dont read if you have a weak stomach

[Bawkadoodledoo]

i woke up this morning, put on my clothes and this MASSIVE female engorged TICK fell off of me... now i feellike theres ticks all over me... it was the size of a grape and my dad threw it to the birds... ewww!!!

 

[arlee453]

Blech!! I HATE ticks - everything from their creepy legs to their yukky markings and then when they start getting engorged....... ewwww!

 

[seismic wonder2]

If you start feeling bad or get a fever go to the DR. ASAP!

 

[dacjohns]

Too late now but you should have kept the tick. That way if you start showing symptoms of any of the tick borne illnesses you could take it to the doctor with you. Knowing what kind of tick can help to narrow down the possible diseases.

If you start feeling bad at all get to the doctor. Don't wait for spots, or rashes, or the "bullseye" rash, or muscle or joint aches. Feverish and weak is enough warrant a trip to the doctor.

The tick was attached long enough to have infected you if it was a carrier.

 

[smom1976]

I just got one off my sons head.. not too full but getting there..

I am still itching 3 days later...

 

[eggzettera]

Sorry that sounds disgusting.

Where do ticks live? I have never had to be worried about them before (that & rats) now I am in denial that they both live where I live.....

 

[dangerouschicken]

Time to invest in some free ranging guinea fowl.

 

[CritterHill]

A subject dear to my heart. My 5 year old was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with lyme. To complicate things, she has rheumatoid arthritis.

The doctors refused to admit it could be lyme - blamed all the pain and rash on her arthritis!

Her rheumatologists didn't even want to see her since she didn't have any red swollen joints. Just kept having me take her back to her pediatrician.

It took 4 visits (the last two of which she was showing the classic bullseye rash) before I saw a pediatrician who would treat her for lyme. By that point she couldn't walk from the pain. 4 days later the blood work came back positive.

Sorry for the venting, but that was several of the most frustrating, stressful weeks I've had in a long time! It took a lot of self control not to grab the pediatrician and scream "JUST GIVE ME THE ANTIBIOTIC!" Moral adherence to the mantra of no antibiotic without a positive titer is all well and good except when all clinical signs point to lyme and your patient is immune supressed and in debilitating pain. Time to get off your high horse and start treatment at that point. IMNSHO.

ps - She's doing much better now. In fact 2 days after starting the antibiotic, she was back on her feet. Now she is back to insisting she is going to be an acrobat when she grows up

pps - In the doctors' defense, she did have some sort of viral thing going on at the same time which complicated the diagnosis.

 

[dacjohns]

Sometimes the medical professionals really make me angry but sometimes they do OK.

I pulled an engorged deer tick off me last summer. Within a few days I developed a rash, it wasn't the classic bullseye rash but it was near the tick bite. Then I started running a fever and got real weak and slight joint pains. I have worked in public health and in the outdoors for different government agencies. The symptoms of tick borne and other critter borne diseases has been drilled into my brain. I didn't wait for the full blown classic symptoms. As soon as I started showing any I got medical attention. Even so after I started antibiotics I got weaker and then chills started in. Also, not everyone develops the classic symptoms. If you wait for a titer it may be too late. I was treated before a titer would have shown anything significant.

So where was I going with this before I stopped for supper. If you start developing a fever don't wait and sometimes you have to demand help. Tell the doctor everything you can and make sure he/she knows you were bit by a tick and that it was attached long enough to become engorged.

Hoping you don't get sick and that everything turns out OK.

 

[CritterHill]

Quote:
In general, I like doctors. They fix me and my kids when they are broken. They got my 3 year old back on her feet after she was hit by the arthritis so bad she couldn't walk.

But this one _particular_ guy makes me crazy every time I see him. It is like he's made up his mind what the problem is before he has even examined the patient. He misdiagnosed my 2 year old a couple months ago as well for a different issue.