Conference moira::parenting

    What shot ?
    
    Lyme disease is treated if caught ... but as far as I knew there
    was no "preventive medicine" only prevention ... ie keep your
    legs covered, check for ticks on bare areas routinely when out
    (every hour or two).  If you find a tick, remove it by grasping it
    by the head with tweezers and pull.
    
    If a "bulls eye" mark develops around the site of the tick bite,
    then go to the Dr for testing and treatment.
    
    
    That's it ... no shots.
    
    
    I don't want to sound rude, but where does your mil get her medical
    info ???  (That's not meant to be answered ... just something to think
    about)
    
    Stuart

I live in a rural area and am very careful about ticks. This time of the year
the deer tick(the one causing Lyme disease)  is very small so it can be difficult
to see them.  If walking in the woods it is best to be completely covered, 
including and especially the head and neck. In meadows/long grass, or the
border of grass and woods long pants are best. It is easiest to check for ticks
wearing light colored clothing. They can be anywhere - trees, bushes, grass.


It is true, there are not shots for prevention.  If you have a dog, you should
check it every day as ticks love dogs.  This is not only for the dog's benefit,
but the tick can fall off the dog and go on a human. My outdoor cat has never
had a tick.

Kathy

In addition to replies you may get here, Parenting_V3, note 1018.* might be 
of interest to you.

Clay

   Well, I usually don't try to give too much advise, but something in
   the base note just sits strangely with me...
   
   If the woman lives in an area that is known to be at risk, then why
   would she even consider taking a 6mo old child on walks into the
   woods?

   Why take such an obvious risk when avoiding the risk is nothing more
   than a decision away?  Especially out in the area around Ashby - I
   don't know much about that area, but I don't recall that excessive
   traffic is one of their top ten problems... why not chose a less risky
   walk?
   
   Just wondering,
   
   - Tom

    Tom, my MIL has a beautiful house that is in the "woods" so to speak. 
    Her driveway is stone but she has several acres of fields, probably
    what she meant by "woods" that she strolls with the children in during
    the day with paths that have been created in the last year or so.  Paul
    is usually in the pack on her back and the other two children are old
    enough to walk around.   I agree that covering him will probably be the
    best way to prevent ticks from getting on him.  I don't mind her
    walking with them as its great for them to be outside in the fresh air.
    
    As far as her medical degree and unwanted advise, I have just taken it 
    stride after my episode with teething (see note 74) but thought I would
    check it out in here anyways, you never know and can't be too careful.
    
    On a completely different subject, her dogs did indeed get a shot but
    it was probably for rabies now that I think about, she just got it
    wrong!
    
    thanks for the input,
    cj
    
                                             

    ... not that I want to get in the middle of anything between you and
    your mother-in-law, but is it possible that she was confused by a news 
    story?
	There *is* a shot for dogs to protect against Lyme disease, but not
    one for humans yet (my vet says it's because it's easier to get doggy
    volunteers ;-) ) There are tests that can be done if you *think* you
    may have contracted it - a few years back, I, uh, well nature called,
    and I unfortunately found myself in a patch of poison-something, and
    I ended up with a rash across my back-end.  A Dr saw it, and said that
    it was just a little suspicious looking (it had a bulls-eye look to it),
    and gave me a test for Lyme.  (it was negative)
	I don't know what facility you are at, but the ZKO Nurse's office
    has a little pamphlet on Lyme.  You might check at your facility.

		- Lorri

.2:

> to see them.  If walking in the woods it is best to be completely covered, 
> including and especially the head and neck. In meadows/long grass, or the

On the other hand, we have the following (posted last year in the Usenet
rec.nude newsgroup):

From: [email protected] (Thomas Walter)
Subject: "Outdoor types wishing to avoid tick bites... " - Oregonian 4-8-93
Date: 8 Apr 93 21:06:03 GMT
Organization: Open Communications Forum

From the Oregonian - Thursday April 8, 1993

Outdoor types wishing to avoid tick bites should dare to go bare.
It may be that the best way to avoid being bitten by a deer tick
and contracting Lyme disease is to shed all of one's clothing and
walk naked when visiting the woods.

That possibility, through it goes against standard advice to wear
long-sleeved shirts and long pants, was raised in the Journal of
the American Medical Association by Dr. Henry Feder Jr. of the 
University of COnnecticut Health Center.

In a visit to a Connecticut nudist camp attended by more than 300
campers, Feder found only one case of infection even though the
camp was ideally suited to spawn the ticks.

"Why are deer tick bites so unusual at this Connecticut nudist camp?"
Feder asks. "one explanation is that although deer are present, deer
ticks are not yet established. A second explanation is that deer ticks
do not like nudist, as ticks prefer to do their biting under cover.

"A tick surveillance study is being planned"

-- From staff and wire reports  [This is in the Science section, under
the "Research Notebook" heading].

* Hmm, maybe the camping bares have know this all along? *

Cheers,

Tom Walter				[email protected]
Beaverton, OR.

    As stated previously, there is a shot for dogs.   My in-laws live
    in Conneticut and have had all of their dogs get the shot.  
    
    ALSO, there is now testing going on for a shot for *humans*.  My
    in-laws are paritcipating in the test.  My father-in-law speculated
    that he may have recieved the placebo wile my MIL probably received
    the vaccine - because her arm reacted somehow to her shot.  Since
    this is purely in the *test* stages in places like CT where the
    incidence of Lyme disease is higher, and, since it may have unkown
    side effects, I doubt that it would be available or advisable to give
    it to a 6 month old.  
    
    Perhaps your MIL heard about this shot and was not aware that it is
    still in testing.
    

    I guess she was right then because I talked to her again yesterday and
    she said that she indeed did get a shot for all three dogs that was for
    Lyme.
    
    As for walking in the woods naked, hmm... interesting idea but I have
    to agree with Lorri that its dangerous.  I had a similar experience
    days before my elopement.  Got poison ivy in the same area and called
    the dr's office to enquire about pills for it and they said that they
    only give these pills out in extreme cases.  I asked if getting married
    was extreme enough and had the pills within the hour.
    
    I know, different subject.  :)
    
    On another note, I don't think it would be a good idea to have a child
    given this shot either, even if its o.k.'d in a short time.  I think
    its wiser just to be careful about where you go and how you dress.
    
    cj