Just Found A Tick-Should I Be Nervous?

Went scouting this past Sunday just to kill a few hours. Now tonight I'm in the shower and I feel a bump that is irritated with the wash rag.. So I look at it and it just looks like a little dot. I pull on it, and quickly realize that it is a tick.

I pulled it off and dumped it in a plastic cup with bleach to kill it. Should I be concerned about Lyme disease? Is there anything I should do at this point to preclude infection, or is it too late at this point?

This was a small guy-about the size of a push pin. I can only assume that he was even smaller to begin with and is now larger due to my blood!

Somebody calm me down before I hyperventilate!

Your screwed.... J/K I have had em on me before and unless you get a headache or a rash or something I wouldnt worry

You can send him off if you want. Look up tick in texas and and a link should tell you who to send it to.

I'm not bragging when I say this, but I've literally had 100's of ticks attached to me. My record is 85 in a day, I hit a nest of seed ticks, it sucked.

I've yet to have any reaction or anything. Just watch the area if it starts swelling, gets infected, you get the bullseye look to it, or you feel pain in your joints, jaw or muscle tightness, go to the doctor.

The smaller the tick the less likely it is to have a disease since usually adult ticks which have sucked more blood from different animals are more likely to carry a larger variety of diseases.

Just watch the bite you should be fine.

Okay.. Thanks for putting my mind to rest..

I'll take this tick as a positive omen that a MONSTER buck lives back in there and the tick jumped on me by accident.. We're both regretting it!

Ticks are a way of life for some

Dude don't sweat it, it's just a tick, you'll be fine

don't worry about it, forget it and move on, if you get symptoms, you'll remember... have had ticks many times living in the sticks.... take a good shower and find them, or better yet have someone shower with you and find them.......

Please read my sig line.

LYME DISEASE SYMPTOMS IN MAN
In about 50% of the cases a characteristic rash or lesion called erythema migrans is seen. It begins a few days to a few weeks after the bite of an infected tick. The rash generally looks like an expanding red ring. It is often described as looking like a bull's-eye with alternating light and dark rings. However, it can vary from a reddish blotchy appearance to red throughout. And can be confused with poison ivy, spider or insect bite, or ringworm. At about the same time that the rash develops, flu-like symptoms may appear with headache, sore throat, stiff neck, fever, muscle aches, fatigue and general malaise. Some people develop the flu-like illness without getting a rash.

Seek prompt medical attention if any of these symptoms appear, especially after being bitten by a tick or visiting an area where Lyme disease is common. If possible document the presence of the rash by taking a picture because it may disappear before a physician can see it. A picture in this case is worth 10,000 words!

If ignored, the early symptoms may disappear, but more serious problems can develop months to years later. The later symptoms of Lyme disease can be quite severe and chronic. Muscle pain and arthritis, usually of the large joints is common. Neurological symptoms include meningitis, numbness, tingling, and burning sensations in the extremities, Bell's palsy (loss of control of one or both sides of the face), severe pain and fatigue (often extreme and incapacitating) and depression. Heart, eye, respiratory and gastrointestinal problems can develop. Symptoms are often intermittent lasting from a few days to several months and sometimes years. Chronic Lyme disease, because of its diverse symptoms, mimics many other diseases and can be difficult to diagnose.

TREATMENT
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. Timely treatment increases chances of recovery and may lessen the severity of any later symptoms in both animals and man. The most effective treatment will be recommended by your physician or in the case of your animals by your veterinarian and will depend on the stage of the disease. Treatment for later stages is more difficult often requiring extended and repeated courses of antibiotic therapy. In animals and man treatment failures and relapses are reported.

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/usr/jake/mosaic/lyme.html

Deer ticks are the only tick that can get infected with the baceria that is known to cause Lyme. They are very small. Actually you are more likely to get infected from a small tick in it's middle stage of life due to it being unnoticed and allowing it to be on you long enough to spread the infection. What I grew up calling "seed ticks" are probably Deer ticks in the two early stages. The primary host of the bacteria are mice therefore it is the first two stages when most ticks get infected. The third stage or adult tick not already infected can also get infected from a Deer that was previously infected by another tick. A Deer tick has to feed once between each of its three stages to complete it's life cycle. Google Deer Tick and Lyme. Creepy but interesting.

My vet told me lyme disease is VERY rare & didn't even suggest having my blood tracking dog get a Lyme disease vacc.

In the woods this time of year your bound to get a tick or two.Do a tick check afterwards.

have the wifey check your boys!

Your kinda worrying me. I have had many ticks before but have never freaked out about them before.

It should be alright

What I do, and I've been doing it for a long time so I know it won't kill you so what you do is take a "Q" tip and dip it in straight bleach.

Rub it over the tick and he may pull out, and if not it will kill him and pull him off with tweezers and try to get most of the head, then dab the area with the bleach, and then follow up with another Q tip of hydrogen peroxide.

Then you can put a little neosporin on it just to make you feel better.

The bullseye appearence is the classic sign. Stiff joints or difficulty touching chin to chest.

You normally have 24 hours to get a tick off befure it can spread disease and it is still rare. Like these guys said, don't worry about it but just check the area.

That being said my nephew, they believe, got Rocky Mountain Spotted fever in Missouri at camp a few weeks ago which is way worse that Lyme. He got extremely ill and had to go the hospital. They put him on 28 day supply of antibiotics and after 2 weeks is just starting to move around now. Those first symptoms don't hit until 5 to 10 days later. But some tests have shown it possibly wasn't RMSF. He never found the tick so they are still analyzing his lab work.

Haha rotfl!!

I've had the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I turned 21 years old in the hospital with a fever as high as 106*. It was no fun at all. I had a tick behind my left ear that infected me. I've had a bunch since then with no problems though. The most they cause is an itchy irritation.

Funny and true. Don't worry about it. I've pulled more than my fair share of ticks off of me. Still alive and kickin. Just goes with being outdoors.

Rub some dirt on it

and always check the boys

That's why I love this site-you get the right answers with a good mix of comedy!

In all of my years of being in the woods this is the FIRST time I've had a tick attach itself to me. I've found several of them on me before, but usually when you start to pluck them off they try to move away (not attached). This guy was "dug-in" and not wanting to be released.

I'll keep an eye out at the bite-site to make sure no rash appears. Where he was attached there is a little red spot (not circular?) today.

In regards to having someone check me... Well, after finding that little guy, I broke out the electric trimmer for some man-scaping. I asked the wife to help, but watching her hands shake-and seeing those moving blades in such close proximity to "the boys", I had to take the clippers from her and take care of business myself. She did help with the after-buzz inspection. No other hitch-hikers were found.

Usually I use Off in the green aerosol can with Deet and they don't seem to get on me as much. I just plum forgot to put it on this time. I'll be spraying down before I go into the woods again.

Anyone know if ticks will still be moving about the beginning of October for archery season? When do they go dormant?

TMI

I like your thinkin' sig

You'll be alright, congrats on getting your first tick out of the way.

If you think ticks are bad, wait until you get leeches.

Got leeches wading in a pond fishing. Pulled two off my ankle area and hooked one on the back of a spinnerbait. Caught a 3 pound Black Bass LOL. They did creep me out though. Kept thinking about the movie African Queen.

Dude.... You realy did not have to share that one with us.....

Which is worse- posting about it or actually knowing how to "man-scape"?

Ticks are bad around here this year. Every time I've went to the deer lease or went fishing this summer I've had 1 or 2 when I got home. I just tuck my pants in my snake boots and spray really good with Off, then check myself really good when I get home. Chances are you will be fine, just keep an eye on the bite.

No lie, my sister in law his lyme disease b/c of this.

Ticks are always gonna get ya.

These are the good ones. Pop a couple of these in your mouth and they make a refresing snack.