Tick bite - should I see the doc?

[Barkcloth]

I'm pretty sure I was bitten by a tick the other day (I wasn't in the uk at the time but got back yesterday). I'd had loads of mosquito bites so didn't notice it until a few days later when I realised I had a ring of bruised rash around one of my bites (the classic bullseye effect). I did feel achy and tired but to be honest we'd been doing a lot of walking, and I get achy & tired anyway!
I'm back home now and the initial rash has faded (pic is how it looks now) but it was very distinct on Saturday.

Should I see the GP, and if so, do I need an emergency appointment?

TIA

Maybe phone the doctor and get advice over the phone? I have been out walking in the Sw uk and 3/4 times noticed a tick that I have pulled off. I have never done anything apart from clean the area with alcohol. Did you pull the tick off? If you were bitten the tick would still be attached until you pull it off im pretty sure, unless you left it to drop off days later, which you obvs didn't!

No, I didn't even see the tick. However at one point I was stationary in a grassy area and felt something crawl up my leg so I shook my trousers and it stopped. There were loads of flies about so I'd presumed it was one of them. But there were a few times when I could have been bitten without realising it. I don't think the tick always remains attached.
On Saturday there was a very definite bullseye rash.

It doesn't look like a tick bite now but your description of it earlier does. Definitely err on side of caution and get antibiotics from the Dr. My partner has had years of issues from untreated lyme disease - it can actually be very serious.

Maybe phone or e-consult the GP if you are concerned, but if you didn’t see the tick, it just “fell off”, and you now have no markings I’d be very surprised if there was any kind of issue. It may not have been a tick - I’ve always had to take them off (me and my cats) with a tick hook and have generally had a red itchy spot for a few days afterwards. Were you in an area known for Lymes disease?

Which part of Europe? It's not just Lyme disease that's a concern with ticks in Eastern/Central Europe it's also tickborne encephalitis. Def keep an eye on symptoms and get checked if you can. It's hard to diagnose Lyme disease without the tick though they might give you antibiotics as a precaution.

It was in Italy.

I'm so annoyed with myself for not taking a photo when it was very distinct because as soon as I saw the rash on Saturday I thought "uh-oh!"

I'm a bit of a tick expert (me/children/animals etc) We're in a tick hotspot and you can't walk in our garden barefoot without finding one crawling over your foot.

Rest assured OP that ticks do not bite you and then drop off. They bite and dig in their mouthparts and feed on you for at the very least least 24 hours gradually getting larger as they fill up with your blood. If you have been bitten by a tick you would most likely have seen it attached to you and had to remove it yourself. The longer they are attached the more they seem to dig in as well (and the more risk of catching something).

Also if you felt something crawl up your leg it would be unlikely to be a tick. You can't feel really them on your skin. I can't remember what it's called but they have this special ability to walk on you with no feeling - that is why they are so successful at biting.

If you are still worried though just ask your GP for a blood test :)

Completely agree with @BloodyHellKen

We too are in a tick hot spot and I remove hundreds every year. I've never felt one crawl and they take quite a bit of removing.

The ‘modus operandi’ of ticks is to dig into the skin and feed until they’re engorged, and consequently big enough to see clearly, which takes a while! They don’t just bite and drop off. I would have thought you would have seen it.

I had a tick on my face and I did feel it crawling, I got hold of the crawling thing and there was the tick. Uggh.
Dd also felt one crawling on her leg.
So sometimes they can be felt .

@BloodyHellKen (love the username - Uncanny fan here too!) I wouldn't have thought twice about it had I not had a livid bullseye rash on Saturday (the photo was taken this morning and it has really faded). I'm only guessing that the crawly sensation was the tick as it could have happened any time last week. I had loads of mosquito bites too so it was masked.

Anyway, I have requested an online consultation with the doc so we shall see.

Op if you have the bullseye rash please do go to the doctor. There have been many instances of people not spotting the rash until after the tick has dropped off. It is entirely possible to get lymes disease from a tick that you don't notice. I speak from personal experience - go to the doctor. Untreated lymes disease can cause so many problems for years in the future

I agree with hellken that it's probs not a tick but if you've had a bullseye rash, I'd get a blood test for Lyme disease. It's v unlikely you've got it ( tick usually needs to be attached for 24 hrs or more etc) but the consequences of undiagnosed Lyme are pretty grim so it's worth being cautious. My son had a bulls eye rash (in France) with no tick attached, I showed the photo to the doc back here who agreed to do the test. He was clear, but I was glad I had it done. They have to wait till I think 3 weeks after the bite before they test.

GP called me and he thinks I should have the ABs just in case, so I will.

Thanks, all, for your advice