Tick Tock: Warm weather brings warning about ticks carrying Lyme Disease

CALGARY (NEWS 1130) – Summer is just around the corner and that means while you are enjoying the warm weather, you need to be aware of ticks.

It’s especially important to be on the look out for them if you plan to spend time hiking or camping since the little bugs favour moist, shady environments like leafy, wooded areas and overgrown grassy areas.

Ticks are known to carry Lyme Disease which could lead to several health problems that might not immediately seem related to the disease–some symptoms include a rash, dizziness, fever, headaches and fatigue.

‘I thought I was dying’: Calgary man shares his experience

Chad Smith from Calgary had Lyme Disease without knowing it for several years.

“I had about six years of unexplained medical issues,” says Smith. “[I had] everything from dizziness, light headed, brain fog, trying to find out words when I talk, chest pains, arthritis–the list goes on and on.”

He says he was finally tested in on a trip to Germany and doctors confirmed he had the disease.

“I thought I was dying, I had no idea what was happening to me. There were days where I could not get out of bed, I was sick, just very weak for no apparent reason.”

Smith has since been taking medication to combat it and says he is feeling much better.

“It’s been a very, very long road. I was on antibiotics for 200 days. It was very, very difficult,” he recalls. “I had to change my eating habits, become as health as I possibly could with physical activity. And I’m feeling much better, but I’m not 100 per cent.”

Smith is still treating the illness.

“I’ve tried everything to beat this disease. It’s in remission now…They say it could possibly come back but it may never some back, we don’t really know.”

He says this summer will be the first one in a long time that he can actually go outside and enjoy the season and not have his sole focus be on ticks.

Deet and long sleeves: preventing Lyme Disease

The Canadian Lyme Disease Association says there are a few things you can do to prevent getting bitten:

• Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Tuck your pants into your socks to prevent ticks from getting inside your pants.
• Check your clothes for ticks often. Ticks will climb upwards until they find an area of exposed skin.
• Wear light coloured clothing to make it easier to spot ticks.
• Walk on pathways or trails when possible staying in the middle. Avoid low-lying brush or long grass.
• Apply insect repellent (with DEET) to your skin and clothing, especially at the openings such as ankle, wrist and neck.

If you notice you have a tick it can be removed by using tweezers. If you have been bitten it doesn’t immediately mean you have the illness, but if the tick was full of blood you should get checked out by your doctor.