View Full Version : What did you do when you found a tick:
This poll asks what you decided to do the last time you discovered tick had been making you a meal:
Combination of a couple of the available choices: Pulled it off and kept an eye on it, then when I got a big 3-inch red spot, I went to a doctor who prescribed a course of antibiotics and said not to worry about it.
Old Hiker
06-01-2010, 16:36
This poll asks what you decided to do the last time you discovered tick had been making you a meal:
When I saw the table with candles, real china plates and the GOOD napkins, I knew that the tick was making me a meal for some special occasion. I just couldn't remember what: her birthday, our anniversary, our first bout of Lyme disease together??? I just hoped the meal was actually edible and not burned to a crisp as usual. :rolleyes:
Rocket Jones
06-01-2010, 16:37
I developed a ring of rash almost immediately. The doc said it was probably too quick to be Lyme, probably an allergic reaction of some sort. Kept an eye on it and it faded in a few days.
M1 Thumb
06-01-2010, 16:43
What kind of tick? Where is my geographic location? How long has it been embedded?
M1 Thumb
06-01-2010, 16:47
I guess what I was trying to get at above was that the type of tick, where you are at, and how long it has been feeding are important in determining if there was a chance of being exposed to a tick born disease. I pulled a deer tick off my leg a few days ago, but it wasn't there the day before, and I don't live in a Lyme prevalence area so I'm not inclined to worry. I'll keep an eye on the bite site but don't anticipate anything.
Appalachian Tater
06-01-2010, 21:39
It's not enough to keep an eye on the place where the tick bit you. The bull's-eye rash can occur anywhere on your body and it may not occur at all. And besides Lyme, there are many other very serious tick-borne diseases. Lyme is just the famous one.
Sierra Echo
06-01-2010, 21:43
We went hiking once, years ago, and some of the people got covered in ticks (I didn't get any on me!). I don't know if they tend to bed down in one specific area or what. Anyhoo, a few days later one of the chicks on the hike notice she had a tick that had embedded itself into her hip. She had to go have it cut out, but she didn't get lyme's disease or anything. I think thats the last time she went hiking.
We have lyme disease up here now, and deer in our yard every night, but so far I have not discovered any ticks or ring rashes on me or anyone else. So far we just keep going about our business but we are keeping an eye on things.
Most providers will tell you to keep an eye on it unless your symtomatic or develop a secondary infection. You can do a post exposure prophylaxis of Doxycycline if the tick has been attached > 36 hours and the doxy can be started within 72 hours of tick removal. The amount of time the tick is attached seems to be the biggest indicator for treatment and the prevelence of Lymes in the geographic area.
My physician wrote a script for 200 Mg of Doxycycline today as a prophylactic for a couple of embedded ticks that were on less than 72 hours.
Perhaps not necessary, but seemed prudent.
Ticks are different today, I hear every hiker say and getting Lymes is such a bore. And though I wasn't really ill, there's a little blueish pill...
Best to have a plan in place, I think. Good doctors in this area would be willing to listen to any hiker seeking a prescription in advance to stock a first aid kit.
Important this is to make you own choice, and not have it made for you.
A good nurse practitioner would also prescribe it.:D
sherrill
06-02-2010, 08:50
I pick them off almost daily - I run on a trail system on my neighbors land and usually will find at least one. However, I'm allergic to the blood thinner they inject, so I am almost immediately aware when I'm bitten. Fortunately I've gotten accustomed to checking myself after running through an area I know is bad so I can usually pick them off before then.
They usually bite me on my ankles at the sock line or near my knees where my compression shorts end.
My doctor has told me to monitor the bite areas and be aware of Lyme symptoms, but I don't want to take any preventive antibiotics unless necessary. I had a bad reaction to the immunization schedule and malaria treatments required to spend time in the Peruvian Amazon.
This poll asks what you decided to do the last time you discovered tick had been making you a meal:
Made a meal of the tick!
Yeah!
I was diagnosed with a possible case of Lyme Disease in the 1990s and treated with antibiotics. I had similar symptoms twice last year and went through two series of Doxycycline.
I never saw a tick on me!
I had a rash on my belt line when I was treated the first time last year, the second time my elbow and lower arm swelled up and got burning hot to the touch.
I was dog tired all three times and had pain in all my joints, but one in particular. In the '90s case I had it in one of my knees. In both cases last year it was in my left elbow.
If you see a tick on you pull it off slowly with a steady pull (don't squeeze it or twist it), wash the area with soap and water and/or rubbing alcohol, and keep close tabs on how you feel for the next two-three weeks (the time it takes for Lyme symptoms to show). See a doctor if you have symptoms, and maybe even if you DON'T. Some cases of Lyme Disease are asymptomatic until a year later and then the symptoms may become permanent.
warraghiyagey
06-03-2010, 08:10
I just let them bite me, not wanting to interfere with nature and all. . .
Pedaling Fool
06-03-2010, 08:49
"Keep an eye on it"?!?
The bull’s eye rash is very misleading it is not a positive indicator of lyme disease.
Ticks don't seem to like me very much, but ocasionally I have to pull one off. Most recently I found a tick chewing on my thigh. I pulled it off and flushed it down the toilet. Had it been imbedded very deeply, I would have demanded an antibiotic. I'm opposed to the over use of such things, but lyme is a serious disease with long term consequences. From every thing I've read, doctors who tell people to wait for symptoms to develop, are offering incompetent advice.
Weary
Your poll is missing an option: "pulled the tick off and didn't worry at all." I do a lot of work in the field, and I've pulled well over 100 ticks off of me over the last 15 years (the most: 30 in a day). I've never gotten sick, and I've never worried about it. If I started to get Lyme symptoms, I'd go to the doctor.
Everyone who pulls a tick off of them and then goes straight to the doctor for antibiotics is doing a disservice to themselves and everyone else. Overuse of antibiotics creates antibiotic resistance and is putting people at more risk for nasty infections that we can't control.
Rain Man
06-03-2010, 11:52
Well said! (I will add that sadly the poll fails to take into account critical factors, such as locale.)
Your poll is missing an option: "pulled the tick off and didn't worry at all." I do a lot of work in the field, and I've pulled well over 100 ticks off of me over the last 15 years (the most: 30 in a day). I've never gotten sick, and I've never worried about it. If I started to get Lyme symptoms, I'd go to the doctor.
Everyone who pulls a tick off of them and then goes straight to the doctor for antibiotics is doing a disservice to themselves and everyone else. Overuse of antibiotics creates antibiotic resistance and is putting people at more risk for nasty infections that we can't control.
Jonnycat
06-03-2010, 13:20
I talk to it and explain that I do not approve of it's behavior, and sternly, but with respect, request that it detach itself and find a more appropriate host.
My doc gave me a course of cephalexin because she was concerned the bite may be or become infected, but no prophylactic antibiotics for Lyme because the occurrence of Lyme here is practically zero and the tick was only on me for less than three hours.
I agreed that it was the most sensible course of action.
ChinMusic
06-03-2010, 15:37
What? Amputation isn't an option?
Everyone who pulls a tick off of them and then goes straight to the doctor for antibiotics is doing a disservice to themselves and everyone else. Overuse of antibiotics creates antibiotic resistance and is putting people at more risk for nasty infections that we can't control.
I make no apologies for my decision earlier this week, but certainly respect others' choices.
I do think that the stakes are high enough that getting informed ahead of time is important.
What part of the country you got bit in, and how long the tick was attached matter a great deal-- that much I know for sure. Among all the stuff out there, I was particularly interest in the options one had before getting sick, like mentioned here:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/345/2/79
http://www.aldf.com/raad.shtml
My personal opinion is that anyone who has had an engorged tick on them for more than 24 hours in areas know to have a high concentration of Lyme disease should worry. Even more important, my personal belief is that the prospect should inspire everyone to do thorough tick checks and pull the little buggers off within 24 hours.
That said, I would be interested in learning more about how my decision to take a single prophylactic dose antibiotics while in good health creates antibiotic resistance that puts society at risk. I don't doubt it it may to some small extent, but I don't understand the mechanism. Something to think about.
ChinMusic
06-03-2010, 19:13
That said, I would be interested in learning more about how my decision to take a single prophylactic dose antibiotics while in good health creates antibiotic resistance that puts society at risk. I don't doubt it it may to some small extent, but I don't understand the mechanism. Something to think about.
IMPO, your decision has decidedly more reward than risk.
Medicine uses prophylactic antibiotics in cases with MUCH less risk routinely.
superman
06-03-2010, 21:23
I just let them bite me, not wanting to interfere with nature and all. . .
I agree....ticks are natural and it's natural for them to latch on. It would be interfering with the balance of nature to interfere with them.:)
I talk to it and explain that I do not approve of it's behavior, and sternly, but with respect, request that it detach itself and find a more appropriate host.
Well, I do pretty much the same, though I add "in your next life," as I flush the critter away.
IMPO, your decision has decidedly more reward than risk.
Medicine uses prophylactic antibiotics in cases with MUCH less risk routinely.
And for decades medicine routinely gave antibiotics for conditions that every doctor worth the title knew would do no good, other than please a Mother, and keep her bringing her child back to their offices.
That was improper medicine, not a giving a one time dose, for a disease that can destroy lives.
Probably someone will now claim, "that only happened long ago, before medicine knew the problems caused by over prescribing antibiotics." Well, I knew, and I mostly trained in engineering. Surely medical doctors should have known as much as I did.
Weary
If someone is concerned enough to come to the doctor within the 36 hours after a tick is removed a little Doxy isn't going to hurt or add to the overuse of antibiotics. This would not be considered inappropriate (thats just my opinion). I see the over prescribing of antibiotics everyday and your popularity within the patient community is based on whether you prescribe AB or not.
Wise Old Owl
06-03-2010, 22:00
This poll asks what you decided to do the last time you discovered tick had been making you a meal:
You must be kidding RIGHT?
In March the ticks ate a hole thru the scrotum sack to a large vein.
Two weeks later my dad who was hiking the AT with me loses his ability to walk (Still not recovered)
Three weeks later, We both test positive for Rocky Mountain.
We both get a ten day supply from our regular but uninformed doctors for Dioxycycine.
For ten days we were cool, then we ran out.....
He got a second ten days and I got a month+ and I hope I have beaten it.
ITS JUNE AND I WAS INFECTED IN MARCH... IT SUCKS MORE THAN LYME.
THE ONLY PREVENTION IS DEEP WOODS OFF FOR TICKS SPRAY THE PANTS, SOCKS, BOOTS AND THE DOGS ASS AND LEGS.
CAN I BE MORE CLEAR?
FOLKS YOU NEED TO WAKE UP. "PREVENTION" Yea I be Yellen in the room....
Now back to your regular bloggin.......:-?
Sierra Echo
07-08-2010, 11:40
I just found a HUGE tick on my arm. I took a few tugs but I pulled him off with a piece of tp. he was still kicking so i washed him down the drain. now i have a small spot on my arm where he was. i put some alcohol on it and i have washed the spot with antibacterial soap. should i be concerned? i havent been in the woods since tuesday. this is my first incident. it wasnt there when i changed into my workout clothes 30 minutes before!
You must be kidding RIGHT?
In March the ticks ate a hole thru the scrotum sack to a large vein.
Two weeks later my dad who was hiking the AT with me loses his ability to walk (Still not recovered)
Three weeks later, We both test positive for Rocky Mountain.
We both get a ten day supply from our regular but uninformed doctors for Dioxycycine.
For ten days we were cool, then we ran out.....
He got a second ten days and I got a month+ and I hope I have beaten it.
ITS JUNE AND I WAS INFECTED IN MARCH... IT SUCKS MORE THAN LYME.
THE ONLY PREVENTION IS DEEP WOODS OFF FOR TICKS SPRAY THE PANTS, SOCKS, BOOTS AND THE DOGS ASS AND LEGS.
CAN I BE MORE CLEAR?
FOLKS YOU NEED TO WAKE UP. "PREVENTION" Yea I be Yellen in the room....
Now back to your regular bloggin.......:-?
I totally agree, don't get the tick in the first place, well at least try a little prevention. Use premanone made by Repel (http://www.repel.com/ProductCategories/SpecialtyProducts/Permanone/) on your hiking/hunting/outdoor clothing along with 100% Deet for total protection.I turkey hunted this spring and only found one tick crawling on me, he got stomped on with a hammer!
Ticks usually just fall off my pants as I walk. I brush them off when I see them. I've rarely been bitten. When I have, I have simply pulled the tick out. There are two varieties where I live and only one of them is the carrier of lyme disease, so in addition to pulling the tick out, I identify the species. They are easy to tell apart. So far I have never been bitten by the one that carries lyme disease.
Sierra Echo
07-15-2010, 20:42
Ticks usually just fall off my pants as I walk. I brush them off when I see them. I've rarely been bitten. When I have, I have simply pulled the tick out. There are two varieties where I live and only one of them is the carrier of lyme disease, so in addition to pulling the tick out, I identify the species. They are easy to tell apart. So far I have never been bitten by the one that carries lyme disease.
My bite is all scabbed up now!
I need to check my equipment better when I get home.
I'm glad it chose to bite me and not one of my pets!
My bite is all scabbed up now!
I need to check my equipment better when I get home.
I'm glad it chose to bite me and not one of my pets!
If it was only on you for a short time, the chances of you contracting any horrible diseases from it are almost zero. Do keep it clean and watch for infection though.
I was concerned about Lyme when I was bitten, and my doc told me that it would have needed to be attached for around 36 hours to transmit enough of the pathogen to cause me any harm (and Lyme is almost nonexistent where I was hiking, anyway).
I pull them off and squoosh them and then forget about them.
Wise Old Owl
07-16-2010, 15:55
Ticks usually just fall off my pants as I walk. I brush them off when I see them. I've rarely been bitten. When I have, I have simply pulled the tick out. There are two varieties where I live and only one of them is the carrier of lyme disease, so in addition to pulling the tick out, I identify the species. They are easy to tell apart. So far I have never been bitten by the one that carries lyme disease.
If you are geographically in California there is less risk. Here we have to take it
http://www.healthalternativesonline.com/images/LymeDiseaseRisk.gif
Sierra Echo
07-16-2010, 15:56
I pull them off and squoosh them and then forget about them.
You get off easy!
Round 1 with the tick had me washing it down the drain.
About a hour later I go back in the loo and its in the sink. It had crawled back out!
Round two had me trying to squish it with tp.
It wouldn't squish.
Round three had me flushing it down the toliet. And for the rest of the day I was expecting to go back in the loo and find it sitting on the toliet seat giggling at me!
I hate that tick!
Drown the little buggers in alcohol before flushing, just to be sure. :)
You get off easy!
Round 1 with the tick had me washing it down the drain.
About a hour later I go back in the loo and its in the sink. It had crawled back out!
Round two had me trying to squish it with tp.
It wouldn't squish.
Round three had me flushing it down the toliet. And for the rest of the day I was expecting to go back in the loo and find it sitting on the toliet seat giggling at me!
I hate that tick!
Aaaahahahaha!giggle!*snort!*
I HATE it when they do that!
You have to pop them with your fingernail. Even better, if you take them outside and hold a lighter to them, they explode. I always like it when the little ****s do that.
Sierra Echo
07-16-2010, 20:37
They EXPLODE???? Oh my!
I got some TP and gave it about 5 good yanks before it let go.
My tick key did not work as advertised!
Migrating Bird
07-16-2010, 20:51
This tool is IMHO the absolute best way to remove ticks. It has never failed to remove 100% of the ticks completely including the head, it removes them alive and then you squish them between your finger nails to kill them. It has worked for me and my dogs hundreds of times. Do not let anybody use tweezers, it just squeezes the tick juice into the wound.
http://www.otom.com/en/1-how-to-remove-a-tick.php
They EXPLODE???? Oh my!
I got some TP and gave it about 5 good yanks before it let go.
My tick key did not work as advertised!
Yeah, they make this great little POP if you listen real close
Sierra Echo
07-16-2010, 20:58
Yeah, they make this great little POP if you listen real close
Hmmmm I guess if I ever get bitten again, I'm gonna have to torch its
little booty!! That pop sounds satisfying!
The bigger they are the better they pop. Is blood flammable?
Sierra Echo
07-16-2010, 21:34
Not to my knowledge.
Well I can't explain why that is then
Skidsteer
07-16-2010, 21:57
I think we would burst into flame pretty quick too if someone held the equivalent of a 150' tall Butane lighter to us.
Sierra Echo
07-16-2010, 22:10
I can see that.
If you are geographically in California there is less risk. Here we have to take it
http://www.healthalternativesonline.com/images/LymeDiseaseRisk.gif
Cool map! Yep, I'm in one of those pink areas in California. Still, I know a guy who did get lyme disease from the Western red-legged tick.
Sierra Echo
07-18-2010, 08:08
I'm in a white area!