Bloody Tick.

[Josquin des Prez]

Today i just went hiking and lo, as soon as i get home i find a dirty tick in my leg. The idea was to get some exercise to relive some of my anxiety and stress, and now i'm more anxious and stressed then ever as i fear the dirty arachnid is going to infect me with who knows what.

I seriously can't stand bugs. 

[Kullervo]

Growing up in rural Georgia, I had them on me all the time. I think I'm immune to any communicable disease they could possibly carry by now.

[Bunny]

Tick bites are nothing to fool around with!  Be sure to check the bite for any redness or signs of infection.  Also, watch to see if you get any flu like symptoms in the next few weeks.  If you were hiking in an area where tick diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Babesiosis, Lyme disease or any other diseases are endemic you might want to check with a doctor about taking a prophylactic course of antibiotics.  These diseases are easily treated when caught early, but they are more problematic if left untreated.

Here's are links to the CDC web page and the NIAID (NIH) web page on tick borne diseases. 

Growing up in rural Georgia, I had them on me all the time. I think I'm immune to any communicable disease they could possibly carry by now.

That is not advice I would give to anyone.  Having been infected by a tick bite, I can assure you that anyone can be infected.  It's just the luck of the draw.

[Josquin des Prez]

Lyme disease is really scary, but i had enough sense to put the tick in a container and after checking several images on the internet i think i got an American Dog Tick, which is not known to be a vector for Lyme disease (but they do carry Rocky Mountain fever). I also used a tweezer to take it out and from what i can see it doesn't look like i left anything in the bite wound, albeit the tick was really small (an only had six legs, a young specimen i guess) and it's hard to be sure of anything.

What ticks me off (excuse the pun) is that i didn't check for ticks when i got back to my car and there may be others lurking around, maybe even in my house). I'm quite paranoid about stuff like this. Thank god for the internet. I became a tick expert in less then 10 minutes.

[Kullervo]

Tick bites are nothing to fool around with!  Be sure to check the bite for any redness or signs of infection.  Also, watch to see if you get any flu like symptoms in the next few weeks.  If you were hiking in an area where tick diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Babesiosis, Lyme disease or any other diseases are endemic you might want to check with a doctor about taking a prophylactic course of antibiotics.  These diseases are easily treated when caught early, but they are more problematic if left untreated.

Here's are links to the CDC web page and the NIAID (NIH) web page on tick borne diseases. 

That is not advice I would give to anyone.  Having been infected by a tick bite, I can assure you that anyone can be infected.  It's just the luck of the draw.

Well, I didn't mean for it to be taken in earnest.

[Bunny]

I don't know how long a tick has to be attached to you in order to spread an infection, but it's always better to play safe with these things.  It can't hurt to see a doctor, and if you bring the tick I believe it can be tested to see if it's carrying anything.  If you are in Connecticut or Long Island, you also have to worry about Babesia.  One of my doctors has a house on Long Island (the Hamptons) and a few years ago he became extremely ill.  It took more than a week for the disease to be diagnosed it was so rare at that time.  After diagnosis, he was treated with antibiotics, and is perfectly recovered now.  I was infected with Lyme disease around 1988 - 89 just before the disease became really known.  It took almost 1.5 years before the doctors put everything together  and I was treated.  That was no picnic, but I'm fine now except for some arthritis in my left knee.  It's nothing to fool around with.  A blood test 6 weeks after the tick bite will tell you whether you have picked up the disease if you really are concerned.  Just watch out for the symptoms.  Btw, if the tick was bloody, that's not a good sign.  It means the tick was on you for quite a bit.  Definitely see a doctor if that is the case.

[Larry Rinkel]

I believe Josquin, even though he is a composer from the Netherlandish school, is currently residing in or near Chicago. I agree that it's best to get medical attention, to ensure you've removed the tick completely if nothing else. But if you do live in Chicago and want exercise, a walk up and down the length of Michigan Avenue is as healthy as a hike in the woods.

[Szykneij]

We had a tick thread on one of the earlier GMG incarnations. This is what's needed to combat that nasty critter:

[greg]

Today i just went hiking and lo, as soon as i get home i find a dirty tick in my leg. The idea was to get some exercise to relive some of my anxiety and stress, and now i'm more anxious and stressed then ever as i fear the dirty arachnid is going to infect me with who knows what.

I seriously can't stand bugs. 

lol, if you still had the screen name Lyric Suite with Berg as your avatar, that would probably frighten everyone even more........ i think a long time ago i said to beware of ticks and mosquitos while camping/hiking....

[Kullervo]

lol, if you still had the screen name Lyric Suite with Berg as your avatar, that would probably frighten everyone even more........ i think a long time ago i said to beware of ticks and mosquitos while camping/hiking....

Poor Berg   

[BachQ]

What ticks me off (excuse the pun)

[Larry Rinkel]

Poor Berg   

Who, after all, died at 50 from an abscess caused from an insect sting.

[Scriptavolant]

Ticks are greedy. I always use them, in the preparation of my summer salads, when I'm short of walnuts. Bedbugs fit as well, but there's plenty of them only in autumn..

Oh, sorry.

[Kullervo]

Anyone ever do the old tick-and-magnifying-glass trick? Ah, childhood...