Upstate central NY seems to be having an infestation of deer ticks. SOME of these carry lyme disease.
This can be very serious if not noticed for a while, or left untreated. In the past two years I've taken three deer ticks off me after short trips in the woods. A local veterinary identified them as deer ticks, and I watched the bite site for several days.
A good friend had the misfortune of contracting lyme disease here in upstate NY a few years ago while deer hunting. The tick & bite area had gone unnoticed for a while & developed into full fledged lyme disease. The bad news is this manifests itself in acute arthritic-like symptoms after a while, and there is really no relief to be found from any drug treatment after it becomes active. The lady involved now has about two or three 'good' hours in the morning, during which she is able to function normally -- then it's almost impossible to move because of excessive joint pain. Requires complete, total rest & relaxation for several hours for her to recover. Her mobility & strength is severely limited. This was a lady who never had any trouble dragging her own deer out of the woods alone. An accomplished gun & bowhunter, now relegated to walking assisted by a cane & unable to spend a full day in the woods. Just a heads up if your areas are known to have Lyme disease.
This can be very serious if not noticed for a while, or left untreated. In the past two years I've taken three deer ticks off me after short trips in the woods. A local veterinary identified them as deer ticks, and I watched the bite site for several days.
A good friend had the misfortune of contracting lyme disease here in upstate NY a few years ago while deer hunting. The tick & bite area had gone unnoticed for a while & developed into full fledged lyme disease. The bad news is this manifests itself in acute arthritic-like symptoms after a while, and there is really no relief to be found from any drug treatment after it becomes active. The lady involved now has about two or three 'good' hours in the morning, during which she is able to function normally -- then it's almost impossible to move because of excessive joint pain. Requires complete, total rest & relaxation for several hours for her to recover. Her mobility & strength is severely limited. This was a lady who never had any trouble dragging her own deer out of the woods alone. An accomplished gun & bowhunter, now relegated to walking assisted by a cane & unable to spend a full day in the woods. Just a heads up if your areas are known to have Lyme disease.
