Bit By A Tick...
 

Yesterday I was bit by a tick on the top of my head. I got the whole thing off of me.. But it's still kinda painful today.. I thought I had a scab, but it was def. a tick. What should I look for...

Ticks can cause a lot of problems because when they bite they latch on to you and feed from your blood. To do this they bury their head/ mouthparts deep into your skin. If you just pull them off and don't use the right tool you can often get their mouthparts stuck within your skin as they have barbs in them that prevent them from being pulled out easily (sounds yucky doesn't it!). I suspect that as it is still hurting this is what has happened. Your body can start a reaction to it and the area can swell up quite a lot and can leave you with a lump for quite some time which may harden. Often they become infected and create an abscess which a doctor has to lance. If a lump forms/ the pain doesn't ease you should get it looked at by a doctor.

As well as this, especially in the US, ticks can be vectors for disease (transmit diseases from person to person), one of which is Lyme Disease. Symptoms for this start out like the flu and then can prgress to muscle/bone problems, a rash that's like a target around the bite (it can occur anything up to a month after), muscle twitching, problems within your brain causing things like loss of balance/ worsening co-ordination, psychosis/mood changes and problems with sleeping. If you develop these symptoms go and see a doctor straight away as it is prevalent in the US. I'm not saying you will develop it, just that there's a chance so it's worth telling you what to watch out for.

Is there anyone who can check out where the tick bit you and pull out any icky bits and maybe wash the wound just because they can see it better?

It's hard for people to pull them out because they are tiny and if you try and force it the end of it is likely to break off. But yeah, try and get someone else to look and see if they can see anything

I'm gonna get my "mom" to look at it. She's a nurse... I'm just scared that it's carrying a disease.. My bestfriend got Rocky Mountian Spotted Fever when she was 2 1/2 from a tick..

Was it a wood tick (medium sized, flat, brown, noticeable) or a deer tick (about the size of a poppy-seed/a few grains of salt)?

For future reference, to get ticks out properly, you get a cotton bud dipped in methylated spirits and dab it, or aeroguard (dont know what your equivilent would be) but these things make them unbury themselves, so you can get the whole thing out rather then just breaking off its bum and lelaving its head in you.

Putting a gob of petroleum jelly on the tick also accomplishes this.

She looked at my head and said it was fine.. And said that the pain was normal. So, I don't know.. But it sux and it scared me because it was the first time I got bit by a tick.. And it was medium sized, and brownish red...

I was on antibiotics for 5 years from Lyme. Where I live many doctors will give people who had tick bites antibiotics for a few weeks for "prophylactic" care or prevention because its well worth it. I never had the lyme rash (and many people don't) and it simmered for months before I woke up one morning losing vision and hearing and being stiff as a board. I would go see another MD if I were you.

Sounds like it was a wood tick. All ticks are very potentially dangerous, but, wood ticks are a lot less likely to carry serious diseases.

Sorry if I scared you. The chances are that you don't have anything but I thought I best warn you because of the potential for a pretty serious disease.

The most common problems are a reaction by your body or an abscess forming. The reaction by your body will just form a lump which may become hardened over time and may take a long time to go and you may be left with remanants of it. An abscess is a lump containing pus. Often it is softer than a reaction and doctors should look at these.

It depends what area of america you live in to what tick it could be and I don't know US geography but looking at the map I'm guessing it's quite warm where you are? But by your description it sounds most like one of 2 families of tick, The Ixodes ones (sorry, I don't know their common name, only the latin!) which can cause problems in people (but by the looks of it they are relatively rare where you live as well as low levels of Lyme disease present there so you'll probably be fine) or the Rhipicephalus ones which are pretty harmless.

I'd say just keep an eye on it but see a doctor straight away if you develop problems

Ok thanks all!

Lately for the past two days I've been getting a headache, and my muscles and joints started to hurt and get hot. My hands especially. My neck and back are also really sore...

Your going to have to see another doctor. I had to go to 4 before I found one who understood the situation. If you doctor doesn't see a lot of Lyme etc your in for an upstream swim. Here is The North Carolina Lyme Disease Foundation and their symptom page :

http://www.nclyme.org/symptoms.html

Here is the Lyme Disease Association:

http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/

Notice what they say:

"The diagnosis of Lyme Disease is based principally on clinical findings. Results of serologic testing are supportive."

That means even if a Lyme test comes back negative its not considered conclusive if your still showing symptoms. I have seen people with Bell's Palsey and frozen stiff and their Lyme tests are negative. Half the people who get it never have the EM rash the rookie doctors all look for or even a positive test.

Call the groups and find out what docs are close to you that can help. Since you've been bit and feel off its not a big deal for a doc get you on antibiotics for a bit. Its also cheap now. I went three years before knowing what I had an the IV antibiotics cost thousands.

Rookie docs will also often want to give doxycycline which is bacteriostatic (means it keeps bacteria from reproducing). Something like amoxycyline is bacteriostatic and kills bacteria (better)

You can PM me anytime if you like.

Go and see a doctor. It could be that it is something totally unrelated or it may not be. Because of the chances of Lyme disease and a couple of others it is definately worth you going to see your doctor ASAP.

Is it possible for someone else to look around where the tick was or is it all covered in hair? Is there a lump there (which you should feel) and is it red/hot/painful? It could always be it's abscessed and your starting to see the signs of septicaemia.

If you don't have the symptoms of an abscess around where the tick bit (which is more likely that Lyme Disease in your case) then it's a good idea to still go to the doctor, explain to the doctor you've been bitten by a tick, your symptoms and how you're worried about the possible chance of Lyme Disease. The fact that it is only a week after and it often takes Lyme Disease a couple of weeks at least to incubate and the low prevalence of Lyme Disease in your area makes me think its not that but it could be another of the ones which the carry (Such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever) or it could be a virus that you've picked up somewhere. It's a good idea to speak to your doctor and go on a preventative course of anti-biotics.

I talked to my mom and she said the joint and muscle pain is a result of a flare up (i have ehler's danlos syndrome) and that it probably isnt lyme disease because of me not having a rash.