Reply to I just found a tick...what would you do?

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[quote=Anonymous]OP, how large was the tick?  If it was a tiny dot, it was probably in the nymph stage, when diseases are not really an issue. If it was a bit larger, you need to be concerned. If it was engorged (round and swollen), that indicates that it had been attached for a while. Note that even if you picked it up a couple of days ago, it may not have attached right away, but the level of engorgement is a good indicator.

Can you tell what type of tick it was, deer tick vs Lone Star?  This will tell you whether you need to worry about Lyme or other tick-borne diseases. They have different symptoms, so it is kind of important.

I've also been told by several medical professionals that the early tests are often inconclusive or misleading. Some will apply a heavy load of antibiotics "just in case", others prefer to watch for symptoms like the bulls-eye rash. This really depends on how you feel about antibiotics in general.

If you do wait to watch for symptoms, make sure you watch for more than the bulls-eye, as that does not always present. Watch for fever and flu-like symptoms also. If you start antibiotics shortly after noticing symptoms, you should be able to avoid long-term effects of the illness - most of those horror stories are from people who did not notice or identify the symptoms for a long time.

And the PP with the daughter who had a tick: if it was attached for 24 hrs or less, the chances of having Lyme disease are really, really small. It takes at least that long for the tick to start transmitting the illness. [/quote]

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