[pct-l] Tick Talk

[Trekker4 at aol.com (Trekker4@aol.com)]

I've had Lyme Disease, from an Oklahoma tick; I  didn't get it hiking past 
Lyme CT on the AT, the highest density of Lyme ticks  in the country. 
Fortunately I did get the "bull's eye" rash, but 50% or so  don't get that 1st stage 
warning. It responded immediately to the Doxycycline  (sp?), in that the redness 
of the rash started fading immediately; I'd  guess it got dosed within a week 
of the bite. You don't want to get into  2nd or 3rd stage symptoms, because 
they mimic many other problems.
    The sad part of the story is my dumbness. I was at  a family reunion at 
Tenkiller Lake St Pk, in east central OK; to escape the  inane chatter, I'd 
take a cigar with me, walk down to the lake, and read for a  couple of hours. I'd 
walk through some grass less than 12" tall, but I had on  tight jeans. I wore 
those jeans for about a week total, 3-4 days after the  reunion, and I found 
2-3 ticks on me after I was back in Big Bend. It took 3  days for my feeble 
mind to realize the ticks were in those jeans; I never felt  or noticed any of 
them until after they'd latched on, and only 1 of 3-4 bites  was a Lyme tick. I 
should have worn shorts; I feel ticks on my hairy legs  when they try to 
crawl up. I execute those that dare; I put them on a rock  and get out the 
lighter.  
 
Bob 
Big  Bend Desert Denizen
(Naturalized Citizen, Republic of  Texas)