Tick Warning

[marc_leclerc]

After a hike at the Harrison Bluffs today I pulled two out of my back and one out of my foot. Take all the cautionary steps when heading out into the woods right now, and check yourself when you get back. Watch out for those areas with dry deadfall that you have to walk through.... check this out for more info: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tickbites.html

[111]

yummy! I can think of nothing that grosses me out more than parasitic insects! (are leeches insects?)

[EWolfe]

Hey, now - you're dissing some of our favorite posters, Pal

[Crillz]

I seens somes in 11worth last weekend. Nasty little bastards.

[DirtyHarry]

They just want to be your friend.

[Bug]

I have a resident tick (head) embedded in the back of my head.

It has been there for over 35 years now.

I am about to call a doctor to have the lump removed.

Or at least see if he can shut the damn thing up.

[G-spotter]

are leeches insects?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech says worm.

 

 

[MarkMcJizzy]

Clitellata

 

[G-spotter]

Sounds like it has a tight sucker.

[Alex]

yummy! I can think of nothing that grosses me out more than parasitic insects!

 

Or arachnids, even.

[frankstoneline]

I have a resident tick (head) embedded in the back of my head.

It has been there for over 35 years now.

I am about to call a doctor to have the lump removed.

Or at least see if he can shut the damn thing up.

 

what led you to leave it in in the first place?

[G-spotter]

Found one on my sock yesterday on the ledge at the base of Dead Souls.

[Bug]

I was 11 years old in the Bitterroot wilderness when tragedy struck. We used a burning ember to try to get it to back out. But the eber weilder got too aggressive. The tick died with it's head still embedded. The tick broke when we tried to pull it out. Since we were out in the woods, surgery was not an option. By the time we got out, 10 days had passed. The tick just got forgotten.

[matt_warfield]

When I was a kid I got one embedded on my scrotum. They love that kind of tissue and it was a major effort to get it out without losing some modesty.

 

I have never been successful at getting them to back out on their own using heat, alcohol, etc. It always involves "surgery" as they get their heads engorged with blood and are literally unable to back out.

 

My mother recommended alcohol to get the tick off, so I went and got my father's bourbon bottle (instead of rubbing alcohol because I was a dumb shit) and poured some on. Not recommended but I am sure the tick got a good buzz while staying dug in.

 

In tick country and in season, if you don't keep moving, there will be blood.

Edited April 5, 2009 by matt_warfield

[pinner]

Just pulled one off my hip this afternoon atfer mtn biking in the Garibaldi Highlands - tiny little bugger, got him out before he could get real dug in, but the whole car ride home I could feel it and thought I'd gotten cut somehow. There's a tender swelling the size of a quarter now with a small purple mark in the middle

 

Fucker

[kublaicon]

pulled about 2 off my clothes and one chillin on my neck comin back from Tieton. also snakes are out and gettin pissed off. fun climbing tho.

 

damn vermin

[AlpineMonkey]

I've never gotten a tick in Tieton, didn't even know they were a problem there...snakes on the other hand.

[kevino]

you think they just pulled the name tick wall out of thin air?

[Bug]

Olive oil works best. Not always, but better than most things.

(Said the guy with a tick head embedded in his head for 35 years)

[pindude]

I have never been successful at getting them to back out on their own using heat, alcohol, etc. It always involves "surgery" as they get their heads engorged with blood and are literally unable to back out.

 

Ah, what bullshit. Just take your thumb and forefinger and pull the little effin' sucker straight off!

 

And, no, you don't need olive oil, although if your folks, Bug, had used that instead of fire, you wouldn't be talking out of your...

 

Do we have to have this discussion every year?

2007

2008

 

[sobo]

pulled about 2 off my clothes and one chillin on my neck comin back from Tieton. also snakes are out and gettin pissed off. fun climbing tho.

 

damn vermin

WTF??? has the annual closure been lifted already???

[sampdx]

Watch out for Lyme Disease. If left untreated, it's horrible. My sister has it and it causes her all sorts of ghastly problems. Take a look at the link above for symptoms.

[kevino]

pulled about 2 off my clothes and one chillin on my neck comin back from Tieton. also snakes are out and gettin pissed off. fun climbing tho.

 

damn vermin

WTF??? has the annual closure been lifted already???

 

Calm down turbo, its posted in the Central/Eastern WA forum...

[matt_warfield]

I have never been successful at getting them to back out on their own using heat, alcohol, etc. It always involves "surgery" as they get their heads engorged with blood and are literally unable to back out.

 

Ah, what bullshit. Just take your thumb and forefinger and pull the little effin' sucker straight off!

 

And, no, you don't need olive oil, although if your folks, Bug, had used that instead of fire, you wouldn't be talking out of your...

 

Do we have to have this discussion every year?

2007

2008

 

Sure, except for the head that is usually left inside without a little cutting. That is all I was saying. Peace.

 

And we do have multiple discussions every year that are redundant on just about everything.

 

[pindude]

I have never been successful at getting them to back out on their own using heat, alcohol, etc. It always involves "surgery" as they get their heads engorged with blood and are literally unable to back out.

 

Ah, what bullshit. Just take your thumb and forefinger and pull the little effin' sucker straight off!

 

And, no, you don't need olive oil, although if your folks, Bug, had used that instead of fire, you wouldn't be talking out of your...

 

Do we have to have this discussion every year?

2007

2008

 

Sure, except for the head that is usually left inside without a little cutting. That is all I was saying. Peace.

 

And we do have multiple discussions every year that are redundant on just about everything.

 

Matt,

I'm not afraid to identify and correct misinformation, which you seem to want to perpetuate. Just a few points:

 

1. The head (also called the capitulum) is NOT "usually left inside." The capitulum always comes out with the body with proper removal technique. As said before, I've removed from animals and people more than a thousand ticks in my life, and I've NEVER left the head nor any other tick parts when removing them. Typically, only part of the capitulum will be under the surface of the host's skin. The mouth parts, or chelicera, act as pincers. They're very strong and will continue to grip the skin on removal, often taking a very small amount of host's skin with it. The best removal technique is to grip the tick firmly as close to the head as possible and apply slow, gentle perpendicular traction (for more details, read the previous years' discussions).

 

2. If one has to regularly "cut," then you're obviously doing something wrong. Best removal method BY FAR is to use thumb and forefinger. Works even better than tweezers, especially if the tick is engorged.

 

3. It's apparent you have limited experience and knowledge about this subject, and obvious you've not read the previous years' discussions: please read them.

 

Ticks are indeed nasty creatures. In the U.S., they outrank even mosquitoes as a vector for human disease, many of which are very serious. It's unfortunate there's a high degree of paranoia involved with ticks, and people such as yourself are compelled to readily spread false info such as saying that oils, fire, cutting, and twisting the body out (all false) are needed to remove them. Regardless, your chances of contracting illness from a tick bite are rare, especially if it's removed quickly and correctly.

 

Peace out. --Steve