If you've ever found a tick...

[Anonymous]

what was it like and how did you find it (sight or feel)? Was it obvious? I check my kids, our dog, and myself every night, but I'm afraid I'll miss something. My cousin, like many people, ended up with Lyme and has no idea when she had a tick. On the other hand, I just pulled a small scab off my dog's penis thinking it was a tick! (Of course, better than getting my head close enough to have figured it out.) It's crazy that they can be as small as a poppyseed!

[Anonymous]

You can hardly see them, they are that tiny. I walked into some brush for less than a minute and my lower legs were covered by too numerous to count, barely noticeable, tiniest crawling ticks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can hardly see them, they are that tiny. I walked into some brush for less than a minute and my lower legs were covered by too numerous to count, barely noticeable, tiniest crawling ticks.

Those were probably chiggers

[Anonymous]

Found a couple while hiking on the Blue Ridge. Wore long pants to help keep that from happening, and they crawled up from my ankles to my knees and thighs. Just a few. Didn't notice until I took my pants off later in the day. Pulled them out. No problems. Next time I'll be more careful. I don't like insect repellents, but I'll spray some around my ankles.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Also, in hindsight, wearing shorts would have allowed me to see them easier while hiking.

[Anonymous]

I didn't recognize the tick that gave me Lyme as a tick. I thought it was a tiny scab on my ankle. The rash was the tip off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Found a couple while hiking on the Blue Ridge. Wore long pants to help keep that from happening, and they crawled up from my ankles to my knees and thighs. Just a few. Didn't notice until I took my pants off later in the day. Pulled them out. No problems. Next time I'll be more careful. I don't like insect repellents, but I'll spray some around my ankles.

The Girl Scout trick is to pull your socks up over your pants.

[Anonymous]

Between me, DS, and dog


Saw 4 crawling on skin/fur and 3 partially burrowing into skin which I was able to remove easily

On DH: Saw what appeared to be a new mole on his forearm. Felt the area and could feel a lump. Ended up having to go to ER to have it cut out. It was disgusting and huge when they removed it. The doctor said it appeared the tick had burrowed in and then either got stuck or thin layer of skin grew over it and it was trapped.

[Anonymous]

I noticed a tiny shiny black spot on my thigh while dressing. Didn't move when I tried to brush it off. Took a picture so I could zoom in, was pretty sure it was a tick. Removed with tweezers after studying instructions online.

[Anonymous]

So basically is everyone destined to eventually get lyme disease, unless you basically never venture outside?

[Anonymous]

When I had Lyme, I never noticed the tick -- it was probably in my hair line on back of my head because I do remember feeling what I thought was a tiny pimple there around the right time - -never would've been able to see it.

DS has had tick bites 3 times, treated for Lyme twice, once just in case (for reasons particular to his situation at the time) and tested positive once -- obvious rash and positive titers. The third time we saved the tick and had the tick checked. It was Lyme free, so no treatment. I found the tick all three times -- when engorged it looked like a new, raised, black mole or skin tag, but very tiny -- it had probably been there for at least a day before it was visible. Even then, I've always had to take a close up photo and then enlarge it to see that it really is a tick. His were always in pretty obvious spots though -- like a black dot in the middle of his round white belly or right below his ear. The tick's we've gotten in DC have not had Lyme. FWIW, both our cases of Lyme were contracted in Pennsylvania while visiting there and hiking in the woods. We don't go in those particular woods anymore, but we do go outside.

[Anonymous]

I've found many a tick crawling on me and quick a few that were attached (I used to be a field ecologist, so spent lots of time crawling through brush).

I've always been able to spot them pretty easily despite being covered in freckles. I just look for dark black flecks, particularly ones that are moving. The tiny ones can be hard to feel but after looking enough, I seem to have developed a sixth sense about where they are. I've also pulled one off my child. My dog does not get many so long as he has Frontline, but when he does they are much more difficult to find until they start growing.

We spend a lot of time outside and I just make sure to do casual tick checks when we come in and a more thorough look before bed if we've been in the woods.

[Anonymous]

I had a tiny deer tick on my back. I thought it was a mole that I accidentally scraped, so I left it alone for a couple of days until I saw a huge rash in the mirror.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So basically is everyone destined to eventually get lyme disease, unless you basically never venture outside?

Well, there used to be a safe and effective vaccine, but it came out at the height of the Wakefield-inspired anti-vaccine madness, so its makers pulled it.

Also, some people can clear Lyme from their bodies without symptoms and without ill effects (like with any bacteria), so there's hope even if you're exposed and didn't realize it. Not a lot of hope, but some.

Best protection is to do a tick check every day (if you pull them out in 24 hours they can't pass along the microbe) and to wear strong insect repellant and/or wash clothing in permethrin before entering areas with tick infestations.

You can also eliminate them on your property if you eliminate mice (people think deer give the ticks Lyme, they don't -- ticks can only catch Lyme from mice, so you can control it by eliminating the mice on/around your area).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a tiny deer tick on my back. I thought it was a mole that I accidentally scraped, so I left it alone for a couple of days until I saw a huge rash in the mirror.

How would you have noticed the rash before noticing an engorged tick? Even the nymphs get HUGE when they are engorged.