To think this is a tick? (Urgent!!)

[britneyisfree]

Please help, I'm not from the country so I know nothing about stuff like this.

My DD went for a walk with nursery and has come home with this on her leg. She says it hurts.

What’s the accident or emergency? If it doesn’t come out or doesn’t come out whole it’s a GP job tomorrow.

Doctor in New forest … Fine tipped forceps to grasp the tick at the base close to the skin . Pull slowly and firmly. No need to twist.
or you can use use a tick remover device/ twister.

then clean the area with soap and water.

111 and the A&E Consultant disagreed when it happened to my DC. Also I suspect a GP would refuse to dig it out with a scalpel nowadays, they generally don’t do “minor surgery” in practices locally anymore. Maybe other in areas GP’s still do.

Watch a YouTube video for how to remove the tick properly using the remover BUT from your photo it looks too embedded to get out with a tick remover so you might need a health care professional to do it. Once it is out, put it in a freezer bag and in the freezer just in case she does become unwell in weeks to come. You can then get the tick tested incase it carries Lymes disease and it's much easier to deal with the doctors if you know this (for sure). Many doctors are still not up to speed with how life impacting this can be.
I always carry a tick remover with me (you also get little credit card ones that can go in your wallet). Also definitely tell the nursery so parents can check their kids. They can get ANYWHERE! hairline, behind ears, belly buttons etc and are sometime near impossible to spot if you are freckly.

Have a takeaway tub with some toilet paper on standby to put it into it means you can easily see if you got all out as they start to walk away on the paper!

Lyness doesn't always have a bullseye rash I would contact the GP just incase in my area of Scotland they tend to give antibiotics anyway but due to the area

This thread is insane. It's a tick, not a grenade.

I'm from an area (not UK) where there are bloody loads of ticks and they carry lots of nasties - 'tick typhus' - as well as Lyme Disease. We still manage to remove them ourselves.

The risk of Lyme Disease from a nursery walk in the UK is minuscule.
The risk of other bacterial infection (e.g. staph) from leaving a bit of the head behind is very low. In most cases, any left behind parts work their way out, or are broken down by the body, just like other small foreign bodies such as splinters.

Unclench.

(A&E doctor and GP)

When I got a tick I went to the minor injury place and they carefully removed it for me. I couldn’t see it properly and was so scared I wouldn’t get it all out.

Few days later I found another tick and trotted back to MI. Scary matron lady sprayed something on it and covered it in cotton wool to fall off. I was horrified. I said it will regurgitate it’s stomach contents and I came here to get it done properly. She was adamant spraying alcohol on it was fine.

I didn’t get any problems but it shocked me how differently the two people treated it in the same little hospital.

Yes, everyone needs to calm down, just pull the damn thing out. Risk is very minimal, I’ve had loads.

Also I suspect a GP would refuse to dig it out with a scalpel nowadays

I bloody well hope so. You should never dig out a foreign body in A&E or a GP surgery - you are far more likely to introduce infection than to prevent it. If you can't grasp enough of it to pull it out with tweezers or forceps, you either leave it or remove it under properly sterile conditions in theatre.

Oh dear. I pulled a tick out my leg just yesterday. I did it without thinking and only realised afterwards. I can't think where I might have picked it up from. I've since given it a really good squeeze and clean. I guess the chances of getting Lyme disease is quite low. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Go to chemist for tick remover. Eek!

She already has.

Can you show us a picture after it's been removed? I'm intrigued. Never seen anything like this before

I guess the chances of getting Lyme disease is quite low

You can get it anywhere in the UK, but the risk is low in most areas. There can be localised hot spots though. If you are in one of those, it is worth checking with your GP whether you should be on prophylactic (preventative) antibiotics but those are only recommended in very specific areas.

Keep an eye on the bite site. If it gets red or swollen at any point over the next few weeks, or if you get a rash anywhere in the general area, or if you feel unwell or feverish, seek medical help.

There is no need to panic.

Outdoorsey people (cyclists/walkers/scouts etc) will have a tick remover. Youtube will show you how to do it. You can do this OP

I think my DC must have had literally hundreds over the years of camping. The first few were a bit daunting to be fair.

@iloveyankeecandle okay sure thing!!

Dd (5) got loads on her neck and shoulders last year. Behind ears too. V satisfying pulling them out with tweezers.

The risk of Lyme disease is very low if you remove it straight away. The best thing to do with ticks is pull them straight off as soon as you notice them. They only transmit disease once they are full of blood and start regurgitating. Usually 24 hours or more. Or if you kill them.
Even if you leave the head it's unlikely to cause a problem butwat h for any redness developing around the site.

If infected you have 24 hours to remove it.

Here is a tick removal guide, this is a UK charity and they know their stuff.

www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/ticks/tick-removal/

Keep the tick in the fridge for some time (a month at least) just in case it is infected and you need a diagnosis.

www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/ticks/tick-removal/

My mum got Lyme disease from a tick bite but she hadn't noticed the tick for ages (about a week) before she pulled it out. She got a really big obvious bullseye rash around the bite and felt unwell with flu symptoms. I gather its rare as she got called to the Dr's surgery after the initial diagnosis so all the Dr's could have a good look at it! She's fine after 3 weeks on antibiotics

Hahah. Same here. The new forest is full of ticks! No need to panic

My little one had to have it dig out without local only about 3 years ago now.

im not sure if they still do it

“My little one had to have it dig out without local only about 3 years ago now.

im not sure if they still do it“

My DC had the head of one removed with cold spray to numb the area at A&E 2 years ago. I suspect a GP wouldn’t have done it locally. It was evening though and 111 sent us to A&E.

I’m glad you got a tick remover tool. You can also buy credit-card size/shaped ones with a magnifying glass bit, these are great to stick in your wallet. Outdoor shops will sell them. Then you have it to hand as soon as you see one attached.
Im an absolute tick magnet. As a child we’d invariably leave the head behind when pulling it out, but I never had any issues. I’m far more careful now though...! I’m horrified that a Gp would dig it out of anyone, particularly a child. Such a risk of infection, scarring, but surely also just horrible for the patient for no benefit!

I’m glad she’s recovered. My family member was I’ll for years and unable to work. So I don’t mess around with ticks and always check the DC carefully after being out in grass.