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.

My family used to get ticks every single week, due to deer using our garden. As a result I used to do a tick check every day at bath time. Most times the ticks would be tiny and the tick tool was useless because they were too small for it to hold them. So I just used a sharp fingernail to sort of 'scrape' it off as the head isn't embedded thoroughly.

If it was one that was slightly swollen (and yours clearly is op), then you could use the tick remover tool. At that point the head is embedded and you need to be more careful.

One time a tick was missed on my DS due to hiding in his thick hair at the back of his head/neck and my DS struggled so much while I was trying to get it out (was hurting him quite a bit by then) that it had vomited back into him, and it was half its size by the time I got it out. I took him to A&E after out of hours GP insisted I did and there was nothing they could do except advise me to monitor it and go back IF it was infected or he got ill. They don't give antibiotics "just in case"

Another time my other DS had a tick while at my friend's house and she had tried to remove it and the head got left behind. That required an A&E trip and a nurse got it out quickly (tried one sharp hook tool, that didn't my work then tried another thinner and sharper tool and out it popped).

The majority of the time if you catch it quickly it is easy to get the ticks off.

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

LOL. Statistically, 80% of Lyme disease rashes in the UK are supposed to be bull's eye, but I question this, because they hardly ever are the classic bull's eye when I see them in surgery/A&E (this is partly because they change over time). So I'd definitely come and admire a nice one. 😀

Glad you've got a tool now. Just slide the prongs under the tick and lift it off. No need to panic, it won't hurt, no digging involved and definitely never use vaseline etc. V low risk of Lyme's but keep an eye for a rash (there will be a mark from the bite which should go away on it's own). We get them a lot in Scotland. Best advice I heard was using a lint roller on our clothes during the summer. The ticks stick to it before they get a chance to bite.

Loads of ticks where we live. We have a selection of little plastic tick removers of different sizes which we get very cheap from the pet shop or pharmacy. You hook them round the body and twizzle around and the tick corkskrews out. Then you crush it! It looks like a biggish one, which is good as they are easy to get out. If she gets any flu symptoms, off colour or lethargic after go to the GP for anti biotics. I am sure she will be fine but they are horrible!

They don't give antibiotics "just in case"

They do in some areas that are high risk for Lyme in the UK.

Erythema migrans doesnt appear immediately and doesnt last forever.

lymediseaseuk.com/tick-removal/

This page has useful advice on removing ticks.

There was definitely digging involved when the head was left behind in my DC’s leg. The Consultant cut it out with a scalpel.
I agree they mostly slide out easily with the correct tool though.

And arguably they should do more, as they do in the US - the UK is weirdly resistant to taking Lyme Disease seriously.

It’s a careful balance with antibiotic resistance on the rise

The GP wouldn’t accept initially that it was Lyme in my family members case. Very frustrating!

I agree it’s a careful balance in terms of when to prescribe as a prophylactic though. Antibiotic resistance worries me, I’m surprised we don’t hear more about it to be honest.

Hmm. Yet antibiotics are given pretty readily for many less serious things.

We don't hear about it because it is so terrifying.

Like how many are given to animals in the meat industry/dairy industry <bleurgh>

Then we are not allowed them for medical conditions.

Imagine how bad it could have been if you the glowing hot part of a match so close to her skin like a pp told you to do.

I quite often remove ticks from my dh tummy as he walks his dog in a tick hotspot...he's had loads over the years...don't stress too much op they are not a big deal.

looks like a tick. you can make a tick twister by using kitchen scissors to cut a long narrow v shape out of a credit card/ library card etc. take the card and you want to slide it so that the body is caught in the point. and the card is between the body and the skin. it should be held securely by the neck. then twist/ flick it out. hope it helps.

Although you want rid of it, actually the longer you leave it, the easier it will be to remove. As the tick gorges, it will fill with blood and get bigger making it much easier to use the tool and get it out. If you can Vera it, I'd leave until the morning - chances are it will be simple to remove then.

Ticks are a nuisance but rarely a cause for concern. We live in middle of nowhere and they are a way of life for us and the dogs and other animals. Tick tool is always in the table by my chair!

Vera = bear

And arguably they should do more, as they do in the US - the UK is weirdly resistant to taking Lyme Disease seriously

The disease profile in the US is totally different. Although all Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia bacteria, there are different species of it in the UK vs US, and the way that the disease typically behaves is different, as a result.

And we are increasingly understanding how harmful antibiotics are, which means that you have to be really careful about prescribing them prophylactically. The risks of doing so almost always exceed the benefits. Antibiotics wipe out many of the microbiome ("friendly bacteria") of the body. We have known for a long time that they did this but we are only just understanding how profound the effects of changing the microbiome are. I know my prescribing has changed radically over the last decade, as a result.

Not really anymore. At least not near at my GP surgery or any of my patients. Only where there is a clear infection.

Get yourself over to sporner corner, I've a feeling you'll like it there

Use a credit card to push it out - they told me to do that at mini first aid!

I work in forestry & we have a standard letter on government headed paper to give to our GP should lyme disease be suspected. It's not really taken as seriously as it should be, especially by urban health care practices.

I avoid articles about antibiotics given to farm animals and any about the dairy industry in general. It’s bloody awful, but I’d hate a vegan diet. I know that’s really rubbish!