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Nighttime pacer
06-06-21, 02:51
Hi all,
I’m so annoyed with myself for getting so anxious about this.
This afternoon I was doing some weeding in my garden. I have large areas which are paved with patio slabs but always end up with grass growing between the slabs.
I’d been lazy lately and not pulled it up straight away so some of it had got quite tall. I had read ages ago that ticks can hide at the end of long strands of grass and climb on you and bite you when you brush passed and you can contract Lyme disease from them.
I was being really careful and had long gloves on to pull the grass up.
At one point one of the strands of grass brushed my forehead. I immediately went into my bathroom washed my hands and then inspected my forehead for signs of a tick. I couldn’t see anything.
I did see that on some of the grass there were groups of black insects at the end of the grass but I think these were black fly.
From what I read ticks are common where there is a lot of long grass and wildlife like deer or other mammals that carry ticks.
Other than the odd fox passing through my garden doesn’t have any mammals and this was just some grass growing in gaps of paving.
Am I getting totally freaked over nothing? I hope so. I only managed to get half the weeding done and need to finish it but I’m scared to now.
Sorry for such a long post.
Nighttime Pacer

Fishmanpa
06-06-21, 03:16
When ticks bite you, it's not like they bite and run. They attach themselves to you and feed. You would definitely know if you got bitten no doubt because you would find them attached and getting fat on your blood.

FMP

Nighttime pacer
06-06-21, 18:31
Thanks for that fishmanpa, I forgot they have to hang on and feed. I guess that makes it pretty much a total impossibility.

Carys
06-06-21, 22:08
Yeah, totally impossible. Last Spring I had one bite down and chow on my torso blood, I had to remove it with the dog tick remover. Once they are 'on' they stay on !

Oh and for future reference, even IF you found a tick attached, and even IF that tick had the ability to pass on Lyme's (which only some do) according to 'healthline' -
A tick has to be present on the skin for at least 36 hours to transmit the infection. and according to the CDC -
In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted.

Edited - Ooops, I picked up US references as thought that was your location. Oh well, the same applies.

Nighttime pacer
06-06-21, 22:41
Hey Carys, Thanks so much for that it’s really helped put my mind at ease.

AbyssalStars
07-06-21, 04:38
Hey, I totally understand your concern. I live in an area where the risk of Lyme disease is fairly high, so it is definitely something that I think about. There are way to limit your chances of exposure, including covering your skin so the tick will not have access (wear long socks, boots, and pants, and long sleeved shirts) and doing a self-check + taking a shower after being outside for extended periods of time. If you have a full length mirror, you can easily check for any ticks that may have snuck their way onto your skin. In general, taking a shower makes you feel cleaner and may help get rid of any creep crawlies you feel from worry.

In fact, I got bit by a tick today after taking a nice long walk through the forest. Luckily, it was a wood tick instead of a deer tick though.