Tick Bite
It was at a cookout this past Saturday evening when I felt
a bit itchy right above my right knee. I figured it to be a
simple mosquito bite. I immediately put on some bug spray
and didn't think about it the rest of the evening.
When I woke up on Sunday morning, I had a huge rash that was terribly swollen in that same area. It was both itchy and painful. The rash was circular--about 5 inches in diameter.
On Monday morning, I went to my doctor, who diagnosed this as a tick bite. Ouch! The tick was not attached, thank goodness. But ticks sometimes carry Lyme Disease, which was obviously a big concern for me.
To play it safe, I'm on amoxicillin for the next two weeks. That and Benadryl have both helped the redness and swelling to go down. Now it just feels tender to the touch--like I have a black and blue.
I'm guessing I likely got this bite while camping out at the Relay for Life event on Saturday. Although I was wearing long pants, they were a loose fit. Next year, I'll be applying one of the EPA-approved tick repellents as noted in the prevention article below:
Preventing Tick Bites
Ticks like to rest on low-lying brush and 'catch a ride' on a passing animal or person. The areas that hold a high risk of tick infestation are wooded areas, low-growing grassland, and the seashore. You should exercise caution where you go.
To reduce your chance of getting a tick-bite:
1) Avoid tick infested areas, when possible. Avoid short- cuts through heavily wooded, tick-infested areas. Use caution when you are entering tick-infected areas. Stay in the center of paths, avoid sitting on the ground, and conduct frequent tick-checks.
2) Dress properly. Wear light-colored clothing. This allows you to more easily see ticks on your clothing and gives you the opportunity to remove them before they can attach to your skin and feed. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. This reduces the skin area exposed to ticks. Also, tuck your shirt into your pants and pants into your socks. This keeps the ticks on the outside of your clothing and thwarts their efforts to crawl onto your skin. However, during warm or hot weather, this is not practical. So, if this advice is ignored, we suggest that you increase your vigilance in conducting tick-checks.
3) Use EPA-approved tick repellents. During the summer months, it can be inconvenient to wear pants and long- sleeved clothing, so using repellents can help protect yourself from ticks. Wash off the repellents when you return inside, and children should always have an adult apply the repellent for them.
4) Conduct frequent tick-checks. This includes a visual inspection of the clothing and exposed skin, followed by a naked, full-body examination in a private location. Be sure to check the scalp, behind and in the ears, and behind any joints.
5) Remember to check your pets too! This is not only for your pets' safety but for your family's as well. Pets can bring ticks in from outside and put you and your family at risk for infection.
Source: http://www.lyme.org/
When I woke up on Sunday morning, I had a huge rash that was terribly swollen in that same area. It was both itchy and painful. The rash was circular--about 5 inches in diameter.
On Monday morning, I went to my doctor, who diagnosed this as a tick bite. Ouch! The tick was not attached, thank goodness. But ticks sometimes carry Lyme Disease, which was obviously a big concern for me.
To play it safe, I'm on amoxicillin for the next two weeks. That and Benadryl have both helped the redness and swelling to go down. Now it just feels tender to the touch--like I have a black and blue.
I'm guessing I likely got this bite while camping out at the Relay for Life event on Saturday. Although I was wearing long pants, they were a loose fit. Next year, I'll be applying one of the EPA-approved tick repellents as noted in the prevention article below:
Preventing Tick Bites
Ticks like to rest on low-lying brush and 'catch a ride' on a passing animal or person. The areas that hold a high risk of tick infestation are wooded areas, low-growing grassland, and the seashore. You should exercise caution where you go.
To reduce your chance of getting a tick-bite:
1) Avoid tick infested areas, when possible. Avoid short- cuts through heavily wooded, tick-infested areas. Use caution when you are entering tick-infected areas. Stay in the center of paths, avoid sitting on the ground, and conduct frequent tick-checks.
2) Dress properly. Wear light-colored clothing. This allows you to more easily see ticks on your clothing and gives you the opportunity to remove them before they can attach to your skin and feed. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. This reduces the skin area exposed to ticks. Also, tuck your shirt into your pants and pants into your socks. This keeps the ticks on the outside of your clothing and thwarts their efforts to crawl onto your skin. However, during warm or hot weather, this is not practical. So, if this advice is ignored, we suggest that you increase your vigilance in conducting tick-checks.
3) Use EPA-approved tick repellents. During the summer months, it can be inconvenient to wear pants and long- sleeved clothing, so using repellents can help protect yourself from ticks. Wash off the repellents when you return inside, and children should always have an adult apply the repellent for them.
4) Conduct frequent tick-checks. This includes a visual inspection of the clothing and exposed skin, followed by a naked, full-body examination in a private location. Be sure to check the scalp, behind and in the ears, and behind any joints.
5) Remember to check your pets too! This is not only for your pets' safety but for your family's as well. Pets can bring ticks in from outside and put you and your family at risk for infection.
Source: http://www.lyme.org/
It's good that you went to the doctor right away and got an antibiotic. I got a tick bite while camping last month and didn't think much of it. ...until I got home and was very, very sick. The doctor suspected Lyme disease and I tested positive. So you never know. The whole time I was camping I was worried about the bears! Never saw one. I should have been looking out for the ticks!!!
http://quiltswithlove.blogspot.com/2007/07/opposition-in-all-things.html
Posted by: Vivian | August 15, 2007 at 04:40 PM
thats a interesting tick bite. had ticks before and all i get afterward is a itchy lump.. depending on the tick i suppose for the toxic/lyme disease tho.. hope the rash goes down soon.
Posted by: tiffany | August 19, 2007 at 01:02 AM
You are fortunate that you got the rash. Many people with Lyme Disease never get the rash and the tests are not completely reliable. I'm a little worried that your doctor is only giving you antibiotics for two weeks. Read the recommendation of one of the experts here: http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/drbguide200509.pdf
All the best to you.
Posted by: Sheree | August 19, 2007 at 09:57 AM
I'm so glad both of you got prompt medical care. It's one of those things that is easy to fix early on but so difficult later. It's also important to be careful about bats. My daughter was sleeping in a 4H barn at a fairground last summer. She saw a lot of bats swooping in and out and when she got home she did some research on the Internet. It turns out that if bats are around a sleeping person that person can be bitten and not know it because the bites can be very small. On the advice of her doctor I took her for the series of rabies shots at our health department. They encouraged us to share our experience because people are by and large unaware of the danger. The shots are not as difficult to go through as they used to be. My daughter said they didn't hurt at all.
Posted by: Kelley | August 20, 2007 at 02:06 PM
So glad you caught this early. Your readers should be advised that when dealing with ticks bites, it is important the doctor always put you on antibiotics, even as a precaution. Lyme disease closely mirrors many other neurological diseases, and a few years down the road..when syptoms occur, we may not remember that tick. Countless money, stress, tests, and doctors visits insue..and even that may end in a misdiagnosis, or no diagnosis at all. Many MS patients find after years of treatment they actually have Lyme. Always ask for a "Western Blot" test. Tiffany is dead on, Lymediseaseassociation.org has much information on this subjuct. It is our duty to keep health care professionals aware. If the doctor doesn't treat with antibiotics for a tick bite...or doesn't want to test for Lyme...do yourself a favor, find one who does.
Posted by: Britt | August 26, 2007 at 06:24 PM