Suspected tick bite

[firstdatesfear]

I went running in the park this morning, had a lovely time because the weather was so beautiful so after i finished I sat for a while on the kerb on the park- perhaps for about 30-40 mins. While there I noticed a purple mole on my leg, it had a tiny bit of blood coming out of it. I felt inside my running tights in case something had scratched it, couldn’t find anything but I made a mental note to look up ‘purple bleeding moles’ later on. Kept an eye on it later but then went out in the afternoon and didn’t think anything of it.

Late evening on my way back home I realised my leg felt a bit funny where the ‘purple mole’ had been so when I got home I had a look. It’s not purple anymore but red. It’s all itchy and the skin is warm and feels ever so slightly swollen. It’s a bit sore to the touch but fine. The red spot doesn’t disappear with pressure.

It’s got no bullseye around it and while my throat feels sore as do my muscles, I’ve not drank enough today and ran about 9km this morning so that’s no shock. I had to take painkillers mid afternoon for a bad headache but I often get them after running.

Obviously I’ll see what it’s looking like in the morning. But is a tick bite the most likely explanation? Is there a danger I could have Lyme disease?

Google tick bite. They tend to be more of a bullseye circle. That doesn’t look like the classic tick bite.

Obviously do get checked out but I don’t think you need to worry too much.

The bullseye rash does not develop immediately usually about 7 days after the bite. So keep an eye on the area and if you see it go to the GP at that point. Different areas of the UK have different risk factors for Lyme.

It said after 3 days for the bullseye rash. This morning I now have a bit the other side of the same leg, further down on the ankle. Both are itching furiously!

Could just be a reaction to an insect bite, my DS had very similar on his arm, we put antisahn (spelling?) cream on it and monitored it, maybe draw a biro line around the red just to check its not spreading. He was fine by the way, we just kept a close eye. It did itch but went off after a couple of days.

Itching sounds much more like a mosquito rather than tick bite particularly if you now have more.
Bullseye rash can be as early as three days, but more typically 7 to 28 days post bite though can be up to three months.

Could be all sorts? I get bites all the time like that, OP. Very annoying but I don't assume the worst. Technically, Lyme disease takes weeks or even years to develop. This is the type of rash that would ring the big alarm bells.

You can get a tick bite and not get Lyme disease. Plus apparently risk is less the less time they were attached. So if it was a tick then it wasn’t attached for very long which is good.

Having said that Lymes disease is serious so do get checked if you are worried.

... DC & DH have had tick bites (long ago) with no after effects. Don't know why but suddenly DS had to brush a load of biters off himself after playing in the garden one day (years ago).

Can cats get lyme disease? we pull a tick or 2 off of one of the cats every year.

Keep an eye over the next couple of days. Not a doc but my understanding is you don't have to get a bullseye rash for Lyme, not everyone does. If you get fluey symptoms, see your gp and mention possible tick exposure to be on the safe side. Sore throat and headache the same day does sound a bit soon.

From personal experience, tick bites aren't very itchy, but others may disagree;

Cats can have the bacteria without getting the full blown disease (who knew)?

Hi, I have a very similar bite. Did you finally find out if it was a tick bite? Were you ok? Thanks a lot