Have you had a tick bite? Here is IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

I am coming out of hibernation for this post because I believe it is very important to share the following information. 

Some physicians (ER, GPs) think that a ONE-TIME dose of antibiotics after a tick bite will prevent the disease.  This is FALSE, and do not allow a physician to tell you so.  It may kill off the Lyme bacteria (borrelia) in the "spirochete" form, but not the "cyst form" which can also get passed onto you by the tick.  The "cyst form" takes longer to kill.

According to ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society), the following is appropriate treatment:

• For a tick bite with no Lyme symptoms - 3 weeks of antibiotics (doxycycline for people over the age of 8, amoxicillin for children under 8)
• For a tick bite with symptoms, such as a rash - 6 weeks of antibiotics (doxycycline for people over the age of 8, amoxicillin for children under 8)

Look it up in the ILADS treatment document in the link above and take the document to your physician.  To help you advocate for yourself, I urge you to watch this brief video below (on Facebook) which will help you arm yourself with all of the information you need to talk to your doctor.  Click this link:
https://www.facebook.com/1987511621569943/videos/2041990019455436/

Also, be very careful HOW you remove an embedded tick.  Many physicians (ER, GPs) don't know how to properly remove it without squeezing its stomach, which will cause its stomach contents to enter your body!  Here is a video to show you a method you can use to ensure that this does not happen.  It is called the Straw and Knot Method, developed by a Canadian doctor, Ernie Murakami.  Advance to 2:06 in the video.  Basically, you position a straw over the embedded tick.  Tie a thread onto a straw like you were starting to tie a shoelace.  Slide the knotted thread down the straw, over the tick's body, as close to your skin as you can get.  Slowly tighten the knot around the tick's head.  This way, you are not squeezing the stomach.  Use gentle tension to pull the tick out.  You can also use fine-tipped tweezers to pull a tick out, but be careful to grasp ONLY the head and not the body/stomach of the tick.

Put the tick in a plastic bag or small jar and have your doctor send it away for testing.  Do NOT allow your doctor to tell you to "wait and see" if you get a rash or other symptoms!  It is best to treat prophylactically (preventatively).  Three weeks of antibiotics now could save you a lifetime of chronic illness if the tick was carrying Lyme.

Spring is here - Remember tick safety

I recently reviewed how to properly remove an embedded tick by watching Dr. Murakami's YouTube video.  Two methods are demonstrated here:  The intradermal blister technique and the straw and knot method. 

I've never had any experience removing an embedded tick.  I know what you're thinking......"Then why do you have Lyme disease?"  Well, perhaps it was a nymph (a baby tick the size of a poppy seed) which fed and fell off without being noticed.  OR....what I think is more likely....I may have been infected from mosquito or black fly bites when I was vacationing up in the Muskoka area of Ontario a few years ago.  Many Lyme-literate doctors believe that these insects can also transmit the borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.

I was recently in a tool store and saw a display for a "Tick Key".  It's a little tool to attach to your key ring that apparently helps you remove an embedded tick.  I messaged Dr. Murakami on Facebook and asked him about the key, and he does not recommend it.  It can leave the head of the tick embedded in you, with the opportunity to transmit the bacteria.

The blister technique is only to be done at a doctor's office or in the ER.  But the straw and knot method is easy enough for anyone.  If you're going camping or hiking, be sure to take along a straw and some thread, and review the technique beforehand.  Remember that the straw is used to simply guide the knot downwards over top of the tick's body, so it gets as close to the embedded head as possible.

And remember:  DO NOT use petroleum jelly, a hot match, nail polish, or other products on the tick.  These may cause the tick to become distressed and regurgitate its stomach contents, including the Lyme bacteria, into you.

Please be careful this spring and summer, and click here to learn how to prevent tick bites in the first place.