I Can't Believe I Got a Tick Gardening!!!

[TrvlBug]

Couldn't figure out why I had this "skin tag" on my shoulder. Finally asked DH to take a look and it was a tick. He really had trouble getting it detached but it is now lying in a med bottle awaiting doctor's inspection.

I was out gardening yesterday early afternoon and always wear long pants with socks pulled over and never dreamed the suckers could get in via my tshirt . In fact I never dreamed we have ticks. My shoulder feels like it's been used as a punching bag when I touch it and I already have the start of the requisite rash. It looks like there's still a bit of the sucker in the wound. Not a happy camper today.

 

[Ronstar]

Tucking pants in socks is only marginally effective. Ticks crawl. They can start at your legs and end up on your upper torso.

I get several ticks every year. Most times they’re just crawling around on my body. Sometimes they dig in. I’ve had a few in the past few years that had to be removed by a doc in quick care.

Doc gives me a 1 pill prescription to offset lymes disease.

I’ve found that I have less chance of getting ticks if I use tick spray.

 

[LateToFIRE]

I treat my clothes [and shoes/socks] with a permethrin spray anytime I am gardening or hiking. Supposed to last thru several washes (I usually treat once at beginning of season). I find the DEET-based sprays that are supposed to be applied to skin trigger my hay fever and make my eyes run, plus just hate the smell [but will spray some on my legs if will be marching thru tall grass]. Also, our landscaper recommended showering ASAP after gardening/hiking and using a wash-cloth - said that's worked for him for 30 years - so far been working for me too.

 

[Bigdawg]

OP, I'm surprised that you are surprised that you got a tick while gardening.

Years ago, I had some skin tags and moles removed from the flight surgeon. I felt one on my back getting bigger. Had DW check it out. She said "yup, it's getting bigger". I went into see the flight surgeon. He asked if he could bring in a bunch of Navy Corpsmen to look at it. I said, "no problem". When they all came in the room the flight surgeon said, "now sailors, what you see here is an engorged tick". Thanks for your medical opinion honey.

 

[Rianne]

Those tiny buggers! I took a walk in the woods in Wisconsin in the spring. A couple of days later an obvious bullseye rash on my arm. I'm so grateful it was on my arm and not my back. I noticed it immediately, went to the ER, and got 3 weeks of antibiotics. I've had ticks before when we lived in Michigan. For some reason, Wisconsin has a lot of lymes disease. Take all precautions mentioned above.

 

[Bigdawg]

Those tiny buggers! I took a walk in the woods in Wisconsin in the spring. A couple of days later an obvious bullseye rash on my arm. I'm so grateful it was on my arm and not my back. I noticed it immediately, went to the ER, and got 3 weeks of antibiotics. I've had ticks before when we lived in Michigan. For some reason, Wisconsin has a lot of lymes disease. Take all precautions mentioned above.

MN state bird is the mosquito. I grew up in N WI. Yup, lots of ticks. Never heard of Lyme back in the 70's. Brown recluse down in Arkansas along with a few rattlers. I'm here on the Chesapeake Bay now. Sea nettles (jelly fish) here. Always something.

Even worse in N Wi is that weird white stuff. I think they call it "snow". Also, the thermometer never seems to go very high up there. BTW heading to Aruba later today.

 

[Spock]

We used to use dog flea and tick collars to hold the bottom of our pant legs shut.
Might expand to hanging one off a belt loop to get more coverage there.
If the collars work on large dogs a couple of the collars ought to do the job on me.

 

[Flyfish1]

I get several per year on me. Gardening, pruning, fly fishing or even walking in the woods. Little dog came back from a walk in the woods with 10 on him. Yes, he has Frontline on , so I guess they don't want to dig in. I can see Plum Island from my window if it's clear out. Plenty of conspiracy theories out there that Lyme disease started out in a Plum Island lab, after all Lyme, CT is right across the water from Plum I.

 

[Fermion]

The ticks are really bad here in the spring and summer. I find one crawling on my cloths or hair after just walking on our mountain property for minutes. I have yet to have one latch on though. When I come home I toss my clothes in the wash and take a shower, maybe that does the trick. I thought I remember hearing that it takes a few hours for them to dig in.

 

[street]

I hope for the best and wish you well with your bite.

I spent most of my days in the outdoors and have used a mixture I use in a spray bottle. The vinegar, water and essential oil (cedarwood) with a small amount of cooking oil. I spray it on my pants and outer top wear. I also wear a very thin pair of underwear and t-shirt with it tucked in. I also put pants inside sock and pant legs inside of lace up boots.

Everything tucked in to encourage them to stay on outside of cloths. I also pay close attention of anything that crawls on the outwear. I have never had one dig in but have found hundreds crawling on my pants and shirts.

I also spry a product called BUGG or BUGGINS also on my pants. The key for me s to pay attention and look at pant and shirt often.

 

[pacergal]

Glad you are seeking medical attention, and the rest of the tic gets removed promptly.

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

When I bought my dog he came with 4 ticks included.

 

[Gumby]

I occasionally get ticks on me from working out in the garden. One was clearly a deer tick that had dug in, and I started to develop the ring rash, so I got the doxycycline pill. It cleared up with no complications. My best advice is to take a shower soon after gardening, so you can find them early.

 

[Sue J]

When we had our dog a few years back she picked up a few ticks. Just like someone else described it looked like a skin tag and then got bigger. We removed them and saved them in a container and took her to the vet. He was a new guy in the office and he said this is very common, they see a lot of this. When we showed him we had the little culprits in a container he got so excited. He took them back to a microscope and identified two different kinds, one of which carries Lyme.

He gave us a Rx for the dog and thanked us for making his day.

 

[street]

I occasionally get ticks on me from working out in the garden. One was clearly a deer tick that had dug in, and I started to develop the ring rash, so I got the doxycycline pill. It cleared up with no complications. My best advice is to take a shower soon after gardening, so you can find them early.

Yes, I also so the same cloths for a few days in a row when working at the ranch. When I get home those clots go in a plastic bag and is tied. The next day when I put those cloths on, I inspect them thoroughly and then repeat the process each day.

Yes, shower and inspection are very important as soon as I get home.

 

[Gumby]

When we had our dog a few years back she picked up a few ticks. Just like someone else described it looked like a skin tag and then got bigger. We removed them and saved them in a container and took her to the vet. He was a new guy in the office and he said this is very common, they see a lot of this. When we showed him we had the little culprits in a container he got so excited. He took them back to a microscope and identified two different kinds, one of which carries Lyme.

He gave us a Rx for the dog and thanked us for making his day.

The deer ticks are the ones that can carry Lyme disease. They are darker and smaller than the ones typically found on dogs.

Here is a useful guide to ticks https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/vector-borne/train-trainer/Companion.pdf

 

[GenXguy]

My back lawn meets a wooded area, and I've never seen ticks here. I used to go out in the woods behind my house years back but don't really recall getting ticks except one time when I went mushrooming elsewhere and had a bunch crawling on me. Those were apparently the dog ticks.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My folks owned a summer resort in northern Wisconsin near Hayward and we would all get ticks. My mom would hold a lit match over it and its head would pop out and then she could pull it out with a tweezer. The other nuisance was occasionally getting a small leech between your toes while swimming. They latched on so hard you couldn’t pull them off so you poured salt on them and they fell off. Deer flies and mosquitoes were another problem. Now in Northern Nevada there aren’t many bugs unless you go hiking in the mountains.

 

[aja8888]

If you want to experience an exciting event, just step on a fire ant hill. When I worked oilfield projects, I had that event happen a few times.

Ticks are sneaky though.

 

[TrvlBug]

Went to the doc and received a dose of Doxycycline, I assume because the tick was burrowed in longer than 24 hours (read that on Dr. Google). I forgot to ask if that's the case.

She said I was lucky that this was my first time for a tick as they are around in the area I live. Our house is in a more rural part of the SF Bay Area and abuts a canyon where the deer live, but thankfully the incidence of Lyme disease here is pretty low but not non-existent, therefore, the meds.

She said to take a shower and do a body exam, including the scalp after gardening. Nothing more is necessary.

 

[Dtail]

If you want to experience an exciting event, just step on a fire ant hill. When I worked oilfield projects, I had that event happen a few times.

Ticks are sneaky though.

I did so in a cemetery with slip on shoes. Multiple bites within seconds, but relatively easy to brush away.

 

[MarieIG]

Went to the doc and received a dose of Doxycycline, I assume because the tick was burrowed in longer than 24 hours (read that on Dr. Google). I forgot to ask if that's the case.

She said I was lucky that this was my first time for a tick as they are around in the area I live. Our house is in a more rural part of the SF Bay Area and abuts a canyon where the deer live, but thankfully the incidence of Lyme disease here is pretty low but not non-existent, therefore, the meds.

She said to take a shower and do a body exam, including the scalp after gardening. Nothing more is necessary.

I am sorry to hear about the tick bite - but glad you sought medical care ASAP.

 

[ITTN]

+1 permethrin spray