Ticks

So yesterday after working out, I go to shower and notice a weird dark speck above my hip. Yep, turned out to be a tick. Luckily, it was young, not engorged and pulled off very easily. Just left a pink spot the size of a hive. I think it got on me Monday afternoon from gardening.

Now I have the hibbie jibbies. I wound up calling this Nurseline through my insurance - the nurse said I should be ok since I caught it early and just be on the look out for the rash and flu like symptoms for a month. I called my doctor for a second opinion and the nurse there wanted to go the whole 9 yards with blood tests, antibiotics, etc. She sure changed her tune real quick when mentioned I'm on a high deductible plan and then told me the same thing as the nurseline.
I think I just witnessed the American medical scam today.

Anyway, anyone have any tick stories to share? Maybe I'll feel a little better, or not...

Ladies, cover your eyes for this one. Ok, I warned you.

When I was 15 I discovered a tick on my penis during gentleman's time. Took a little bit of penis skin with him when I pulled him off.

Other than embarrassment and having to wait for the wound to heal, no other ill effects.

CreamyGoodness said:

Ladies, cover your eyes for this one. Ok, I warned you.

When I was 15 I discovered a tick on my penis during gentleman's time. Took a little bit of penis skin with him when I pulled him off.

Other than embarrassment and having to wait for the wound to heal, no other ill effects.

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Penis with a tick... nm, I can't top that, or want to.

Do you know what kind of tick it was? Deer ticks (really small ones) are known to carry Lyme disease, while dog ticks (bigger, darker ones) usually don't carry anything nasty, but can still cause infection. If it was a deer tick, I'd get the Lyme blood test. My daughter has had Lyme disease and it also killed the original Gingerdawg (our Gloden Retriever).
Google deer tick images.
Also, be on the lookout for a circular brown bruise like rash around the bite. (looks like a archery target)
Google lyme rash images.

FYI a friend of mine had lyme disease when he was younger. Sounds like a horrible experience. I know someone else who had it as well and was much worse off.

I'm not trying to scare you, but it's worth the test IMO. Lots of people get it and hardly have any symptoms too.

Does early detection help at all though? If he finds out he has lyme right now, can he dodge the bullet?

Homercidal said:

FYI a friend of mine had lyme disease when he was younger. Sounds like a horrible experience. I know someone else who had it as well and was much worse off.

I'm not trying to scare you, but it's worth the test IMO. Lots of people get it and hardly have any symptoms too.

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It doesn't hurt to get checked out but I am a tick magnet, and knock on wood, have yet to have a problem.

I went camping a few weekends ago and now less than a dozen ticks on my shins and one on my stomach...It was a terrible experience.

I think it was a deer tick. The general consensus of what I have found on the net and talking to a co-worker who had a deer tick is to be on the look out for symptoms for the next month. The doctor's office was mainly pushing me to get a physical. It sounds like I have to wait a month anyway for a blood test to be accurate - they just really wanted to schedule me in to ensure $$$$$$

I am going camping this weekend in an area that's supposed to have a lot of deer ticks. I am stocking up on insect repellent as I type this.

I grew up in the woods and on farms mainly. I've had hundreds of ticks, never had an issue.

Although I was terrified by a friend of mine who recently had a tick bite and has since become indefinately allergic to red meats.

That kind of scared me more than thoughts of death.

Seriously though, don't freak out. Just wait and if something terrible happened through it, you will know, and you won't really be able to treat it beforehand.

My sister in law said carpet was too dirt retaining to have around infants. I'm just gonna toss my kids in a mudhole and tell them to build up their immunities.

If you saved the tick, you can send it in to get tested. That test is pretty cheap from what I remember. Back when I used to work for BLM, they had a policy that if you were bitten by a tick, they would have it (the tick) tested by a lab and if it was positive for lime disease then they would cover treatment.

Deer ticks are fine, they're a lighter brown color and have tan dots on their back. Bear ticks are what you need to be worried about, they're smaller, little larger than a pin head full grown, and are known to carry lymes disease. If a few days after you pull the tick off, you get a red ring around the wound like a bullseye, or like ringworm (if you've ever seen that), then I'd suggest you go see a doctor.

Lymes disease isn't THAT bad, but it's not something to mess with either. Expect to be layed up for a few weeks and to feel pretty ****ty (more family members than I can count have had it).

Here in Wisconsin, it's not uncommon to pick 10-15 off you a year, and that's if you don't do a lot of outdoors stuff. Where I grew up, going hunting all the time, messing around in the woods, I'd pull 5-10 off me a day.

Lastly, I've had one attached to my.....well, berries, little fellas, step-children....I think you get the picture.

HIM_Tattoos said:

Deer ticks are fine, they're a lighter brown color and have tan dots on their back. Bear ticks are what you need to be worried about, they're smaller, little larger than a pin head full grown, and are known to carry lymes disease. If a few days after you pull the tick off, you get a red ring around the wound like a bullseye, or like ringworm (if you've ever seen that), then I'd suggest you go see a doctor.

Lymes disease isn't THAT bad, but it's not something to mess with either. Expect to be layed up for a few weeks and to feel pretty ****ty (more family members than I can count have had it).

Here in Wisconsin, it's not uncommon to pick 10-15 off you a year, and that's if you don't do a lot of outdoors stuff. Where I grew up, going hunting all the time, messing around in the woods, I'd pull 5-10 off me a day.

Lastly, I've had one attached to my.....well, berries, little fellas, step-children....I think you get the picture.

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Interesting, I've never heard of them called bear ticks, so I googled it. Here's what I found:

"The scientific name of the blacklegged tick is Ixodes scapularis. Many people still know the blacklegged tick by another common name, the deer tick. You may also hear it called the bear tick. They are all the same tick.

The blacklegged tick is much smaller than the wood (or dog) tick.

"
Must be a regional thing.

Aah, that makes sense to me. b/c I've always heard the "deer ticks" were the ones that carried the Lymes disease.

*shrug*

What ever the case, I hate ticks. Even more so when they get ya where it counts!

gingerdawg said:

Interesting, I've never heard of them called bear ticks, so I googled it. Here's what I found:

"The scientific name of the blacklegged tick is Ixodes scapularis. Many people still know the blacklegged tick by another common name, the deer tick. You may also hear it called the bear tick. They are all the same tick.

The blacklegged tick is much smaller than the wood (or dog) tick.

"
Must be a regional thing.

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Not a regional thing. We do call them deer ticks around here too. Tattoos was just mistaken.

I almost lost my dog to a tick-borne disease last fall. I thought, since she is vaccinated against Lymes disease, I didn't have to worry about ticks. WRONG!!!! She had anaplasmosis, and it almost killed her. She is going to get a good dose of Frontline from now on.

CreamyGoodness said:

Ladies, cover your eyes for this one. Ok, I warned you.

When I was 15 I discovered a tick on my penis during gentleman's time. Took a little bit of penis skin with him when I pulled him off.

Other than embarrassment and having to wait for the wound to heal, no other ill effects.

Click to expand...

When I was maybe 7 or 8 and taking a bath, I found a HUGE tick on my nut sac. It was all swole up, and when I touched it, it wiggled its legs. Freaked-me-the-hell-out. I already knew not to pull them, so I ran, screaming, to my Dad. He thought it was hilarious.

Once he got control of himself enough to form a sentence, he called my Uncle, who brought my Aunt, to "come see this!" Yeah. Great. How about I go stand out by the road and show the whole city?

Well, I did, because these whack jobs were telling me stuff like they'd have to burn it off with a cigarette or maybe douse it in lighter fluid... and then burn it off.

I ran all over the complex, again screaming, and naked, something like "DON'T BURN MY THINGS OFF! YOU'RE GOING TO BURN EM ALL OFF!" Or something like that.

It took all three of them to catch me and hold me down. I don't remember how they got it off. I don't remember anything really between almost getting hit by a car and sitting on my bed, holding my nuts.

It all turned out okay and I never needed help with that, ever, again.

And they were right. A little lighter fluid, maybe some gasoline, and they fall right off.

Zuljin said:

When I was maybe 7 or 8 and taking a bath, I found a HUGE tick on my nut sac. It was all swole up, and when I touched it, it wiggled its legs. Freaked-me-the-hell-out. I already knew not to pull them, so I ran, screaming, to my Dad. He thought it was hilarious.

Once he got control of himself enough to form a sentence, he called my Uncle, who brought my Aunt, to "come see this!" Yeah. Great. How about I go stand out by the road and show the whole city?

Well, I did, because these whack jobs were telling me stuff like they'd have to burn it off with a cigarette or maybe douse it in lighter fluid... and then burn it off.

I ran all over the complex, again screaming, and naked, something like "DON'T BURN MY THINGS OFF! YOU'RE GOING TO BURN EM ALL OFF!" Or something like that.

It took all three of them to catch me and hold me down. I don't remember how they got it off. I don't remember anything really between almost getting hit by a car and sitting on my bed, holding my nuts.

It all turned out okay and I never needed help with that, ever, again.

And they were right. A little lighter fluid, maybe some gasoline, and they fall right off.

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You sir, win for the funniest story!!!

Weird, I've always been under the impression that "deer" and "bear" ticks were different...learn something new everyday...I'll have to edumacate mahs families as well.

As someone who's had Lymes, tick bites are not a laughing matter.

In my case, I didn't even know I was bitten and developed no bulls-eye rash. Everything was fine until one morning I woke up with the worst headache of my life and later that night came down with a fever of 104F accompanied by intense bouts freezing/burning sensation and chest pain. Honestly, I didn't think I was going to make it through the night. Luckily, the next day I was feeling somewhat better and a few days after that I was perfectly fine. I never got medical help since at the time I didn't have health insurance and I was out of state in the middle of nowhere.

Not long after I got back home, I noticed I had a rash covering my back, arms, and legs. I then went to a doctor where I was tested and given antibiotics. I had an immediate reaction to the meds and another bout of 100+F fever for a day or two. It sucked. Luckily I had caught the Lymes pretty early (within 3 weeks) and have not had any major side effects.

Therefore, be aware that not all tick bites show signs of Lymes and if you are bitten and feel sick, get tested immediately. I am very lucky compared to some people who waited to get treatment and now have serious complications. And lastly, take the time and use insect repellent when going out in the woods.

I just cackled like a crazy person. That was some funny mess.

Zuljin said:

When I was maybe 7 or 8 and taking a bath, I found
a HUGE tick on my nut sac. It was all swole up, and when I touched it, it wiggled its legs. Freaked-me-the-hell-out. I already knew not to pull them, so I ran, screaming, to my Dad. He thought it was hilarious.

Once he got control of himself enough to form a sentence, he called my Uncle, who brought my Aunt, to "come see this!" Yeah. Great. How about I go stand out by the road and show the whole city?

Well, I did, because these whack jobs were telling me stuff like they'd have to burn it off with a cigarette or maybe douse it in lighter fluid... and then burn it off.

I ran all over the complex, again screaming, and naked, something like "DON'T BURN MY THINGS OFF! YOU'RE GOING TO BURN EM ALL OFF!" Or something like that.

It took all three of them to catch me and hold me down. I don't remember how they got it off. I don't remember anything really between almost getting hit by a car and sitting on my bed, holding my nuts.

It all turned out okay and I never needed help with that, ever, again.

And they were right. A little lighter fluid, maybe some gasoline, and they fall right off.

Click to expand...

If you do get bitten by any tick, always save it. Put it in a ziplock and throw it in the freezer. If you have any symptoms at all, take the tick and yourself to the doctor. They will test it to see if it was carrying anything.

Deer ticks carry Lymes but Dog ticks can also carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Not as bad as Lymes but you still don't want it.

The bite area may itch for up to two months but if anything else but a red spot happens, get to a doctor.

The last bite I had turned out to be Lymes negative but before they figured it out they put me on Doxycycline for a month. As soon as I found out I was negative, I stopped taking it. I am sure it is better than Lymes but that stuff is brutal. It actually made me so dizzy I fell down at work and couldn't stand up. Of course as the a-hole I worked with just stared at me and then walked away. He better never hurt himself because that is the second time he walked away from me being injured (first time I was blinded by sand because he left the air compressor valve on).

On another hilarious note. My buddy had a tick on his nutsack when he was a kid. His father DID hold him down and then burnt it off with a cigarette. Just say the word "tick" and he cringes.

Not as bad as a sack tick but I got a tick on my taint as a teenager. I was on a back packing trip with a girlfriend. We had been in a relationship only 3 weeks. The tick was in such an awkward spot that I had to have my kinda prudish girlfriend remove it. I thought i'd die from embarrassment when i had to talk her into removing it.

Be careful pulling out ticks. Their saliva is what carries the diseases.

If you want a repellent that keeps that little bastards off you check out permethrin. It will kill them on contact. I coated all my gear and clothes before a trip to Costa Rica. Only bites I got were from ants that swarmed my sandals when i stood on their nest in the dark.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin

Damn this thread has got me itchy now!

I just want to restate that contrary to one statement on here, lyme disease is a potentially very serious thing.

Lyme is very serious, but your chances of catching it with a tick bite aren't great. Of course it is there, but don't let it rule your life in fear, worrying about a tick bite. Granted your chances of catching it without a tick bite are much less, but thousands upon thousands of tick bites happen without lyme's being caught. Unfortunately like many medicines doctors prescribe you some people do catch it. Most of you must not have grown up in the country though, I've never known people to be so timid of the idea of ticks. I just yank em off and burn them with a lighter. Although in my yard I use an Ortho yard spray that works fantastically at keeping them at bay for the summer. Just hook it to my hose and water the lawn. In the woods, it's every man for himself.

Homercidal said:

I just want to restate that contrary to one statement on here, lyme disease is a potentially very serious thing.

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I hope you didn't mean my post. I just meant that I wasn't worried about it as far as my dog was concerned, since she is vaccinated. Sorry if I said it wrong.

dbhokie said:

Lyme is very serious, but your chances of catching it with a tick bite aren't great. .

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Kinda depends on where you live in the country. Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Northeast part of the country are where the highest concentrations are.
I personally know 8-10 people who have had Lyme diesase. Tattoo said he knows several, and I see he's in WI.

gingerdawg said:

Kinda depends on where you live in the country. Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Northeast part of the country are where the highest concentrations are.
I personally know 8-10 people who have had Lyme diesase. Tattoo said he knows several, and I see he's in WI.

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Fair enough I live in the rare south. I know people whom have caught it from tick bites, but I've had hundreds, and never caught anything that I know of. Spraying your yards really is a good defense though, I just end up in the woods a lot.

Bernie Brewer said:

I hope you didn't mean my post. I just meant that I wasn't worried about it as far as my dog was concerned, since she is vaccinated. Sorry if I said it wrong.

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I don't know. I didn't write down the name on the post. Just made it seem as though since the odds were poor of getting it to not worry about it.

This is good advice in general, but not worrying is not the same as being aware. Lots of people won't get an infection from a small cut, but you have to know the signs that point you to the doctor when need be.

There was a guy from the East who got real bad. I think he had lyme disease IIRC. Name escapes me at the present time. Big thread about it.

gingerdawg said:

Kinda depends on where you live in the country. Minnesota, Wisconsin and the Northeast part of the country are where the highest concentrations are.
I personally know 8-10 people who have had Lyme diesase. Tattoo said he knows several, and I see he's in WI.

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I live in the rare area, but close to the common area. I've had a tick on me like maybe twice in my whole life up here, and I've had several while visiting southern Indiana, Kentucky, WV, etc. while caving...

bierhaus15 said:

As someone who's had Lymes, tick bites are not a laughing matter.

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bierhaus15 said:

Therefore, be aware that not all tick bites show signs of Lymes and if you are bitten and feel sick, get tested immediately.

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Bierhaus is right, it isn't a laughing matter. If you don't catch it early it can be a lifetime chronic disease. A coworker just went through a year of chemo-like therapy because he didn't catch it early. I've been lucky and never had it, but working as a medic with the National Guard in Lyme, CT (where it was discovered), and then as a wildlife biologist I have a lot of experience with it and ticks.

The rash doesn't always happen. If you get even the sniffles in the next couple of months, go to your doctor, tell them you were bit by a tick, get a blood test, and get antibiotics before the blood test results come back. If the doctor won't give you antibiotics without testing positive go to a different doctor. The blood test only has a 50% detection rate. But IMO, I would save your money and not go to the doctor if you don't feel sick. That's my approach.

Plus, this time of year, the chance of the tick being infected is low. They probably haven't fed yet, which means they haven't been infected from a reservoir host for Lyme disease, typically white-footed mice. As we move into summer, the likelihood of a tick being infected increases, because they've already fed a couple of times.

As an avid bow hunter, I run into ticks quite often. Bow season is the first deer season to start here in NC, around late August/early September when the ticks are still a problem. I hunt primarily in swampy areas which doesn't help. I shot a deer back in late October that had quite a number of ticks on him; in his ears and underside of his legs. Our fall and winter was a bit warmer than usual, which may have also contributed. Regardless, they are nasty buggers.

Another thing I learned while talking to the nurseline nurse is that it's important to be up to date on tetanus shots. She said that ticks can also carry the bacteria that causes tetanus. If you've had the shot within the past 5 or 6 years, you should be okay. Anything longer, you'll need a booster. I had mine 4 years ago, so I'm good. She mentioned it might be a good idea to get the shot more often if you live near a woods or do outdoor activities a lot.

I have to say, these insurance 1-800 help lines are great. I feel like I'm talking to a salesperson every time I call my doctor's office. They even robo call me for flu shots (my employer pays for mine with an onsite nurse). My doctor is great, but the office really needs to back off.

From the Lyme Disease wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease

However, transmission is quite rare, with only about 1% of recognized tick bites resulting in Lyme disease; this may be because an infected tick must be attached for at least a day for transmission to occur.

Being in a high lyme disease area, the whole family has had to go to Urgent Care at some point over the past few years to get the prophylactic dose of antibiotics. Once we realized that the tick has to be attached for quite some time to transmit LD, we don't bother (unless we miss one, which is what happened to the dog earlier in the year).

broadbill said:

From the Lyme Disease wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease

However, transmission is quite rare, with only about 1% of recognized tick bites resulting in Lyme disease; this may be because an infected tick must be attached for at least a day for transmission to occur.

Being in a high lyme disease area, the whole family has had to go to Urgent Care at some point over the past few years to get the prophylactic dose of antibiotics. Once we realized that the tick has to be attached for quite some time to transmit LD, we don't bother (unless we miss one, which is what happened to the dog earlier in the year).

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Prolly why I don't see it as much with my friends who get tick bit a lot. We live in a rare area, and it is habit to daily check for ticks.