LymeWNY: Every season is tick season

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Spring is usually when tick season kicks off, but one leader of a Lyme Disease support group says that's just one misconception about watching out for deer ticks and avoiding Lyme Disease.

"I think every season is tick season," says Rebecca Roll of LymeWNY "What's happening is there is definitely an influx of ticks just due to the milder winters and warmer temperatures. So right now, we're definitely seeing a pretty big increase of people complaining of attached ticks or finding ticks calling on themselves or animals or their children." Another misconception is where ticks are. "Ticks don't know borders. They don't know that they've left the woods. I just think that it's what happens is that they're being carried on rodents. They're carrying being carried on birds. So it's really, there's not a certain area that they're they're staying contained to. So it's just becoming a higher influx. I also just think that there's a higher a heightened awareness surrounding it as well right now," notes Roll.

Roll says prevention is key. "Spray before you play, and check for ticks," says Roll. She recommends using Picardin on your skin. Use permethrin on your on your gear. "T0at's something that's good for a couple of weeks. On the skin, you have to use daily, as if it's, if it's a sunscreen kind of type thing, like, we use it on a regular basis," recommends Roll.

If you get bitten, Roll says don't flush the tick down, save it to be checked. "I think a lot of people are just concerned with Lyme disease, and that's not the case either. There's Lyme disease and there's many co infections that go along with it. I mean words that you can't even pronounce sometimes, you know, or ridiculo Sis, Bartonella, anaplasmosis, Babesia, there's other co infections, so you want to send that tick out and get tested for it," says Roll. She suggests contact your doctor right away. "Don't let them just give you one pill, or, you know, two pills, be an advocate for yourself. Make sure you get a longer term and make sure you really are on top of how your body's feeling, your symptoms, and if you recognize any changes in your health," adds Roll.

If a tick causes Lyme Disease, Roll says there's a pretty rapid change in your health. "The problem is, it really does affect everybody so differently, and you don't always necessarily get the rash either. I think a lot of times there is a misconception that you have to have a rash or that you saw the tick, and that's also you don't recall having the tick on you or seeing it. So I think if you start having like a flu-like reactions, brain fog, eye problems, vision problems, joint pains, migrating joint pains, anything that's just really out of the ordinary that you kind of came on, comes on, suddenly. It's a pretty aggressive illness. I think where you you feel that in your body feels like it's shutting down," says Roll.

LymeWNY has support meetings for those affected.