Tick bite advice

[Hopehope20]

Hi, just when I thought I couldn't possibly worry about anything more....I find a tick on me how worried should I be? Have any of you found ticks and it all been ok? Terrified about Lyme disease etc. I am an irrational worrier...and going to my doctor this week to finally admit that my anxiety is out of control...but even without that....I feel this does put me and my baby boy at risk....any advice on how I calm down about it would be much welcome. Thank you to you all....you have always been so kind xx

I had a tick bite about 10 weeks ago when I was 27 weeks and I'm fine! Lyme disease isn't hugely prevalent in the majority of the UK. I found a map online that gave the prevalence by county.

I think certainly mention it to your GP. The most important thing is to be aware of the potential symptoms and montior for these, and remember that it is easily treatable with a course of antibiotics.

I did quite a lot of googling and didn't find anything particularly terrifying. I had a slapped cheek scare earlier on and googling about that was much worse.

(I also have had 4 miscarriages prior to this pregnancy so am not exactly the most relaxed pregnant person!)

Have you managed to remove the tick using a tick hook? If you don't have one, go and get one - don't just pull it off, or you risk leaving bits of it behind, which can lead to a nasty infection

I was bitten by a tick a few years ago (unknowingly, I thought it was just a normal gnat bite). I let it go for about 3 weeks as I couldn’t see the bite and assumed it would disappear on its own.

Infected tick bites have a very distinctive bullseye pattern with a ring of normal skin tone followed by a ring of red/pink. This pattern doesn’t always appear but does in most cases. You can also begin to feel like you have cold/flu and feel a bit muddled in your thinking. NHS website has great information on symptoms and what to look out for. There is also a section on the What to Expect website www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/pregnancy-health/lyme-disease-during-pregnancy/

I developed Lyme and was given a course of anti-malaria tablets.
See the Dr as they can check it and give you tablets if it is Lyme. If caught quickly they can give you antibiotics which are fine to take in pregnancy.

I wouldn’t panic too much as the secondary symptoms (other than the bite) slowly develop over weeks and months and the bad cases that you hear about tend to be from bites that weren’t noticed or were undiagnosed.

Even after my long delay in getting treatment I was perfectly fine and have had no lasting effects. You’re ahead of the game as you saw it bite you so you can confidently see the GP and get the correct advice and treatment.

Easier said than done but try not to worry and let us know how your appointment goes. Good luck x

Thank you everyone. Thank you too Flamingo, it helps to rationalise and realise that the worst case scenario here is still manageable. I will keep an eye out for any symptoms which I guess at least means if I get any then I can feel confident to let my doctor know asap. What led to your diagnosis in the end? Did you get any of the specific symptoms like the bulls eye rash or the flu like symptoms? Thank you for taking the time to reply and help me out of the initial panic mode, I really appreciate it.

You’re welcome, it is scary at any time but especially when pregnant.

The bullseye rash developed within a day or two. It was on the back of my thigh so really awkward to see in the mirror! As it was summer I thought that the itchiness was still persisting even weeks after because I was sat in my chair at work and the heat was just making a normal bite irritated. After about two weeks I felt a bit “off” not ill, just lacking focus and concentration. Everything felt a bit disjointed but I didn’t connect those symptoms with the bite at all.

I complained about it to DM one day and she took a look at it (as only mum’s can insist on!). She mentioned the odd rash shape and pushed me to go to the pharmacy. I saw the pharmacist and showed her in the little booth. She didn’t think it was a bite and was concerned it was an allergy rash and told me to go to the GP. As it happened my GP is across the road and I went over after work and explained to the receptionist and she said I could be seen by the locum as it was so quiet.

The Dr took one look and diagnosed it immediately. She thought I’d been hiking or camping as it wasn’t very common here at the time but the only place I’d been was the garden. There are blood tests they can send off but these are renowned for being inaccurate so they err on the side of caution.

I had 2 weeks of the same antibiotics you get for malaria and was told that if any of the symptoms were still there when I finished the course, to go back. I was completely fine though and everything felt better after a week.

Keep a note of any symptoms you’re getting even if they’re hard to put into words. Might be a bit harder if you’re getting lots of pregnancy symptoms too but better to go with a list you can work through and give the Dr a full picture. Also might be worth taking pics of the bite site so you can see if it changes size, colour, shape etc over the time until your appointment.

Thank you for your informative response. I am very pleased to hear you made a full recovery. I feel informed enough now to know what to look for with the hope of catching anything early. Good idea about taking photos, I have started that today and keeping a log of symptoms etc. Thank you so much for your support xx

Hey @Hopehope20 my dad just got diagnosed with Lyme disease from a tick bite last week. I think the important thing is to remove the tick straight away, clean out the area and look out for the rash. If I were you I'd go to the GP now rather than wait for symptoms. Catching it early is so important. Once you do the antibiotics will clear it up. My dad has a test today to see if they've worked and he's clear so everything crossed for him and you

Hi, thank you. That is good news for him. How long after the bite did the rash appear? My doctor said they wouldn't do anything further at this stage unless I was showing symptoms so just a waiting game. Where abouts was your dad?

Oh sorry @Hopehope20 I missed that you'd already been to GP. My dad didn't notice the tick bite so his first indicator was the rash. I think it was within a week. He's showing no other symptoms now so hopefully they got it early and antibiotics will clear it. He's in Ireland - west coast

That is great he got it so quickly which as you say is key. I have had a fair amount of tick bites in my life growing up in the country in Somerset, just being pregnant this time I have convinced myself something bad will happen! Keeping a close eye on the bite and symptoms, I feel lucky to have even noticed the tick and the bite area looks much better today. I know I have a wait though to know for sure if I am out of the woods. Thank you for taking the time to reply and I wish all the best for your dad.

Hey,

Felt poorly through the night and have been up all night in a complete panic. No rash but I know that does not always appear. Real headache, fevery but also shivery. Waiting for my doctors to open at 8.30. I am hoping they will treat me without a confirmed diagnosis because the tests seem very inaccurate

They will probably treat you now that you are showing symptoms.

The nurse I saw said because I don't have a rash then I am not at risk of it. Which I kno not true! I made her go and speak to a doctor who told her to prescribe me anti biotics. If it is Lymes then I just hope I have got it early enough.

Chronic lyme can be debilitating and awful, so I think you are right to demand abx. I got a tick bite last year and about 2 weeks later developed a stiff neck and was really run down and feverish. I don't know if it was coincidental - I had loads of work on at that time - but I went to the GP and was prescribed the antibiotics. If I hadn't had a friend who is currently seriously disabled from Lyme, I would feel like I was totally overreacting, and I did feel a bit silly, but knowing how dramatic the effects can be I didn't want to take any chances on leaving it.

The initial tests are only about 50% accurate, and you might not get a bullseye rash - it's not the dead cert indicator that people say it is. Lyme is also kind of complicated in that you could live with it quite healthily for years, but if you pick up a co-infection like borellia (also tick-borne), it can kind of disrupt the balance and you start suffering symptoms.

All this is to say you have totally done the right thing, and I'm glad the GP understood. Better safe than sorry, especially if it stops you panicking. And get a tick removing tool if you don't have one already.

Thank you. My friends and family have been making me feel just like I am an irrational pregnant woman....but I too know how awful the disease is so if I have anything in my control to try and reduce the risk then I am going to do that. I have not even taken paracetomal during my pregnancy so I have not taken the decision lightly to take anti biotics and it doesn't sit totally right with me but I feel it outways the risk here. Thank you for your post it has reiterated to myself I have done the right thing x

Just checked in to see if you’d been to the GP yet and I’m so glad they’ve prescribed the antibiotics. You’re quite right that the rash doesn’t always appear.

Ignore anyone who is giving you a hard time. I highly doubt they would sit in silence if they had the same thing happen.

I had to have some tests during my pregnancy (suspected blood clot in lung - but turned out to be completely fine) and I agree that the benefits outweigh the risks. Also my friend had a tooth infection and had to take antibiotics while pregnant. These things happen and we just need to roll with them as best we can.

Really hope you feel better soon x

Thank you,feeling rough but I had a better nights sleep. I agree it's easy for others to judge when they are not in the situation. Thank you again for your support x

Just to put things in context, we live in an area populated by deer and my kids have probably had about 40 tick bites altogether in their lives and they're only 10 years old. We do our very best to avoid them but the bloody things are everywhere in the summer. We remove the tick asap and we have never had an issue. Lyme disease is rare. You'd be incredibly unlucky to get bitten by a tick with the disease, who also managed to transmit it to you, on your very first bite!!!

Just to add, our neighbours kids get them too and never an issue either. I know only one man in the town who got Lyme disease in the forest but he was treated and recovered very quickly. One man of all the people getting them every day!

@OuchLegoHurts unlucky, sure, but it happens. Lyme is also something that can hide in your system for a long time, so just because there are no effects now doesn't mean there never will be. The advice is increasingly to avoid being bitten, and to seek medical advice if you have; it isn't actually as rare as people make out, and there is a serious lack of knowledge about it in the broader medical profession. It's completely fair to reassure the OP that the odds are it won't happen to her, but that doesn't exclude taking the sensible precautions that she has.

Oh no exactly. But I'm just putting it in context to stop her panicking. I've a lot of experience with ticks as my father is a vet so in fairness, I know the chances are very slim. However I also know that some people do get Lyme disease. But she seemed to be getting unduly anxious, considering the likelihood, and that's not necessary, although it is necessary to be vigilant and cautious and perhaps a blood test would put her mind at rest