ticks

[phlyRy]

i found a tick sucking on blood off my leg..while IN my HOUSE! i'm wondering where it came from or how long it's been there...becuz...that's bad.

[Evil]

it prolly got on you outside somewhere.....blahh....i hate ticks...one got in my ear once...watch how you pull those things out too..if you leave the head in...you can get real sick

[Minerva]

omg, i thought only animals got ticks O-o

[Star of Sorrow]

No, humans can get them, too. Eeew.....hope you got it all out.

[phlyRy]

i hope i don't have the head stuck inside...cuz i pulled it off somewhat carelessly (i freaked out a little)

[frost]

It's... just a tick... don't freak out! =P

[Scarlett Fire]

ticks lead to lime(?) disease, doesn't it?

[M Yui]

o.o; *doesn't know what a tick looks like*

[Scarlett Fire]

they're... tiny, red bugs. ^^; at least i remember them to be that. -_- i haven't seen one in a long time.

[phlyRy]

it's lyme disease. and they might carry other infections....that's why i was somewhat concerned. they look a little like a spider...sometimes red...sometimes black.

[Star of Sorrow]

Yuuuuuck again.

I've never seen a tick, thank god. I spent a LOT of time outside, and I've never seen a tick, which was good. Great, even. I was a camp counselor.

[Yurika Star]

They kinda, fall on you if i remember. If you're paranoid go check the doc out ;p

And yea, lime-disease, thats what the simpsons taught me.

[Scarlett Fire]

not relevant to topic: ahoy, yuri the campaigner man.

[Omnimodus]

You can get ticks very easily, just walking through tallish grass will do it. If you have been outdoors where you know there are ticks, especially if you've been going through shrubbery, grass, etc. you should check for ticks soon afterward and get someone else to check your back. Of course there are all sorts of repellents as well, permethrin being the strongest I know (you can only put it on your clothes); and there is the good old tucking your pants into your socks.

That said, if the tick came out easily you will probably be OK because that means it did not embed (i.e. had not been there long) and the chance of infection is not great then. If you don't want to bother with the doctor you could ask local park officials, groundskeepers or whomever to that effect whether there have been occurrences of lyme disease in animals in your area. If there haven't, you're probably fine.

[Yurika Star]

not relevant to topic: ahoy, yuri the campaigner man.
Very relevant: 'sup hun ;p

*claps* Bravo omni the park ranger.

[Omnimodus]

:) This post brought back some good memories of summer school/camp for env. sci. I went to in the Pine Barrens (this big protected woodland area in southern New Jersey)...and the associated insects.

[MacPhisto]

FYI, if you live east of the Mississippi then you're probably at risk for lyme because it only seems to exist in deer ticks (or a certain kind of tick). If you're West then you're at risk for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever which is like a 6-week long episode of the flu (it blows, I know two people who have gotten that).

Also if you get a tick and want to remove it safely, easy method is to heat the end of a pair of forceps with a lighter and use the heated end to grab and pull the tick straight out (of its direction of entry). The heat will (usually) make it let go so you can remove it completely.