Do you freak out when you get a tick?

[DrSally]

I live in CT, where lyme disease is rampant. The doctor said basically all ticks here carry something. I noticed a tick on my lower neck this morning before taking a shower. It must have been there since 6p last night when we were outside playing with DS. I freaked and yanked it out, leaving the legs (ewww). I had to try to get those out with a tweezer. The doctor said to come in if I hadn't gotten it all out. She removed the small speck left and said I wouldn't get lyme b/c it hadn't been in for more than 24 hours. This is what the mayo clinic website said too, that it has to be in for 24-36 hrs. I'll still watch for symptoms. She said it's very rare to contract lyme and not get symptoms. So, I guess if I don't have sx, I'm home free??? Any BTDT experience? This freaked me out b/c I'm bfing and ttc.

ETA: She didn't give me antibiotics b/c she said it hadn't been on there long enough

[DrSally]

I live in CT, where lyme disease is rampant. The doctor said basically all ticks here carry something. I noticed a tick on my lower neck this morning before taking a shower. It must have been there since 6p last night when we were outside playing with DS. I freaked and yanked it out, leaving the legs (ewww). I had to try to get those out with a tweezer. The doctor said to come in if I hadn't gotten it all out. She removed the small speck left and said I wouldn't get lyme b/c it hadn't been in for more than 24 hours. This is what the mayo clinic website said too, that it has to be in for 24-36 hrs. I'll still watch for symptoms. She said it's very rare to contract lyme and not get symptoms. So, I guess if I don't have sx, I'm home free??? Any BTDT experience? This freaked me out b/c I'm bfing and ttc.

ETA: She didn't give me antibiotics b/c she said it hadn't been on there long enough

[MelissaTC]

I live in NC and we have a high rate of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever cases. My husband was bit by a tick in our yard and wound up in the hospital. He was misdiagnosed by two doctors before someone realized that he had the classic symptoms of RMSF. It was awful and scary. My dog also contracted the disease a few days after I gave birth to my son. We thought she was just adjusting to the new baby but nope!

Son long story short, YES, I freak about ticks!

[MelissaTC]

I live in NC and we have a high rate of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever cases. My husband was bit by a tick in our yard and wound up in the hospital. He was misdiagnosed by two doctors before someone realized that he had the classic symptoms of RMSF. It was awful and scary. My dog also contracted the disease a few days after I gave birth to my son. We thought she was just adjusting to the new baby but nope!

Son long story short, YES, I freak about ticks!

[dawell0]

From what I understand, no symptoms means that you are OK. Ticks freak me out too. This past weekend, I found one on my shoe when I hadn't had my shoes on since the day before (not attached to me at least). DH found one on his clothes the other day as well. Evidently, this year in my neck of the midwest, the ticks will be really bad because of the weather conditions all winter.

[dawell0]

From what I understand, no symptoms means that you are OK. Ticks freak me out too. This past weekend, I found one on my shoe when I hadn't had my shoes on since the day before (not attached to me at least). DH found one on his clothes the other day as well. Evidently, this year in my neck of the midwest, the ticks will be really bad because of the weather conditions all winter.

[DrSally]

THanks, I'm glad I'm not crazy for freaking out about it. I grew up in the midwest, but only had 1 tick my entire childhood. It seems really bad out here and we have deer in our yard all the time.

[DrSally]

THanks, I'm glad I'm not crazy for freaking out about it. I grew up in the midwest, but only had 1 tick my entire childhood. It seems really bad out here and we have deer in our yard all the time.

[DrSally]

Scary! I'm glad he finally got diagnosed. I don't know which is worse, the chemicals needed to spray for ticks or the ticks themselves. DH said we could spray, but I'd hate to expose us to all those chemicals.

[DrSally]

Scary! I'm glad he finally got diagnosed. I don't know which is worse, the chemicals needed to spray for ticks or the ticks themselves. DH said we could spray, but I'd hate to expose us to all those chemicals.

[brittone2]

we are in NC too and have loads of ticks in our yard. Everyone has had a few so far this season. Ick.

I don't freak about it, but we try to check ourselves and DS if we've been outside (pretty much daily). My DH has an uncanny ability to spot really, really small ones on DS thankfully.

I grew up in PA and we had tons there too. I was forever having to get them pulled out of my hair because I was always outside as a child. Maybe that's why they don't totally freak me out now, although I really, really dislike ticks.

[brittone2]

we are in NC too and have loads of ticks in our yard. Everyone has had a few so far this season. Ick.

I don't freak about it, but we try to check ourselves and DS if we've been outside (pretty much daily). My DH has an uncanny ability to spot really, really small ones on DS thankfully.

I grew up in PA and we had tons there too. I was forever having to get them pulled out of my hair because I was always outside as a child. Maybe that's why they don't totally freak me out now, although I really, really dislike ticks.

[momathome]

I just pulled one off of my 2 year-old the other day and found 2 crawling in the hair of my 6 year-old after she played in the woods at a friend's house. :( They gross me out big-time and we do have our yard sprayed for them since our area (eastern PA) is covered with them. Gross, gross, gross!

[momathome]

I just pulled one off of my 2 year-old the other day and found 2 crawling in the hair of my 6 year-old after she played in the woods at a friend's house. :( They gross me out big-time and we do have our yard sprayed for them since our area (eastern PA) is covered with them. Gross, gross, gross!

[DrSally]

Do you feel ok about the spray? I haven't done any research on it. I'm sure it doesn't totally eliminate ticks, but any reduction would help.

[DrSally]

Do you feel ok about the spray? I haven't done any research on it. I'm sure it doesn't totally eliminate ticks, but any reduction would help.

[MeAndMyStar]

I'm kinda late to reply, but wanted to add. I had Lyme Disease about 5 years ago (I lived in southern RI at the time, wooded area). I have learned that the ticks that usually carry Lyme Disease are the nymphs, or, baby ticks. They are super small...but you have to have them on you for at least 24 hours to contract the disease.

I'm always going over DD like crazy after we are out anywhere where there might be ticks. Also, you should be careful with stone walls. My backyard had one, and I never really thought about it, but where there are stone walls, you have mice. With mice, you get deer...and deer ticks. I'm a fanatic about deer ticks now! Oh, and BTW, you do not need to get the bulls-eye rash to have Lyme Disease either.

Sooo...the larger ticks usually do not carry LD, I wouldn't worry. I felt like I had the worst flu of my life when I had LD and sought treatment right away, but a friend went undiagnosed for 3 years with LD and now has Rheumatoid Arthritis (possibly brought on my the Lyme Disease). Not to scare you...but the ticks you don't see without close inspection are the ones you have to worry about. HTH.

[DrSally]

Thanks for your reply. I'm glad you caught it! I had also heard the deer ticks were the most dangerous. How do you even see them?? DS and I have darker skin, so it's not like it would stand out a lot. Although you didn't have the rash, you did have the flu sx... I guess I was worried that you could have no symptoms and still have it, but that doesn't seem likely from what I've been told. Good to know about the stone walls, they're all over here. Lyme disease is scary!

[momathome]

I feel better about the spray then I do about removing ticks from my kids and dog. It really has made a world of difference. I also have kids who freak out at the sight of any bug in our yard so the times I have found ticks on them have been quite traumatic. The service we use says that you should have a new treatment applied every 30 days but we have found we can get away with one treatment in May and another treatment in July and be good to go for the whole summer. It takes 30 minutes for the treatment to dry on the lawn and then it is safe for kids and dogs to go outside. HTH!

[hardysmom]

We live deep in the Oklahoma woods... our dog went missing for 24 hours last week. Thankfully we found him, though it took me 2 days to wash/dip/pull out the ticks. I lost count at 200. Yes, 200!!! The vet didn't think we should even bother with the tick blood-screen and just started him on major antibiotics.

Pretty much, if you go in our yard, you'll have a tick check. Our winters keep getting more mild and the ticks seem to be getting more resistant to sprays. There are places back in the woods where they swarm. Ewwww...

I hate the huge itchy welts that seem to never go away. So far as spraying-- Living in a place like this, it is a no-brainer. The dangers of spray is so out-balanced by the volume of infected ticks (and other biting insects). If i lived in town, I would probably feel differently.

DS had to go to the ER last year for a very bad reaction to a tick on his, ummm, privates, which then became infected with an awful antibiotic resistant staph. It was very scary- I've never seen such horrid swelling. It was very, very frightening.

We have mostly the tiny seed ticks/deer ticks which carry awful bacteria. They are said to be the worst and are tiny, tiny, tiny.... The "Lone Star" ticks are icky, but easy to find/remove.

So gross.

Stephanie

[DrSally]

OMG!! 200 ticks! I have heard that they tend to hide in the groin area, prob by crawling up your shorts? Your poor DH!