Tick bite.

[LadyFlumpalot]

Help! I've just removed a tick from my foot (shudder) and trying very hard not to freak out.

Google is not helping with trying not to freak out as it's basically telling me I'm going to get any number of hideous diseases and die.

Any advice oh wise hive mind?

[Eva50]

Ah! Don't panic. We often get tick bites. Keep an eye on the area and if it becomes red, swollen or develops a red ring around the bite, visit your GP. Do you know when it happened. If it's removed promptly (I think it's within 24 hours) there's little risk of any problems.

[Blu]

Ugh. Sympathies. I met my first tick recently, horrid things.

I also panicked, but logic suggests that if everyone who got bitten was struck down with Lymes disease and everything else, we would be a very poorly nation and half the population of Hampshire would be flattened with illness.

Observe the advised precautions, seek help if you get ill or start to get reddening or the rash. . Did you put antiseptic on after you removed it?

[Lemonwords]

Lool up the bullseye ring associated with Lyme disease. Totally treatable early on but a nightmare if not. TBH I'd get some antibiotics just in case.

[lljkk]

Most bites are harmless.
Try not to worry about things you can't change.
If it comes out sore or very red in next 5 weeks, go see a doc.

[VulpesVulpes]

When you removed the tick did you see the head and legs on it? If you did, well done, you most likely have nothing to worry about. Generally ticks cause issues when they have been on for a while (unlikely as I'm sure you'd have noticed by that time on your foot!) or if they've been badly removed and part of their head is stuck inside.

You can always call NHS 24 for advice but generally if you got the head and it was still alive then you are most likely fine!

Haven't had any ticks myself but have removed plenty from my dog so I've gone from abject horror and disgust the first time to finding it all quite normal. I removed the last one from right under her eye two days ago in the car before murdering the little bugger (the tick obviously, not the dog). Also know of people who've had loads camping and never had any ill effects.

[LadyFlumpalot]

Thanks guys. I think it must have been today, this afternoon so only within a few hours. I'm 99% sure I would have noticed if it was yesterday.

It was already dead when I spotted it, probably squashed when I put my flip flops on or sat down.

It's a bit red now, but that's probably because I've scrubbed it with antiseptic!

[Globetrotter100]

Keep the tick. Glass with cling film. 100 X easier to test the tick as carrier of Lyme, than to test a human that's been infected by Lyme, if you want or need to.

I would also beg antibiotics if you see any signs of an inflammatory ring.

You can minimize injection of fluid on tick removal by instantly freezing the fucker with ether. Rigor mortis sets in, retraction of evil claws and it drops off on about 30 seconds. Big can of carburetor cleaner is what I use, do it outside as smells awful.

You can also buy tiny sprays of this for $$$ but actually you need loads to do the job properly.

Good luck.

[LadyFlumpalot]

Ahhh bugger, I flushed it already

[Globetrotter100]

OK, that's a mini one I think you'll be OK but keep checking for a reaction.

You basically have a 14 day window to kill a Lyme infection with standard antibiotics...after that it spreads and symptoms are so diverse and variable it's difficult to diagnose (hence advice to keep the tick itself!) never mind treat.

I'm sure you'll be OK.

[meridithssister]

My daughter had lymes after a tick bite but without the rash. Look out for flu like symptoms. Nasty little feckers

[LadyFlumpalot]

Thanks everyone, I'll keep an eye out for symptoms.

[Globetrotter100]

Meridith I hope she's OK now.

Also good to be aware that people who have repeated tick bites can develop anaphalactic reaction. Just saying. Prevention is always better than cure.

Once had a tick so huge the poison ate a small chunk of fat out of my arm It's like a permanent little pocket of nothingness under my skin. Weird.

I used to live on edge of the bush in Sydney = Global Tick HQ. DS and I have really bad reaction to ticks so got advice from a top tick specialist out there who'd been studying ticks for over 30 years. Amazing guy.

[LadyFlumpalot]

Please excuse gacky picture of my foot. Site of bite.

[LadyFlumpalot]

Just realised that I curled my toes up so it looks like I haven't got toes. I've got toes.

[VulpesVulpes]

Just looks like a normal bite the now, I had a worse insect bite on my bum the other day that swelled up badly and looks like a third nipple. No idea what little bugger caused it either grr.

[VulpesVulpes]

Also yup looks like you went a bit extreme on the nail filing haha!

[SallyVating]

Ooh now I'm cringing and wondering what's bitten me. A big lump about the size of a penny. There's a dot in the middle it's mad itchy and pulsating

I'm now terrified there might be a creature inside but I can't see one

[ppeatfruit]

OMG Sally Are you scratching it? Get it to the docs! In the meantime to kill any infection I would use T tree ess oil neat or Lavender ess oil which is amazing, it calms down the pain of bites really quickly. Good luck!

[ppeatfruit]

I had a tick bite me between the boobs!! It must have fallen from a tree. There are special removers you can buy from the vets which ,of course we bought afterwards, I used T tree immediately and it killed it. and any infection.

The doc said it was fine (bit embarrassing though)

[SallyVating]

I'm scared to touch it. Going to call ooh now.

I don't have any of those oils to hand but I've got some menthol cream.

[ppeatfruit]

Read the instructions on it, it might be good, have you used it? If you have and it has got worse then DON"T USE IT !!! Just cool salt water will help , or maybe a bit of ice (wrapped in a flannel first)!

[SallyVating]

It didn't make any difference really. I'm just waiting for ooh gp to call me back. I tried to get a photo but it's not very clear. It's on my knee

[ppeatfruit]

It looks like a hornet bite or a bad reaction to a mosquito bite. You poor thing

[VulpesVulpes]

Sally sounds like a mosquito bite to me. Usually fine depending on where you live but try not to itch it as that releases the stuff that makes it itchy again. I find ice packs help!

[SallyVating]

Thanks all of you. Spoke to gp who said it's unlikely to be anything dodgy given that I live in centralish London and rarely go near a blade of grass let alone a field full of sheep or adders.

The pulsating is probably because it's near a blood vessel - which makes sense. It is freaky to watch though.

Antibiotic cream and a visit to my own GP if it's not gone in a few days.