Perreault Magazine - 35 -
Skier Angeli VanLaanen made it to the finals of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi—five years after Lyme disease almost ended her skiing career. VanLaanen’s Lyme story is chronicled in the documentary Lymelight, available for free viewing online. (vimeo.com/65479794)
Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, Joy Luck Club author Amy Tan, musician Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates), pro-soccer player Christine Rampone (captain of the U.S. women’s soccer team that won gold in 2012), and professional basketball player Elena Delle Donne of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, all contracted Lyme disease and had a devil of time getting properly diagnosed. Some have improved with treatment. For others, healing remains elusive.
Dress defensively. Wear shoes, socks, long pants and long-sleeved shirt. Tie back long hair and wear a hat. You can buy clothing pre-treated with the repellent permethrin at outdoor recreation stores. (The protection lasts through 70 washings.) Or, you can purchase permethrin and spray clothing yourself. (Protection lasts 5-6 washings.) If doing it yourself, treat both inside and outside of the clothing.
Spray footwear with permethrin to prevent ticks from crawling up your shoes. In one study, people with treated shoes had 74% fewer tick bites then those with untreated shoes.
Apply repellent to exposed skin. Those with DEET, picaridin or lemon eucalyptus oil are the most effective.
While outdoors, periodically inspect your clothing and skin. If you find an attached tick, don’t twist or squeeze it. Don’t burn with matches or douse with dish soap. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp close to the skin and pull gently but firmly.
At the end of the day, run clothing through a hot dryer (before washing) for 10 minutes to kill any live ticks. Then, shower and thoroughly check yourself. Feel for bumps that might be embedded ticks. Pay attention to hidden spots: ears, hair line, armpits, groin and navel. Parents should check their young children.
Whether or not you find a tick, watch for symptoms. A bull’s-eye rash indicates Lyme disease, but not everybody with Lyme gets one. You might have a different rash or none at all. You may develop flu-like symptoms—fever, headache, nausea—or joint pain or dizziness. If so, see your doctor immediately.
Don’t forget your pets, for their sake and for yours. Dogs, cats and horses can all suffer from tick-borne diseases, as well as expose you to ticks. Discuss tick control options with your veterinarian.
More information
about Lyme disease
Patient Advocacy Group
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society
The University of Rhode Island’s TickEncounter Resource Center
Under Our Skin, award-winning documentary about Lyme disease
How to protect
youself from ticks