Asking your neighbor to look at your husband and guess if he's been infected with Lyme has about as much chance of accuracy as the testing. It's a clinical diagnosis.

OP here. I can't believe i flushed the damn tick down the toilet! Anyway, DH's doctor said no need for prophylactic antibiotics, and I confirmed it with a close friend who is a pediatrician in a woodsy area of Connecticut, where they get tons of ticks. Both said just keep an eye out for bulls-eye and get seen if he feels ill anytime in the next month or so. So far he seems fine and no rash. I will enocurage him to get tested for lyme no matter what.

When I was a paranoid first-time parent, I took the tick to have it tested.

totally over reacted . . .

But that f-er was disease-free, and that's all I needed to hear 8 years ago.

Anonymous wrote:Please spray your yards

Please don't spray your yards. You will kill the pollinators as well.
Did you Takoma Park has now made it illegal to spray? I assume other cities will soon follow.

I meant not recommended as a method to prevent Lyme after a tick bite.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If a doctor offers you prophylactic antibiotics, find a new doctor. That's not medically sound. There needs to be symptoms, a positive test or a rash (one if those, not all 3).
The tests are not accurate and should not be relied upon alone.

Check it everyday for a rash. IIRC, it took mine 7 or 14 days to show up.

You're wrong, it's smart to use an antibiotic following the removal of a deer tick. We have problem with ticks in our neighborhood and the majority of us have gotten Lyme, including the kids, and it is something our doctors won't mess with. Funny thing is I will do all I can to avoid antibiotics but I've had Lyme, twice, and I don't want to go through that again.

Prophylactic antibiotics are not recommended for Lyme. There's no gray area in the recommendations.
http://m.cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/9/1089.full

Anonymous wrote:If a doctor offers you prophylactic antibiotics, find a new doctor. That's not medically sound. There needs to be symptoms, a positive test or a rash (one if those, not all 3).
The tests are not accurate and should not be relied upon alone.

Check it everyday for a rash. IIRC, it took mine 7 or 14 days to show up.

You're wrong, it's smart to use an antibiotic following the removal of a deer tick. We have problem with ticks in our neighborhood and the majority of us have gotten Lyme, including the kids, and it is something our doctors won't mess with. Funny thing is I will do all I can to avoid antibiotics but I've had Lyme, twice, and I don't want to go through that again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get tested for Lyme. Do it whether or not you get the rash. I study this for work. It is possible to not get the classic 'bulls-eye' and test positive for Lyme. I'd force the test. Antibiotics very early can stave off the symptoms of Lyme that can last a lifetime.

So- I'd be neurotic on this one. Too many deer in this area carry lyme ticks.

This this this. My ex got bit by a tick and it took some time before the bulls-eye showed up.

Was the tick in this area? My 6-year old had one on the back of his head this morning. We don't have pets and have no idea how long it may have been there. We bathe every night, but recently have him doing his own shampoo--otherwise I think I would have noticed sooner. We were told to wait and watch by Pediatrician and my doctor.

It was near Elkridge in MD. Hope your kiddo's okay!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get tested for Lyme. Do it whether or not you get the rash. I study this for work. It is possible to not get the classic 'bulls-eye' and test positive for Lyme. I'd force the test. Antibiotics very early can stave off the symptoms of Lyme that can last a lifetime.

So- I'd be neurotic on this one. Too many deer in this area carry lyme ticks.

This this this. My ex got bit by a tick and it took some time before the bulls-eye showed up.

Was the tick in this area? My 6-year old had one on the back of his head this morning. We don't have pets and have no idea how long it may have been there. We bathe every night, but recently have him doing his own shampoo--otherwise I think I would have noticed sooner. We were told to wait and watch by Pediatrician and my doctor.

You don't immediately test positive. You work in this area, really?

Anonymous wrote:Get tested for Lyme. Do it whether or not you get the rash. I study this for work. It is possible to not get the classic 'bulls-eye' and test positive for Lyme. I'd force the test. Antibiotics very early can stave off the symptoms of Lyme that can last a lifetime.

So- I'd be neurotic on this one. Too many deer in this area carry lyme ticks.

This this this. My ex got bit by a tick and it took some time before the bulls-eye showed up.

Please spray your yards

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overuse of antibiotics are effecting us all. We are close to entering into a post-antibiotic world simply because we are overusing antibiotics both on ourselves and in the farm industry. For Pete's sake, stop being so self-centered people. Do not take antibiotics prophylactically. A mere tick bite does not warrant drugs "just in case". Btw, OP, the tick you described is most likely a dog tick.

You probably don't know anyone with severe Lyme. I know close to a dozen people with it and it's worth the antibiotic risk. I am the person who does everything to avoid antibiotics unless it's an emergency and I would take them as a precaution to avoid Lyme. That said, I agree that what OP described does not sound like a deer tic.

A dozen people with severe Lyme????

I live in Clarendon and I know 5 people that tested positive for Lyme after a tick. One child has had many longer lasting symptoms. None had the classic bulls-eye rash. The other 4, luckily, have not had the long-lasting symptoms. I have a co-worker that has serious nerve damage, and autoimmune issues from Lyme infection. It's realy ugly if it does happen

You can test positive for Lyme even if the exposure was decades prior.

That's why doctors don't treat unless there are actual symptoms, and that's why it's important to have the tick tested, and that's why it's important to do daily tick checks.

AND that's why vaccine deniers suck -- there used to be a vaccine for Lyme, but it was put out to market at the height of the anti-vaccine crazy movement and they pulled it.

I have nerve damage from Lyme disease. I would not take prophylactic antibiotics. Doxycycline came with a lot of very unpleasant side effects.