My First Tick!

[TobyLicious]

Aaarggh! I'm a 50 year old woman and have just found a tick on my ankle🤢
I had just got out of the bath so it survived a near drowning, it was still wriggling when I knocked it off! Little bastard has now been disposed of.
I've been walking Ddog in local parks and the grass is quite long. Back to socks and trainers and not flip flops I think.
Freaked me out tbh
Will I die? Do I need to do anything?
Yes i know I'm a wuss🤣

@ZZTopGuitarSolo had it been on them long? Our dogs are forever getting them so we just take them off, this has been happening for over 15 years now so maybe we're just used to it happening.

I will keep an eye out for additional symptoms though now you've mentioned it

Not had a tick before but somethings been feasting off one of my ankles as I have bites galore down there. 🤨

[quote ThorIsAGod]@ZZTopGuitarSolo had it been on them long? Our dogs are forever getting them so we just take them off, this has been happening for over 15 years now so maybe we're just used to it happening.

I will keep an eye out for additional symptoms though now you've mentioned it [/quote]
No sign of any tick on him at all - and he has short white fur so usually we see them. He just suddenly got very sick. It's fairly common where I live in New England. The vet had to run quite a few blood tests to get the diagnosis but he his platelet count plummeted which is one of the big giveaways.

Twist out anti-clockwise so as not to leave the head in there. I bloody hate those things, took dozens off my dog in the Lakes one year.

Don't twist! Pull straight up gently.

I've had three the last three days!! Wee shites. I must taste delicious.

Anti clockwise works a treat on the ones you find on pets with fur because you find them when they're bigger. Teeny Tiny ones on human skin are different as you find them by sight and tweezers can kill them before you can get them out if you squeeze too hard. I go for it because I'm reckless but I wouldn't tell anyone else to. Phone the gp. (I hope my husband never sees this as I tell him to bugger off when he advises the gp)

@Wakip

Don't twist! Pull straight up gently.

I thought this why is everyone saying twist? Surely that will twist the mouth parts off.

She. Y cat had one I read up and used pointy tweezers right at the base where the tick is attached and pulled up gently. It came straight off.

You should NOT burn or do anything that squeezes the tick's body as it then injects what it has inside it (including any pathogens) into you and you are more likely to get sick.

www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/how-to-remove-a-tick

@TobyLicious

The GP was reading up on it as I was on the phone I'm actually in a high prevalent area! The reason she was undecided is because I have a sore throat and that's not on the symptom list.

It's up to you but personally I would be pushing for treatment for Lyme. If you don't catch it early it can become a debilitating chronic illness.