Tick bites

[sandrc]

My dd was with her dad this weekend and he took her camping. Not my choice of weekend activities being that it was storming all around and the middle of December.
Anyway. She came home last night and started complaining her stomachs hurt and said there was something hard in her belly button. It was a tick. I got it out in pretty much one piece. It lost a few legs in the process but I didn't see the head or anything left behind. I stripped her and searched her and found another behind her ear. I got it off in one piece and showered her well and cleaned the spots with alcohol. Dd had the skeevies and wanted to clean them with alcohol.

I looked them up and it looks like they were female deer ticks. They were latched on really well and they were flat so it didn't look like they had started sucking blood yet.

I checked her this morning and her belly button looks better. Behind her ear is red. She said the bites hurt.
I'm planning to call the dr to see if I need to do anything. Does anyone have any idea what I should do? Ticks aren't really a problem where we live. I'm upset he took dd 5hours away and brought her back being bit by these nasty bugs and exposed her to diseases.

[canadianbakers]

We have ticks every year in the spring - some years worse than others, but always some ticks.

If it wasn't swollen yet, that's a good sign that it wasn't on too long. Although you said it was flat, which they aren't exactly without any blood, so it may have been latched on for a little bit.
We pull them out, making sure to grasp firmly behind the head and making sure to get all of the head out. Then we clean the bite area with peroxide. Normally, like for every bite but one, this has been enough to deal with it - the redness goes away within a few hours.
We have had one bite (DS2 got it, on the back of his head) that the redness did not go away. We watched it closely and after the first day we noticed the "bullseye" rash appearing. I took him to our Dr and got antibiotics - after a few days of the meds, the rash went away.

So, all that said, I think you did enough to remove the tick (as long as you got it all) and clean the bite with alcohol. I would keep an eye on the one that's still red and take her in if the redness continues or if a rash appears.
My kids have had lots of tick bites and they haven't complained about pain from it - they do complain about pain from us pulling the tick out, and from the peroxide.

[Steph Ed]

They should be fine. Just keep an eye on her. We go camping every year and each person in our family gets checked every night before bed for ticks and usually we find at least one or two. You did the right thing removing them and swabbing with alcohol.

On a side note, I wouldn't be upset he took her camping. Did she have a good time? Getting a couple of bug bites just comes with the territory. I know you aren't used to it, but rarely does anyone get a disease from a tick bite. It certainly isn't worth missing out on the experience because you don't want to get bitten.

[Pixi6s]

Watch out for the bulls eye rash -- that would mean a dr trip, otherwise it sounds like you handled it well. Up here in New England I wouldn't be doing any December camping trips, but I feel that all kids should have a chance to go camping. If you are able, mentioned politely about the ticks and just ask him to do tick checks next time.
:HUGS:

[weesej]

Only a fraction of people who contract Lyme have a bulls eye rash. I some areas nearly all ticks carry disease (it is not a guarantee it will transmit) There is NO easy way to tell if she has contracted something. Considering that Lyme can be a life-long disabling disease I would go and get her a course of Azithromycin...which is very effective. My daughter had a tick bite at age 5 and was very tired several days later. She had 1 month of amoxicillian, yet this was not a strong enough medicine and she is battling chronic Lyme at age 11.

I had multiple tick bites that I simply pulled off and ignored because I had no symptoms. I am now sick and dealing with the possibility I will never be well.....think a combo of Chronic Fatigue/ Fibromyalgia/ Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. It is crippling and life-changing and preventable with a course of the right antibiotics early on.

Jen

[sandrc]

i looked it up last night and i did read that anyone who gets a tick bite should get antibiotics early to hopefully prevent any illnesses.
i'm not mad he took her camping. she does like to camp. it's just that december is not the time to go camping. it's cold at night and they were on a mountain with storms nearby. DD said it didn't rain on them but she did get cold.
also more mad that he didn't (and never does) take precautions to keep her safe.

[weesej]

Originally Posted by Steph Ed I know you aren't used to it, but rarely does anyone get a disease from a tick bite.

Not true!! In areas Lyme is endemic nearly all ticks carry it and or some other tick-bourne disease. I live in an area where tick diseases are actually quite common and dramatically rising. It looks like you live in an area where Lyme is luckily not as common, although still reported.....it is spreading in your direction though.

Lyme is endemic in the NE and in Atlantic and also in Wisconsin..radiating outwards. It has been reported in all 50 states.

Here is a map of Lyme cases: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps/interactiveMaps.html

About Lyme and related symptoms: http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/about_lyme.html

[whiteyacht]

this thread is freaking me out... my son got a tick in Colorado this spring that we didn't even find for 2 days (even with daily bathing). When I took him to urgent care they wouldn't give him abx unless he was acting ill, which he never did. But now I wonder if I shouldn't have trusted them.

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Sent from my phone. Please excuse typos.

[Kiliki]

My DD got a few ticks when we went to TN last year. We just pulled them off carefully and went on with life.

When I was young, we did the same thing.

Once I had a tick so long, it had embedded into my flesh. As in, it looked like a mole b/c it had burrowed UNDER my skin and was just a dark spot.

My parents had to dig it out with a needle and then pull it off using a hot match and needle-nose pliers.

Ew. Not a fun memory.

But playing in the woods was! And camp fires! And smores! And going hiking! And collecting firewood! And seeing the critters!

camping is FUN! Bugs are a part of life. We just often don't have to interact with them b/c we all live in houses. Maybe your DD's dad could put some repellent on her next time? I wouldn't forgo the camping, though. It's great to be outdoors.

[Steph Ed]

Originally Posted by weesej Not true!! In areas Lyme is endemic nearly all ticks carry it and or some other tick-bourne disease. I live in an area where tick diseases are actually quite common and dramatically rising. It looks like you live in an area where Lyme is luckily not as common, although still reported.....it is spreading in your direction though. Lyme is endemic in the NE and in Atlantic and also in Wisconsin..radiating outwards. It has been reported in all 50 states. Here is a map of Lyme cases: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/maps/interactiveMaps.html About Lyme and related symptoms: http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/about_lyme.html

I can see your point of view since you do live in an area that Lyme disease is considered 'endemic'. Endemic means two cases within a county have been confirmed in one year (cited from the CDC website). But, the tick must stay attached at least 36 hours for the disease to be transmitted (CDC) and the chances of someone contracting the disease from a tick bite is 1 - 3% (again, CDC website). Based on this data I do feel comfortable saying the chances aren't high one will get Lyme Disease from a tick bite. Again, like I said, I do see how you would disagree

Even though I think the chances aren't very good, I think it is definitely something that shouldn't be taken lightly and precautions are 100% necessary! Analogy - just because the chances of being in a wreck are very slim doesn't mean I'm not going to wear my seatbelt!