Tic Bite

[Mandolinrain]

Okay so I was in the woods all afternoon with grandson this past Monday. Not out hardly at all since. TODAY, THIS AFTERNOON, I go to rub my neck and its got something stuck to it. A freaking TIC! This is a first for me. I have had to pick them off me jeans before, but never my skin.   So Storm is gone and the area just looks like a normal bug bite no bullseye ...anyone else ever get bit before? Could it have been latched there since Monday????? I can't believe I just found it. We do have a dog but he's on preventative for it and I check him often and he does not go to woods,...but its been SO WET here as of recent. 

[sweetplt]

Yup...I had one in the 4th grade behind my ear.  The reason I remember is that it was parents day and they were allowed to come in and observe.  I was in a reading group and I felt an itch behind my ear and yelled omg I have a bug behind my ear.  The teacher looked and said it was a tick that started to dig in behind blood around him...well my mother was in back of room with other parents and wanted to die of embarrassment, don’t ask me why? That’s my mom...Anyways, she and teacher got it out with tweezers from the nurse and it bled a bit.  Mom had found 2 on the family dog a few days prior, so they felt I got it from the dog.  Dogs can still get even if treated, they just start to die before they furrow...in those days not sure the dog was treated with tick medicine.  (She was an indoor dog and didn’t go in woods either, but I think ticks can jump from grass)...Missy, my neighbor said a few weeks ago that the ticks in PA were going to be very bad this year because winter so mild and so much rain and dampness....ugh...body check the dog and you...oops and the Storm...Relax and have a peaceful evening...~ Colleen 550 DOF 

[Mandolinrain]

I am still freaking about this. I checked dog and kids...all okay. I check Nice, the dog everyday actually.  Gives me the creeps...then went and changed all the bedding too. Im a bit OCD. I then googled it and it said 3-30 days before a rash or other symptoms could appear. Anyway, glad they found yours and you were okay? Never got the rash? Yikes!!!

[sweetplt]

Me too...bit OCD...LOL...we have so much in common Missy...

[YoungAtHeart]

Might you call your doctor and ask about it? 

[elvan]

Missy,

The ticks that are most dangerous are deer ticks & they are about the size of the head of a pin. I have known two people who developed the bullseye rash. Neither one of them had dogs or other pets & neither one knew when they had been bitten. Both of them were treated successfully for Lyme Disease, after testing positive. When l was on a beach trip with those same women, Mike was at home with the kids. Carson’s teacher had found a tick on her ear. She was in second grade, the school called Mike but he did not hear the phone. The school’s policy was to NOT remove ticks just in case something went wrong. I got home from the trip & heard all about it. I was FURIOUS, First with Mike & then with the school & their policy. Carson was in 2nd grade & she was horrified. It was NOT a deer tick, it was a dog tick which is much larger. We thought everything was fine until 5 or 6 days later when she developed a fever just under 104 degrees. I took her to the doctor & he went over her history, she had a rash on her chest. He asked if she had any recent tic bites & l said yes & explained to what had happened. He said he thought it was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  She tested positive for it & was treated with an antibiotic & turned around in less than 24 hours. If you have the tick, it can be tested. We did not have it, a friend in NY found a deer tick on his leg after walking in the woods, it tested positive & he was treated. This is like a novel. I don’t think you are in any immediate danger & may not be in ANY danger but you could call your doc Monday.

Love you,

Ellen

[Giulia]

My experiences with tics - and I've had many:  if it's a big tic, it's probably a dog tic and nothing to worry much about unless you have a bad reaction to it.  The longer a tic is on you, the larger it will get because, well, it's feeding on you and will become engorged and potentially can do bad things.  My understanding of Lyme disease is that it's only the female tic (natch) that spreads the disease, because they are the only ones that feed.  So it's a 50/50 chance to begin with of you getting Lyme.  However tics DO give us other diseases.  I was diagnosed with Ehrlichiosis at one point back in NY state and was given an antibiotic and that took care of it.  I don't even remember the symptoms being that bad.  Ehrlichiosis | Cedars-Sinai 

No need to freak out.  Just,  if you start having symptoms - have a blood test done.  The typical Lyme disease red ring does not happen in every case.  And if it looks like a bug bite - well, then don't worry about it!  Just keep an eye on it.  

[indingrl]

Missy I grew up with tics and roaches - these were MY pets - MY grandma would check us every night BEFORE bed for ticks and any found she would light a match and hold over tic and it would release its grip and then she would burn it up - roaches - we were trained to spray raid all over and it was OUR perfume on the REZ - one must have a sense of humorsometimes the tics on MY uncle's were full of blood - they were huge - removed the same way - light a match - MY uncle's hunted a lot and that was our meat supply - no Wal-Mart for us -hunting and gardening was our God store - ahhhh the memories of REZ life

[Barbscloud]

I've had three tics in my life.   I was on antibiotics for all three.  The one actually got infected and I had another round of antibiotics.  Unfortunately, symptoms may not occur for a long time.  

[MarilynH]

Ugh Missy please check with your Dr's office and let us know what he or she says, huge caring hug coming your way sweetie along with lots of good thoughts and prayers for you.....