Tick bite help!

Angela Kelly said:Lyme disease is way more dangerous than just one round of antibiotics.

I honestly don't get how people can be so casual about potential Lyme, especially if that bullseye rash looks exactly like we’re describing; Lyme isn't some minor thing, it can mess with your heart and brain if you don't catch it IN TIME.

It hits your joints, your bones, basically everything living in your body.

I personally wouldn't put off starting antibiotics.

I'm not telling her not to take the antibiotics, I'm just suggesting she check if the tick could have just fallen off on its own without her seeing it—unless she's been checking herself thoroughly for a few days, which I doubt. It's not like she actually saw the damn tick.
My kid was recently prescribed Sumamed as a precaution by their doctor, mostly because she said why wait for a headache when lab results will come back in three days anyway? Turns out the tests showed my kid was totally fine. We just needed to wait a bit instead of rushing straight to antibiotics. Sometimes I really feel like doctors are just chasing commissions (there was even some talk about that from experts recently).
And speaking of the liver, I've dealt with my fair share of illnesses and have taken plenty of meds over the years, so my liver is pretty much trashed. I totally get where nimbletinker10 is coming from, because once you mess up your liver, it's hard to fix. It might be better to double-check if the medicine is truly necessary before jumping in.

I’m definitely going to bring up the hair loss issue with my doctor. I shower every single day, so there's absolutely no way I wouldn't notice 🤷

The only thing that tripped me up was when she mentioned that blood work might actually make things look better than they really are. She gave me this long, highly technical explanation—which I honestly can't repeat because I'm not a scientist—but basically, those specific antibodies don't always show up immediately, or they might have already cleared out since it's been two weeks since the bite. 🤷
Anyway, I trust her implicitly. She's been treating me for years, and just like I mentioned before, she even showed me a similar bite on her own leg, saying her husband got one too while they were driving through the local city park!
Personally, I tend to lean toward homeopathy, but I'm not really looking to play around with that right now given the circumstances. That said, homeopathy has solved just about everything for me in the past; I think I went almost two whole years without needing a single dose of antibiotics... which is a long time in my book.

I've dealt with my fair share of illnesses and taken plenty of medications in my life, and my liver is totally fine.

I feel the exact same way. 😢

Hey!
I'm guessing you haven't been tested yet? I think that's really the only way to know for sure if that tick actually passed anything dangerous on to you, like meningitis or something similar...

What exactly do you mean by "punched"? Are we talking about a shot in the back or something else?

Can't an infection be identified through a standard blood test?

nimbletinker10 said:What do you mean by "punctured"? Are we talking about a spinal tap or something else?

Can't they just catch an infection with a standard blood test?

I actually dealt with meningitis once—not from a tick, though—and yeah, I had to go through the whole spinal tap thing. It doesn't show up in your bloodwork.
But honestly, I'm not totally sure if this specific type of tick-borne meningitis is caught that same way. nimbletinker10, check out what this site says:
It mentions a few things, like how important timing is: basically, once a tick finds a host, it spends about six hours looking for a spot, another two hours biting through the skin, and then it needs at least ten hours of feeding before someone actually gets infected. So, there's definitely a window to act before the infection sets in. It also points out some practical ways to stay safe, like tucking your pants into your socks or your shirts into your pants—it just makes the trek longer for them and gives you a better chance of spotting them moving around. Also, wearing light-colored clothes really helps because the contrast makes them pop. Most importantly, you've gotta do a full body check after coming back from areas where tick-borne meningoencephalitis is common, use repellent on your skin and gear when heading into those spots, and if you do find one attached, get it off ASAP.

There is absolutely no way he was on me for ten hours. We headed out on our trip early in the morning, and I didn't even shower until late this evening.
I'm not sure if the diseases they carry are tied to specific climates, but in my neck of the woods, they spread Lyme disease. I know someone personally who was absolutely devastated by it. They’re currently undergoing physical therapy just trying to learn how to walk again.

nimbletinker10 said:Honestly, there's no way they were on me for ten hours; we headed out on our trip early in the morning, and I didn't even shower until pretty late that night.
I'm not totally sure if the specific bugs they carry depend on where you live, but I definitely know people around here dealing with Lyme disease. One friend of mine actually got hit so hard by it that they're in physical therapy right now just trying to learn how to walk again.

It really depends. Those meningitis cases usually pop up in the Midwest, specifically in the area between the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers—think places like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Columbus, Indianapolis, Des Moines, or Lancaster—with a bit of a "buffer zone" around Memphis. In the urban areas around D.C., stretching toward the foothills of the Appalachians, you’ll see ticks, but you don't really have to worry about tick-borne meningoencephalitis there. The Appalachians themselves are technically a zone where that virus exists, but the actual risk is super low. Even with tons of hikers hitting the trails in the Appalachians every year, you only see maybe a handful of cases—like, zero to five people total—each year.

nimbletinker10, you seriously need to take those antibiotics. I dealt with Lyme disease myself, and just like you, I never even had a tick stuck in my skin—I just saw that red bullseye ring expanding because I waited too long to see a doctor. A full course of antibiotics cleared everything right up for me. This stuff is no joke if you let it sit; it can migrate and start messing with your other organs.

topic: .

You should definitely pick up some probiotics to take alongside those antibiotics—it really helps balance things out. And perhaps—if you have a moment—you might want to look into some natural supplements to support liver health? I imagine they can be taken at the same time, though it wouldn't hurt to double-check with your doctor first. 🤷

I honestly had no idea that he could just slip away without anyone even noticing...

To be perfectly honest, I know absolutely nothing about ticks; in fact, I didn't encounter my very first one until I was about fifteen years old. 🙈

nimbletinker10 said:What do you think they meant by "shot"? Are we talking about an injection in the back or something else...

Can't you just confirm an infection through a standard blood test?...

I didn't mean to scare you with that talk about the spinal tap... My mom was admitted to the infectious disease ward yesterday because they suspected meningitis—though it wasn't from a tick or anything—so they had to do a puncture and test her spinal fluid...

I'm not really sure how they test for meningitis after a tick bite... maybe a spinal tap isn't even necessary in those cases...

Here’s the link to the thread they were discussing regarding Lyme disease . It's nothing to joke about. I would definitely opt for antibiotics.

Look for these 3 signs of Lyme disease:

Tiny juvenile ticks (they are incredibly small)
Erythema migrans—that’s the redness with a distinct border that spreads to other parts of your body instead of just staying around the bite area)
A general, flu-like feeling of exhaustion

Usually, Sumamed is used for treatment; you absolutely have to take a double dose.

If it hits later stages, they move to heavier antibiotics like tetracyclines)

Follow-up testing: ELISA (available here in the US) and Western Blot (which isn't an option locally)

Places like Central Park, Markush, and even up near Mount Rainier are high-risk, heavily contaminated areas in the US

One of the top experts in Washington, D.C. is Dr. Alaraj over at the CDC

frozenorca63, I’m not even from the States—I’m actually much further away than that, way out across the ocean—but thank you. 🙂

Thanks to everyone who reached out; you all are truly wonderful. 🙂 I started my first round of antibiotics this afternoon and picked up some yogurt on the way. I did read somewhere that you shouldn't take dairy products at the exact same time as your medication, but rather wait a little bit. Basically, don't wash the pills down with a glass of milk. My leg is still swollen (it's been two weeks!) and the bite site itself is bruised, painful, and red; honestly, I'm mostly just focused on staying hydrated.

I haven't heard much about any natural supplements for liver support—does anyone have any recommendations? I know I need to stay away from alcohol because of these test results, but I used to always have a glass of wine whenever I went out for dinner.
Thanks for the link; I'll give it a read tonight. 👍

I was scrolling through my health insurance provider's website earlier, and I realized something incredibly frustrating. Apparently, three weeks ago, they issued a regional health alert for my entire area, yet I haven't seen a single mention of it anywhere else—no news reports, no local alerts, nothing. 🤷
There’s this map on their portal where about 10% of the country is shaded bright red. It’s just a small slice of the map, but if you guess which part covers my city, you'll be right. 😢

nimbletinker10 said:frozenorca63, I’m actually not even from the States, I’m way further away than that—way, way out there—but thanks anyway! 🙂

Thanks for all the messages, you guys are honestly the sweetest. 🙂 I started my first round of antibiotics this afternoon and grabbed some yogurt on the way home. I did see somewhere that you shouldn't take dairy at the exact same time as your meds, but rather wait a little bit—like, don't wash them down with a glass of milk. My leg is still super swollen too (it's been two weeks!) and the bite site is all bruised, painful, and red, so I'm basically just sipping water all day.

I haven't really looked into any natural supplements for liver support, does anyone have any tips? I'm trying to stay away from alcohol because of those test results, though I used to love having a glass of wine whenever I went out for dinner.
Thanks for the link, I'll definitely give it a read tonight 👍

I used to take silymarin back in the day.

Thanks!

nimbletinker10 said:frozenorca63, I am actually not from America—I am much further away, truly quite far off—but thank you nonetheless! 🙂

Thank you all so much for checking in; you are all just wonderful. 🙂 I started my first round of antibiotics this afternoon and picked up some yogurt while I was out. Now, I did happen to read somewhere that one shouldn't take dairy products at the exact same time as an antibiotic—rather, there should be a bit of a gap? For instance, not taking the pill with a glass of milk. My leg is still quite swollen (it has been two weeks!)—the site where I was bitten is bruised, painful, and red, so I am mostly just drinking whatever fluids I can manage.

I haven't heard much regarding natural supplements for liver support—does anyone have any advice to share? I know I absolutely must avoid alcohol, specifically because of those lab results; I used to enjoy a glass of wine if I was heading out for dinner, but certainly not now.
Thanks for the link; I will make sure to give it a thorough read this evening. 👍

Oh dear, my apologies—I mentioned simultaneous consumption in the same sentence, but I was actually only referring to the liver situation. Regarding probiotics, it is best if that interval isn't less than two hours.

You could always ask more on Food and Health rather than just gastronomy, or even under Nutrition and Supplements within the Beauty☕ section (yes, under Beauty!). I only know about milk thistle and dandelion, though I am not entirely certain which part of the plant is used. As for commercial supplements here in the States, something like Milk Thistle extract from a brand like Nature Made comes to mind, though I don't know the specific ingredients by heart.

I got bitten by a tick, and I didn't even notice it until that evening when I spotted this tiny little thing on my left shin. I just pulled it off myself, cleaned the spot with some rubbing alcohol, and thought everything was fine. But then, about two or three days later, this red ring started forming around the bite. I ended up seeing an infectious disease specialist, who told me I actually caught it at the right time—that it was a good thing the redness showed up when it did. If it hadn't, I might have ended up dealing with much more serious issues involving my liver, joints... maybe even my brain 😳 ... down the road. Anyway, after finishing a course of Sumamed, I feel okay now. I had some follow-up blood work done in mid-June, and everything looks normal. All five

Hello everyone!

Yesterday, while I was running some errands downtown, I suddenly felt this intense itching on my left knee—and once I finally got home, I realized there was a tick attached to me. I managed to get it off pretty quickly and just assumed that would be the end of it.

But since then, the spot where the tick was biting has become unbearably itchy; there’s this red patch about an inch wide, and I’m honestly at a loss for what to do. It seemed to calm down a bit right after my shower, but now the itching is back and it's driving me absolutely crazy.

To make matters worse, just a little bit away from that initial spot, I've noticed what looks like another tiny "bug"—I don't quite know how to describe it—it's also red and itchy, just much smaller.

After doing a bit of digging online, I've become incredibly paranoid. Now, I feel like I might even see the shadow of another tick—one that's harder to spot—on my leg, right near that second small red bump. But it's so minuscule that I can't tell if it's actually a bug or just my imagination playing tricks on me.

Do you think I should head to the doctor?
The level of itching is really worrying me, and the area feels somewhat firm to the touch 🤷.

Has anyone else here dealt with the illnesses that ticks can carry?

I honestly thought I was over the hump yesterday—the itching had finally started to let up—but today, it came roaring back... full force. It’s probably best if I just head into the doctor's office tomorrow to get it checked out properly, right?

If anyone has any insight or experience with this at all, please let me know..