Yuck, a tick!

[FinallyRetired]

Been playing a lot of golf lately, and this morning while showering I felt this thing sticking out of my right upper thigh. It was blood red and I pulled it off, I think it was a disgusting tick

I should have kept it in case a doc wants to test it, but I let it wash down the drain, got tweezers and pulled out what was left. I have a couple of red areas where it was attached and, come to think of it, I've had a really sore spot just above that under the skin, like maybe a swollen lymph node?

Never had a tick before, do I have to do anything else? What are the chances of lyme, or some creeping crud infection?

[bbbamI]

I got ticks on me all the time (well not all the time) when I was a kid. Never did get sick or have any problems. Of course now, some people would say you need to go the ER.

I'd say if you don't get a fever or rash, don't worry about it.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI I got ticks on me all the time (well not all the time) when I was a kid.

Same here. And I agree you shouldn't worry about it at all unless you develop some sort of symptoms - highly unlikely.

[LOL!]

At your next yearly physical, tell the doctor about this tick. Your blood can be tested for antibodies to antigens from the causative agent of Lyme et al other tick-borne diseases.

[dex]

http://www.lyme.org/otherdis/ld_symptoms.html

BRAIN
Nerve conduction defects (weakness/paralysis of limbs, loss of reflexes, tingling sensations of the extremities - peripheral neuropathy), severe headaches, stiff neck, meningitis, cranial nerve involvement (e.g. change in smell/taste; difficulty chewing, swallowing, or speaking; hoarseness or vocal cord problems; facial paralysis - Bell's palsy; dizziness/fainting; drooping shoulders; inability to turn head; light or sound sensitivity; change in hearing; deviation of eyeball [wandering or lazy eye], drooping eyelid), stroke, abnormal brain waves or seizures, sleep disorders, cognitive changes (memory problems, difficulty in word finding, confusion, decreased concentration, problems with numbers) and, behavioral changes (depression, personality changes).
Other psychiatric manifestations that have been reported in the scientific literature include: panic attacks; disorientation; hallucinations; extreme agitation; impulsive violence, manic, or obsessive behavior; paranoia; schiziphrenic-like states, dementia, and eating disorders. Several patients have committed suicide.

[CuppaJoe]

Ain't summer glorious! Thank you for not posting photos. I know nothing about ticks and thought this thread was about a down-tick in you PF. You have a right to be ticked off. edit: where is that sick joke smilie?

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

If it was embedded for less than 24 hours, there is little risk of Lyme Disease transmission. If longer, it is wise to be extra-observant for fever, rash, or other unexpected symptoms. Your doc will want to keep a low threshold for ruling out Lyme should any symptoms arise, which is easily treated in the early stages.

As long as you are well, there is little to do now, since it can take weeks for a blood test to turn positive. I'd make a phone call to see if he/she wants a baseline blood test to assess for "recency of exposure" should a later symptom arise. Saw a lot of Lyme when I lived in Wisconsin.

[DblDoc]

More than just Lyme disease in your neck of the woods: Tick-Borne Diseases*- Fairfax County, Virginia

From their website:

Quote:

If you are bitten by a tick you should remove it promptly, and you may wish to consult with your health care provider. If you develop any signs and symptoms of early Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or ehrlichiosis you should promptly seek medical attention. For instructions on how to remove a tick safely, please refer to our Tick Removal page.

We saw some Lyme disease and rare Babesiosis in Mass when I was a resident.

DD

[Achiever51]

Lyme Disease is really nothing to joke about. Last month I went to the funeral for a friend's daughter who suffered for ten years from the disease before dying at the age of 42 from a massive stroke. Before getting the disease, she was an incredible harpist. One of the heart-breaking effects of the Lyme disease was her loss of hearing...but before the deafness, she developed extreme sensitivity to sounds of any kind. Even the ticking of a clock could cause her tremendous pain.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FinallyRetired Been playing a lot of golf lately, and this morning while showering I felt this thing sticking out of my right upper thigh. It was blood red and I pulled it off, I think it was a disgusting tick Never had a tick before, do I have to do anything else? What are the chances of lyme, or some creeping crud infection?

How'd the tick get there? You didn't by any chance happen to leave a fairway during any of those rounds, did you?

Joking aside, just before my FIL moved out of the Maryland house he decided to be a nice homeseller and mow the lawn. A couple weeks after he came to Hawaii he noticed a red rash on his shin, about six inches from top to bottom. Thinking it was some exotic tropical disease, he quickly made an appointment with a dermatologist.

The regular dermatologist was on vacation so a younger doc was covering for him. (This is an issue with my FIL, for whom anyone under the age of 50 is a "kid" and not to be trusted to have credibility or experience.) The younger doc commented that the rash was oval on his shinbone but if it had occurred on a flat surface then it'd be circular and a sign of Lyme disease. My FIL said that couldn't be possible because he'd just gotten to Hawaii. When the doctor realized FIL had moved here from MD he ordered the blood test. FIL grudgingly complied and casually inquired as to when the regular doc would be back on the job.

By the time the regular doc was back the rash had disappeared. FIL went to see the old doc anyway and the Lyme disease concern was dismissed by both of them as unlikely.

A week later the test came back-- Lyme disease. The medication makes one extremely photophobic, so his next few weeks in the bright Hawaii sunshine were pretty miserable.

The younger doc was given his due measure of respect and contrition. Now FIL won't tramp in the East Coast fields during summer without shoes, long pants, & high socks, no matter how miserably hot the weather.

[Ronstar]

Several neighbors and I get ticks all the time. Some have contracted Lyme Disease. My friend's research found what Rich stated - little risk of Lyme Disease if embedded less than 24 hours. Some neighbors keep their ticks by scotch taping them to pieces of paper (I guess in case they develop symptoms later and need the tick for analysis).

My latest tick bite bled on and off for a few days, and I still have a scar a few months later. I got one of these as a prank gift, but it really does work:

TICKED OFF™ the world's simplest tick remover

[FinallyRetired]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DblDoc More than just Lyme disease in your neck of the woods: Tick-Borne Diseases*- Fairfax County, Virginia From their website: We saw some Lyme disease and rare Babesiosis in Mass when I was a resident. DD

Thanks, I was playing golf in Fairfax County and I think that's where I got the tick.

And here I thought Babesiosis was a disease you got from too much girl watching on the beach

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

And here I thought Babesiosis was a disease you got from too much girl watching on the beach

That's a whole different kind of swelling.

[Martha]

I am an expert tick remover. When growing up my younger sibs used to go and play in the woods and swamp. When they would come in I'd strip them down and removed the ticks. I still remember one time counting 40. Both wood (dog) ticks and black legged (deer) ticks. Despite strip searches one of us inevitably would have an attached tick. I was the designated remover of the attached ticks. From the dogs too. I would grab very close the the skin with fingernails and slowly pull. Never squeeze the tick. If you don't have long enough finger nails use a tweezers. We had outside dogs any they could get covered with ticks. Big stinking blood filed ticks. Man, I am thankful for Heartguard and other such products that they have today.

Once when I was maybe 10 I had a tick attached to my stomach and a big red rash developed. Never told the parents. That was my worst experience with ticks. Of course these were the days before Lyme disease and other tick borne diseases are rare in my part of the country.

When I am in tick country, like out at the family farm, I do a shower and scrub when I come in. Nevertheless, once in a while one attaches. So far no illness for me but my cousin had a bad case of Lyme disease from a tick likely received near the farm. Deer ticks live in woodsy brushy areas.

[freebird5825]

I live in the country but I do not go not go wooded areas unless there is a wide path cut. Deer abound just a few hundred yards from my house.
I check my dogs frequently. The dogs cannot get into the woods because my entire yard is fenced in.

[TooFrugal]

I grew up near a woods. My siblings, our dog and I got ticks fairly regularly. We just pulled them off with a tweezers and never thought twice about it back then.

Quote:

One of the heart-breaking effects of the Lyme disease was her loss of hearing...but before the deafness, she developed extreme sensitivity to sounds of any kind. Even the ticking of a clock could cause her tremendous pain.

Hearing loss and noise sensitivity can also be a sign of magnesium deficiency, which interestingly can also come from long term antibiotic use (which is also the way Lyme disease is treated).

[TromboneAl]

My understanding is that the ticks just sit on a piece of grass waiting for something warm-blooded to come by so they can grab onto it. Just think how many there must be out there -- most waiting in vain.

I once put a tick on a piece of wood. When I moved my arm back and forth past it, it would rear up and track it. Kind of holding its "arms" out and saying "uppy!"

[aaronc879]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa Saw a lot of Lyme when I lived in Wisconsin.

I'm going camping in the north woods of Wisconsin next month. Tweezers are on my list of things to bring. I'll have to check myself daily.

[FinanceDude]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaronc879 I'm going camping in the north woods of Wisconsin next month. Tweezers are on my list of things to bring. I'll have to check myself daily.

Long pants, boots, and a little Deep Woods off with DEET should help...........

I never had a tick attach to me, and I spent a LOT of time trapsing the wooded areas around La Crosse. Of course, I took precautions........

[travelover]

I've treated my hiking clothes with a 0.5% permethrin solution, mostly for chigger protection, but it seems to work for ticks, too. It is not only a repellent, but also an insecticide.

DEET vs. Permethrin as a Tick Repellent