tick bite

[froggie71]

I have similar reactions to tick bites. The area get completely red and swollen and itchy!!!. Ticks release a toxin when they are removed. Some people are definitlely more allergic than others. DH taught me a trick that worked the last time I had a tick bite . Put shaving cream on the tick before removing it. It seems to paralyze them. Makes for easy removal and little to no toxin released. Also, it takes time for a lymes titer to test positive. If you have the tick, it can be tested, but if not it takes several months to get into your system before it will test postive. Some drs may give antibiotics proactively if they see a bullseye, some will give you a lab slip for future lymes titer if still bothering you.

 

[cackle]

You should see a doctor. But an old trick I have used for over 40 years to get rid of the red and swelling is tobacco. You find someone who smokes and bum a cigarette break off about 1/4 and take out the tobacco and wet it. Put it on the bite and cover with a bandaid. Leave it for 24 hours. It really works. I know it sounds like an old wives tale.

susan

Good luck

 

[BCMominMD]

Yup - it's that time of year again.
I have a similar reaction - swollen itchy area - but does not change into a bullseye. I find rubbing alcohol helps to dry them out.
Did you notice if the tick had a white spot on it's back? If it did, then it's a lone star tick and they don't transmit lymes.

 

[Bluemoon420]

I've had lyme disease. I had it when it was almost unheard of, and they didn't have a test to determine what lyme disease was.
Deer ticks transmit Lyme disease. If you have deer around you, you have deer ticks, and you can get lyme disease. Deer tick are VERY tiny. They are about the size of the head of a needle. If they are on you a long time, you'll have no problem seeing them.
If you have a bite from a tick that appears like a bullseye, get to the doctor. Tell the doctor you want a lyme disease test. If a doctor won't do the Lyme Disease test, either insist on it, or find another doctor who will.
Here's the reason why I say this....I have always been an outdoor type person, camping, hiking etc. My friends shared my same love for the outdoors. The 3 of us all had Lyme Disease.
One of my friends had to go on a respirator because the disease attacked his central nervous system. He could no longer breathe on his own. Another friend had to have her hip replaced. She walks with a cane to this day. The disease attacked her joints, and disintergrated her hip joints to the point she almost had none left.
And me, I was luckiest out of the 3 of us. I was sick, but it had not progressed as far as it did my other two friends. I was very ill though. I would be so tired, and sleep 14 hours a day, and still not be able to get up out of bed. That is so NOT like me. By the time they figured out what was going on with my two friends, they immediately hospitalized me and had me on A LOT of antibiotics. I was lucky. My friends recovery was more painful, and I always felt guilty of that.

Please don't mess around with tick bites. Especially if you see a bullseye, and don't even see the tick. Get a test done, and insist on it if you have to. Ticks can transmit a lot of diseases, but Lyme Disease is curable if caught early. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Bluemoon

 

[Smoky73]

My mom had Lyme Disease last year and her friend and most of the people she works with. Apparently the New England area is full of Lyme Disease cases. She had the bulls eye.
The problem with the LD test is that it is not a very good one. It will come up negative more often than not. Her friend got tested once a month for like a year before she came up with a positive test but she knew she had it all along. Mom was the same way, it took several tests before it showed up.

 

[Bluemoon420]

Quote:
Yeah, I'm from Rhode Island. Our summers were spent traveling all over New England. We trekked thru woods in Connecticut, NH, Vermont, Massachusetts, everywhere. If I remember correctly, Lyme Disease was named from the first recorded case in Lyme Connecticut.
One of the doctors that treated me basically said, "If you have deer, you have deer ticks." So even though, it seems concentrated in New England areas, it's really not. It can be anywhere you have high deer populations.

The test isn't always accurate, but it is better than nothing. Sometimes a bullseye won't show up either. I know how your mom feels. You just don't feel right, and know there is something wrong.

Bluemoon

 

[country lady]

Bluemoon, we have "seed" ticks around here. Are they the same as your deer ticks? They are very small too.

 

[Bluemoon420]

Quote:
Seed ticks are baby ticks. They have just hatched. Some say they can transmit Lyme disease, and some say they are baby lone star ticks. Lone star ticks don't usually carry Lyme Disease. I'd play it safe, and use bug spray anyway. A tick is a tick. They all can carry some disease or another.

Bluemoon