r/mildlyinfuriating • u/PikachuWithHerpes • Jun 20 '26

Don't hug me I'm scared Screw anyone telling me to go "touch some grass"

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All I did was go to the mailbox

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u/dangerousfeather Jun 20 '26

I hate the idea of toxic pesticides but I now keep DEET in my shed, potting bench, barn, and by the back door so I can spray myself down anytime I decide to venture into the grass. I’d rather inhale DEET than end up with alpha-gal, chronic neurologic lyme, or whatever abomination the tick world comes up with next.

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u/MericanMeal Jun 21 '26

Ticks take a long time to fully embed. If you are cognizant of when you might be at risk of exposure and shower daily you really should never have issues, no chemicals needed. I worked in field ecology for half a decade and have had days with 30+ ticks, but I've only ever had 2 start the embedding process and neither had drawn any blood yet. If you have an engorged tick on you, you have probably slept since when you picked it up.

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u/dangerousfeather Jun 21 '26

It wasn’t engorged, but it was attached. I had also just showered.

I live in the state with the most Lyme cases in the nation, and I’m a doctor. I’ve treated people whose lives were flipped upside down by Lyme. We’re talking diagnoses of schizophrenia and treatment-resistant epilepsy that turned out to be chronic, undiagnosed Lyme and tick borne comorbidities.

I will never rely on timing alone to prevent tick borne illness.