Should I go to the DR for my tick bite?

[helen22]

Hello all,
Last weekend I was in East Texas looking for snakes. Saturday evening (around 5) I went walking on a nature trail through a wooded area. Luckily, I found a snake.. However, the next morning, when I got up around 9AM to shower, I noticed in the mirror something dark underneath my chest/on my rib area. After trying to brush it off, and becoming frustrated.. I finally had a closer look and to my horror, it was a tick! I'd never really read about proper tick removal, and had I been in a place with internet access, I would have looked up directions.. but in my panic, I simple pinched myself with toilet paper between my fingers, hard. This removed the tick, and I don't -think- anything was left behind, unless it could be unseen to the naked eye.

Anyway, so all was fine. I had a tiny little pink bump where the bite was. Eventually I forgot about it.. Then thursday night I experienced a sort of dull pain behind my knees, like growing pains I experienced as a child. Also, my skin became allover sensitive to touch, and my kneck/shoulders stiff/sore. These feelings continued throughout the day friday (yesterday), but seem to have subsided today. But I did wake up with a pretty bad headache.. It was only yesterday that I remembered the tick and loosely connected my symptoms with its bite.

Since yesterday, I have been checking the bite frequently in an effort to track any sort of changes. It seems to be more raised than the mark I had before, pimple-like but less red than a pimple.. and today in the afternoon it started itching a little. I don't have a rash--but itching the bite has made my pale skin pink around the area.

Do you think I should go to the doctor, even though the most related symptoms have (to this point) only occurred for 2 days?

[kenn]

You need to check out http://www.ticktexas.org/regions/distribution.htm (click on the map for more info) and contact the State Health Service for advice. Then maybe contact your doctor if they say so.

Not sure if they can help with your snake searching problem though - surely a sign of madness

[kman543210]

If your symptoms persist or worsen, I would definitely go to your doctor. There are several different tick-borne illnesses (not just Lyme), so I would rather be safe than sorry. The difficulty with many of them is that they are testing for antibodies, and sometimes it takes several weeks for them to show up.

[angeladoug]

Don't be afraid. Any infection you have if caught early will be fine. Go to the doctor right away. They may prescribe an antibiotic.

Tick bites can cause several diseases.

I had a tick bite 4 weeks ago. It was on the back of my head. I took the antibiotics. (It was very sore to touch, and I got swollen lymph nodes on that side of my neck).

Don't put it off.

[sylvie]

I agree- don't put it off. Go right to the doctor. Show them the mark, tell them about the tick and your other symptoms. You might not have Lyme, but ticks can give you all kinds of nasty diseases that you must get treatment for. I just found out that I have lyme- and most likely years after transmission, because I never even thought it was a possibility until recently.

Just keep in mind, that if a doctor runs a Lyme test on you right now, it might not come back positive. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for the antibodies in your system to show up on an ELISA/titer test. But for all your symptoms, you should get treated for it right away, no matter what the dr says the results are.

Best of luck to you!

[Unregistered]

Thanks all--I have an appointment for monday. Hopefully all goes well!

[angeladoug]

I also want to add that I was pretty scared after googling all the tick borne diseases. But, then the prognosis for early treatment is excellent. It was the swollen lymph node that rushed me to doctor. I would tell them you must get in right away, and it's true you can't be tested for the diseases right now, but you can start preventative treatment.

FYI: How to remove ticks. Use a tweezer and pull straight up. Do not touch tick, put an anteseptic on the bite. Wash your hands thoroughly. Do not not touch your eyes, etc. NEVER do the old wive's tales, burning, etc. This causes tick to dig head in further. The head is not as important as the body (where the stuff is that they inject into you). If you can't get the head out, don't worry, it will happen on its own. It's the body that carries the bad stuff. Also, note how big is the tick. (In other words is it flat, has not been feeding long, etc.) Tell doctor this information.

I didn't think my doctor understood how much I was affected because I had a very painful bump on back of head. After the antibiotics, the bump and that pain disappeared, but I now have more swollen lymph nodes and I'm getting a CAT SCAN today. I am not sick, no fever, no fatigue, etc. I'll report back what happens.

[kenn]

The problem with going straight to the doctor is that he/she will not know the most likely problems or types of tick if the bite was not in the locality. There is then a danger that something might be missed.

[Unregistered]

Update--
I went to the doctor, and Kenn.. you were right.
I went to my regular doctor, whom I normally trust/get along with.. however this time, even though my words and actions showed that I was concerned, I did not receive the kind of attention I saw necessary.

From last weekends internet research fiasco, I felt more knowledgeable on the subject than the doctor seemed to show. She basically looked to see if I had a rash (which I read don't always show up, and they might take up to a month TO show up) and factored that in with the location in relation to reports of Lyme disease.. and sent me on my way. No interest in symptoms or the tick or any other possibilities..

Kind of stuck as to where I should go from here. I feel tempted to wait and see if symptoms go away ...

Yesterday:
-head felt very full and throbbed throughout the day
-strange sensation in left arm around the bicep area.. like pressure being applied in a specific area, but instead of pressing ON the arm, pressing out FROM the arm. also i later felt this in my fingertips
-full throat/difficult to swallow and yet the urge to swallow frequently

Today:
-sore neck
-area outside of armpits sensitive to pressure

[rad-skw]

I'm just curious. Why were you looking for snakes? Are you a herpetologist? (if that is the right spelling).