Pic of the tick bite.
Hope this is a good place to ask around. We removed a tick some 5-7 days ago. It's itchy, red & swollen, but I don't see a "bulls eye" like people talk about. Have you been bitten & what did you do? What about products to protect you or what works for you (besides staying away from woodsy areas)?
I am absolutely no expert, but I think it should be healed by now based on my hundreds of tick bite experiences with dogs and one on me, which never itched. Perhaps posting this in Wildlife would get a better response, since the folks over there spend time in places to get tick bites.
I went to check it out & it's way too scary for me. Won't go back there for a while. Thanks 4paws.
My daughter got a tick bite not to long ago, and I took her to the doctor, because I knew it had probably been there overnight because it was starting to get a bit swollen. As far as Lyme is concerned, our doc said that as long as you get it out in the first 24 hours that is not enough time for you to become infected, and the lyme is much more of a problem with the teeny tiny deer ticks than the larger wood or dog ticks. There are however other diseases that tick can carry and many of them are nasty.
She was tested for lyme and took antibiotics for a wk just in case. She has a follow up test the end of this week. The first one was negative.
If you are at all worried I would go in to the doc and let them have a look.
As far as protection, for the areas around our house, we make tick tubes (toilet paper tubes stuffed with insecticide laden cotton balls) and put them in the woody areas. Off our property, we try and be careful and do tick checks when we get home.
Interesting idea, sarazen - tick tubes.
The Wildlife forum was too scary, davis? You have me curious. My almost ex-husband is a doctor - he got worked up over spider bites and for ones like that, I think I remember him talking about cellulitis (not the stuff that is fat), an infection in the area, which will be warm to the touch. Do you have a tele-nurse program in your area that you could call?
I'll definitely try your "tick tubes" idea sarazen. Can't hurt & well worth the effort. I forget how dangerous ticks are & when I'm exhausted, I'm not as careful as I should be. We've just been pulling them off & killing them. That will change now, this bite has me a bit worried. 4paws, we go to the doc today. Thanks.
Good - I'm glad you have that option and are taking it.
:-)
FYI, I had an overwhelming tick exposure about 15 years ago (fell asleep in the middle of a bed of seed ticks....woke up covered), and since that time am very allergic to any tick bite. When I get bit, the area is red and inflamed and swollen and itches intensely for about 1-4 weeks, depending on location. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me, this means I know each and every time a tick has attached itself to me! I think all reddened tick bits are suspect, but just like any other insect bite, you can simply be allergic.
Yuck - what a terrible awakening! Makes me itch to think about it, yotedog!
Good golly yotedog! No wonder you're allergic now. Did you get anti-b's to treat all those bites. I can't imagine how awful that had to have been.
Ended up NOT going to doc. The site looks better & not as red, but still gonna keep a close watch on it. Don't need those problems.
Good - glad it's healing on its own. I'm a believer in "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger" for myself - more cautious for other folks. :-)
me too!
Davis1676,
Please call your doctor. Lyme disease is a really lousy disease and it can take a long time to appear and when it does, it is debilitating, but you only have a certain time period in which you can treat it. There are more than one variety and docs don't always test for them so if you get the test, make sure they do all of the tests. I have a friend whose city docs did not recognize the symptoms and it was really really lousy. It's worth one phone call.
My inlaws are both docs who don't treat anything minor "makes us stronger" believers who hate pills and treatments, but the second they get a tick bite (they live on a farm) they take antibiotics.
Seems like everyone else agrees with you Italent. thanks
I found a deer tick on me in the spring this year. While he was on me it had a ring around it. It went away when my husband took it off but after looking up stuff on the internet I scared myself into going to the doctor (saved the tick and took it with me). He told me the chances of getting lyme disease were slim if it had been there less than 48 hours which is more than what I had heard most people say. He said he could prescribe some antibiotics if I wanted. He said he hunts all the time and gets them often and doesn't worry about it. The incubation period is 30 days. I decided not to do the antibiotics and he told me what signs to watch for in that time. Then just when it started healing about a whole 2 weeks later, it started to itch and act like a bug bite. Again I got concerned, and mentioned it to my boss who also hunts and takes ticks off himself all the time. He told me that was normal for him when he had deer ticks, but he wouldn't itch when he had a regular tick. Same with the red ring. Always got one with the deer tick and not a regular one. Well it's been over 2 months and no signs. So if it helps at all, that's my story.
Good to know - pulled a tick off myself this morning, but not a deer tick.
The link below will give you all the info you need about ticks.
"The disease is difficult to diagnose, because the symptoms mimic other diseases. A characteristic red rash usually occurs at the site of the bite; however, the bite may go unnoticed. A few months after the bite, muscle paralysis, joint inflammation, neurological symptoms and sometimes heart symptoms may occur."
http://www.stopticks.org/ticks/lyme.asp
I had the blood work done & guess I'll know soon enough. I'm fortunate to have some insurance coverage & decided to check it out afterall. Thanks for all the advice. davis
:-)
Davis1676,
I am sure you are probably fine. I just wanted to post that in the event that other people do a search and come up with it and think it's a little thing.
cheers,
ltalent
Better to get the test. It's a simple procedure and can save you years of pain and discomfort. Many people become debilitated with the disease, and unfortunately, if you don't go right away, and the symptoms pop up way later, it's hard to diagnose.
So glad you decided to go!!
My results should be in Mon, then I'll get a copy. Amazingly enough, I had a RX for CB workup. Tried to get an appt w/docs to add the Lyme test, & couldn't. So I took the orders to the folks who do the bloodwork, with a little sticky on there about getting the test for Lyme disease. She said no problem & processed it thru. But saved me another trip to town & another doctors visit. I already feel better about it, so thanks for all the advice & experiences.
Results were negative. :) Thanks.
Congrats!
horray!
:-)
