Need some help regarding tick bite

[Blue_Goose]

My wife ran the Marine Corp Half Marathon last weekend down in VA. After the race she took a hike with her step dad and came home with more than her medal and luggage.

She had this little passenger on her abdomen

I know next to nothing about ticks as really haven't had to deal with them all that much if ever. It would have been on her since last Sunday and it was so small she didn't even notice it until today...in fact she thought it was mole or skin tag at first....so not knowing what it was she picked at it and pulled it off into the bathroom trash.

She has what looks like a pimple or a little boil on her stomach and it looks irritated. I fished the tick out of the trash and put him in a small baggy as you can see. Under closer look and with my Walmart cheater glasses I was amazed to see that there was a little bit of movement in the legs...this thing is still alive! Probably won't be by the morning as his air flow is gone.

So she will see a doctor tomorrow bringing the tick with her. There was no blood on her after pulling him off and he is sort of flat...I asked her if when she pulled it off if there was any blood and she said no.

Like I said it is really tiny and not knowing anything about ticks...what are the chances she will contract Lyme Disease? WE think it has been on there since Sunday but not sure.


Any help appreciated


Goose

 

[JHZR2]

I got bit by a tick once and got a slight red ring. No Lyme's disease though.

Key is to have the tick and do the tests - youre on the right track. IIRC, early detection can be treated with antibiotics.

 

[eljefino]

I can't answer your lyme disease question but if you put that baggie in your freezer that tick will die sooner.

 

[Blue_Goose]

I thinking judging by pictures this might be a male deer tick...it is not light in color like a female deer tick based on some pics I googled

Supposedly that is better news? (If it is a male tick)


Goose

 

[electrolover]

lmao @ you guys up north. when i was a kid i had to pull off 3 or 4 ticks everyday at bath time. playing in the woods ya know...

 

[greenaccord02]

Same here, man. I guess we don't have that down here? I never even thought much about it.

 

[hr1940]

It looks more like a seed tick. I get them when I mow if I do not spray with OFF or something like that. I put a cotton ball soaked in alcohol or Vaseline on the cotton ball. The tick will usually back out. Today I was in a hurry and poured some peroxide on a cotton ball and the little monster backed out but it hurt a little. I always put chiggerX or a calamine lotion on the bite. If you do a Google search on ticks that might put your mind at ease. I live in the country and I mow about 1 1/2 acres (riding mower).

 

[greenaccord02]

My dad taught me to hold a lit cigarette near (not TOO near) the tick and it would release. I've also heard that rubbing around the area in a circular motion will cause them to release.

 

[crazyoildude]

The smart thng to do is visit a doctor i dont mean to worry you but i know someone that got bit by a tic years ago and wound up in a wheel chair i dont remember the details but i think the tick got under the skin

 

[Lead Shoes]

Being from Minnesota I find those things on me about once a week, I really wouldn't worry about it too much, but since you have the tick, I would get the test anyway to be sure because it is treatable in its early stages..

 

[robshelton]

It's smart to get tested but I wouldn't worry much, if at all. I've had hundreds of 'em make a meal of me since I was a kid. Even now I get them with some regularity in the yard but if I go for a hike its a safe get to get a few.

Marine Corp Half Marathon? Maybe that tick is a tiny terrorist ;-)

Keep an eye on the bite site. I doubt you will have a problem.

 

[Volvo_ST1]

I can't tell what kind of tick that is, but it does not look like a seed tick, which is the larva of a tick.

Ticks can carry and spread dozens of diseases. Lyme disease or borreliosis can be crippling and even deadly. Watch out for the "bullet rash" appearing within days after getting bitten. If caught quickly, antibiotics can be effective against Lyme disease. If you are resistant against the antibiotic, the prognosis isn't great. Once nerve damage has occurred, the outcome means a potentially painful existence with many physiological and neurological problems.

Removing a tick ASAP is crucial. Doing anything that irritates the tick will result in the tick injecting its bacteria-laced stomach content into the host. A tick is irritated by fumes from acetone and ether, by glue, by heat, and by careless pulling. A tick can be frozen and removed. Once it has been frozen (with a cryo wart remover). A tick may also be relatively safely removed with one of several tick removal tools. It is important to remove parts of the tick that may otherwise remain embedded in the skin.

Tick bites in the neck region and on the head can lead to lethal paralysis. With such tick bites, one should always go see a doctor.

And there's of course always the chance of gaining a useful super power from a tick bite.

 

[Blue_Goose]

Bite looks like a raised big pimple...should doctor be able to tell if any part of the head broke off and is in the skin....I can see the tiny bite mark/entry?

Like I said she didn't know what it was so she just pulled it off instead of using tweezers etc...small and flat like a tiny deflated raisin

Sounds like a few of you have had experiences with tick bites but have they stayed on you for 4 or 5 days because not noticed?


Goose

 

[Volvo_ST1]

You should be able to see if parts of the tick are in there. Shine a bright light on the bite and use a magnifier.

The problem with using regular tweezers is that the body of the tick gets squeezed, which means the toxic stomach contents are injected into the host. Special tick tweezers don't squeeze the body. The bite should have been disinfected after tick removal and an antibiotic ointment should have been applied.

The bump may be due to an infection and/or due to an immune response (histamine causes swelling). The bump itself is not the tell-tale "bullet rash."

Please read this: http://www.columbia-lyme.org/patients/ld_lyme_symptoms.html

The bullet rash could appear a month after the bite occurred. Even if there us no rash, Lyme disease could still have been contracted. Your wife should probably have the bite looked at.

I grew up in an area where Lyme disease was prevalent. I got frequently bitten by ticks, but, as far as I know, I never had a tick on my body for more than a few hours. We always checked each other for ticks after getting back from the woods. I do know people who got severely ill and never recovered fully.

The image below shows typical tick tweezers. You grab the head of the tick flush with the skin and pull the tick straight out. If you twist the tick, you increase the chance of parts of the head breaking off.

 

[crinkles]

I always check myself at night after i work in the bush. Lots of soap and sometimes the missus helps. I use tweezers and pull at the head.

best of luck getting this sorted.

 

[Volvo_ST1]

Originally Posted By: crinkles
I always check myself at night after i work in the bush.


You moonlight as a bushman?

 

[crinkles]

click clikcety clickey click.

you should see my loin cloth

 

[Pablo]

Where is Mori when you need him? That guy is a walking encyclopedia of tick knowledge.

Just get to the doctor ASAP.

 

[ddrumman2004]

Yup...if you are worried about it, go to the doctor.

I had tick on my leg once about 15 years or so ago that had begun to "swell" with my blood. I tried carefully to remove it and tried all kinds of remedies but the only thing that worked was a little "Jack Daniels" poured over the tick. He let go quick! I guess the Jack tasted better than my blood.

Anyway, I had a spot on my leg from where that tick was for over a year.

Ticks here are a way of life if you go outside.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
Where is Mori when you need him? That guy is a walking encyclopedia of tick knowledge.


Volvo_ST1 has been a good replacement for him in this thread!