry vision
Increased floating spots
Pain in eyes, or swelling around eyes
Oversensitivity to light
Flashing lights, peripheral waves or phantom images in corner of eyes

Ears/Hearing

Decreased hearing in one or both ears, plugged ears
Buzzing in ears
Pain in ears, oversensitivity to sounds
Ringing in one or both ears

Digestive and Excretory Systems

Diarrhea
Constipation
Irritable bladder (trouble starting, stopping) or interstitial cystitis
Upset stomach (nausea or pain) or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)

Musculoskeletal System

Bone pain, joint pain or swelling, carpal tunnel syndrome
Stiffness of joints, back, neck, tennis elbow
Muscle pain or cramps, (Fibromyalgia)

Respiratory and Circulatory Systems

Shortness of breath, can’t get full/satisfying breath, cough
Chest pain or rib soreness
Night sweats or unexplained chills
Heart palpitations or extra beats
Endocarditis, heart blockage

Neurologic System

Tremors or unexplained shaking
Burning or stabbing sensations in the body
Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, weakness, peripheral neuropathy or partial paralysis
Pressure in the head
Numbness in body, tingling, pinpricks
Poor balance, dizziness, difficulty walking
Increased motion sickness
Light-headedness, wooziness

Psychological Well-being

Mood swings, irritability, bi-polar disorder
Unusual depression
Disorientation (getting or feeling lost)
Feeling as if you are losing your mind
Over-emotional reactions, crying easily
Too much sleep, or insomnia
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Narcolepsy, sleep apnea
Panic attacks, anxiety

Mental Capability

Memory loss (short or long term)
Confusion, difficulty thinking
Difficulty with concentration or reading
Going to the wrong place
Speech difficulty (slurred or slow)
Difficulty finding commonly used words
Stammering speech
Forgetting how to perform simple tasks

Reproduction and Sexuality

Loss of sex drive
Sexual dysfunction
Unexplained menstrual pain, irregularity
Unexplained breast pain, discharge
Testicular or pelvic pain

General Well-being

Phantom smells
Unexplained weight gain or loss
Extreme fatigue
Swollen glands or lymph nodes
Unexplained fevers (high or low grade)
Continual infections (sinus, kidney, eye, etc.)
Symptoms seem to change, come and go
Pain migrates (moves) to different body parts
Early on, experienced a “flu-like” illness, after which you have not since felt well
Low body temperature
Allergies or chemical sensitivities
Increased effect from alcohol and possible worse hangover

[caddisguy]

Well, like most people, I have experienced at least (probably more) than half of those symptoms at one time or another. I figure on any given day anyone can read through that list and be experiencing 10 or so. That is the trouble with some diseases like Lyme or auto-immune diseases. They mimic anything and everything. Even if they tell me my test was positive, I am still not going to blame the lyme for the "hair loss" and "worse hangovers" :)

[ajr5406]

Yikes, I've never been asked to "come in" unless they found something that needed attention.
Have you ever felt any of the following? :lol:

Seriously???? The guy is obviously stressed, so why add to his plate...

Caddis - try not to stress. Many physicians want to discuss results in person, even if the results are negative. Most feel a face to face discussion about the issue will help resolve the patients fears.

At least you can ask all your questions and get the answers you need.

[DarekG]

Seriously???? The guy is obviously stressed, so why add to his plate...


Ahh I didn't mean any harm by it, just razzing our resident tick magnet.
I posted the list of symptoms as sort of a dark joke, seriously what a nasty looking list of crap.

[ajr5406]

Ahh I didn't mean any harm by it, just razzing our resident tick magnet.
I posted the list of symptoms as sort of a dark joke, seriously what a nasty looking list of crap.


Yeah, fair call...

I have thought for a while that there needs to be a new forum section in the "Others" area called "Caddisguy health concerns".

[caddisguy]

Seriously???? The guy is obviously stressed, so why add to his plate...


Lol naw I am all good and appreciated the tongue-in-cheek humor at a time where I do feel some "jitters". I like the "hair loss" and "worse hangover" bit the most

Even if the test is positive, I have probably had it for years so it doesn't really change anything.

I am guessing the doctor just wants to bring me in to tell me the result so they can bill the govt $50 or $100 or whatever.

Or maybe they left my blood in a dish overnight and it grew into an evil clone of me that is running around the city wreaking havoc and I'm the only guy who can help track him down.

[caddisguy]

Big fat negative ... they called me in for nothing (other than to make a few bucks?)

It's no Western Blot, but I'll take it for what it is and assume my "hair loss" and "worse hangovers" are not caused by lyme :)

Thank goodness it wasn't some worse test like a cancer or HIV thing and that I was able to get an appointment right away. Imagine going for an HIV test and they call you up "the doctor NEEDS to see you" and then have to wait overnight or days for the appointment... sounds like a good way to give a guy a jammer

[ajr5406]

Big fat negative ... they called me in for nothing (other than to make a few bucks?)

It's no Western Blot, but I'll take it for what it is and assume my "hair loss" and "worse hangovers" are not caused by lyme :)

Thank goodness it wasn't some worse test like a cancer or HIV thing and that I was able to get an appointment right away. Imagine going for an HIV test and they call you up "the doctor NEEDS to see you" and then have to wait overnight or days for the appointment... sounds like a good way to give a guy a jammer

Glad it worked out ok!

[J_T]

I was in meetings last week in Victoria and the Government wildlife health biologist, who runs the lab in Abbotsford and travels around a lot monitoring the health of all animals large and/or small, indicated, Rocky Mtn tics do not carry the lyme disease. That it is only prevelant in the Eastern areas of North America. That the only 'two' known cases of Lyme arose in the Victoria area. But that did not mean the people that reported it had not been back east recently.

FYI, I've been out a lot this year and have not seen/found a single tic.

[albravo2]

Caddis,

Just based on what you post here I really don't think you are afflicted with Lyme. Even if the bacteria is in your system, I think your body does a good job dealing with it.

If you had full blown Lyme you'd be telling your doctor, not waiting for him/her to give you results from a test that is, at best, notoriously unreliable.

PM me if you want to chat about it.

/a

[albravo2]

I was in meetings last week in Victoria and the Government wildlife health biologist, who runs the lab in Abbotsford and travels around a lot monitoring the health of all animals large and/or small, indicated, Rocky Mtn tics do not carry the lyme disease. That it is only prevelant in the Eastern areas of North America. That the only 'two' known cases of Lyme arose in the Victoria area. But that did not mean the people that reported it had not been back east recently.


This is a pretty widely held belief, even within the medical community, but it is very wrong. I think people tell themselves that to quell fear of walking in the woods but it is dangerously incorrect.

Take a five minute walk through a google search of Lyme in BC and you'll get the idea.

Lyme is best treated immediately after getting bit and the inconvenience is over in weeks. Treatment of chronic lyme takes years.

[caddisguy]

This is a pretty widely held belief, even within the medical community, but it is very wrong. I think people tell themselves that to quell fear of walking in the woods but it is dangerously incorrect.

Take a five minute walk through a google search of Lyme in BC and you'll get the idea.

Lyme is best treated immediately after getting bit and the inconvenience is over in weeks. Treatment of chronic lyme takes years.

Yeah I think I recall a study that said Hope/Chilliwack was high risk and around 20% carry the bacteria.

Testing in Canada seems bizarre. When I went to the lab, the lady that took my blood said the test they gave me was virtually useless and that the ELISA would miss most infections, particularly well established ones.

Apparently what one needs to do (if they are worried about Lyme) is to order a Western Blot test online (I believe it comes from California) ... so you pay for the test kit, take it to your Dr to sign the requisition, then Lifelabs takes your blood with the kit and sends it off to California. Not only do they do a proper Lyme test, but they test for a whole bunch of common co-infections. It's a little pricy. Looks around $300 USD for the Western Blot itself but $500-1000 USD for a thorough panel. Good info for anyone who is interested. I've been casually asking around and researching for a while and this was the first "path" I found for anyone who wants a real test. Personally I'm not that interested. I don't think I have Lyme and if I do, in all probability I would have had it for years and I'm pretty healthy considering all the abuse I put myself through :)

[newhunterette]

Caddisguy, congrats on your negative.........a nice sigh of relief to hear...............

When I got my phone call to come in for my test result , I asked for the results and received the you have to come in as he wants to discuss the results with you,so I made the for the next earliest available appointment, however my results were in the same day my husband had an appointment...... my doctor had no issue telling my husband my results during his appointment...... so after Peter left the office he called me and told me I had tested positive for both IgM and IgG antibody there for Lyme disease was positive. Unfortunately I have no recollection of a time frame so I have had it quite some time. I was tested before a few years ago but had a false negative only one factor appeared which why they said negative.

It seems Europe is having greater success with testing than North America and the two strains are now becoming multi strains so harder to fight and detect. Studies can't keep up with how fast it has spread