tick bite on 4 year old DD - what to do?

skibunny59

Hi,

This is not working mom related but I'm trying to get some advice on what to do.  Tuesday morning I noticed a round bite on DD's forearm.  It didn't exactly have the bullseye but it was very round and maybe a little more red around the edge.  Today, (Thursday) it looks much better and is slightly smaller but is still there.  I never saw a tick on her but we were hiking in the woods two weeks ago and we just got back from Maine where we were hiking and fishing.  My parents think I should take her to the doctor to it checked but my husband says it's just a bug bite and we're being silly.  I think I would have noticed a tick on her arm but I also know sometimes they are really small and I could have missed it. 

SmrBrd2012

I think personally, if I didn't see the tick, I would assume it was just a regular bug bite and not be worried. If the bite area started to look worse or spread, I'd take LO in or at least call the doc. I was curious though about this since I haven't had to deal with it and I found this:

https://www.healthline.com/health/tick-bites#Symptoms4

"Antibiotics are necessary if you experience a skin infection at the bite site or if you continually scratch and lacerate the skin. If you are bitten by a tick in a high-risk area for certain tick-borne diseases (for example Lyme disease or ehrlichiosis) or if the tick was attached to you for an extended period of time, it is better to be safe than sorry and see your doctor to start antibiotic treatment."

So maybe just call the ped and mention your concerns and see what they say?

Perfect Sonnet

I'm no tick expert, but don't you know they have bitten you because you have to pull them out?  I don't think they just bite and run.  They burrow their heads in your skin and you have to pull them out.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it.  It's summer and I know my 4 year old has had many bug bites so far.

KRB22

I've had Lyme disease and never actually found a tick on me. I live in the Northeast, though, and have also seen plenty of ticks/tick bites. The bullseye rash that accompanies a bite is pretty distinct: a red bite in the center with a ring of regular skin and then a separate red ring around the outside. 

What you described doesn't really sound like the typical bullseye, but if you're worried about your daighter's bite it doesn't hurt to call or see the doctor. Keep in mind, though, that a blood test for Lyme disease will not normally show up positive until at least 2 weeks after exposure. If the doctor feels that the bite resembles a tick bite he/she might prescribe antibiotics on a preventative basis.

Otherwise you'd probably be told to be on the lookout for any symptoms - typically joint/limb pain, headache, another rash etc. I know it might be hard to identify some of these in a 4 yo, but anyway I'd personally take note of any strange or new symptoms/complaints, as Lyme can manifest in weird ways. 

skibunny59

Thanks everyone.  So I called the doctor yesterday afternoon and from what I described they just said to keep a watch on it and call them if it starts looking worse.  Today it looks about the same as yesterday.  Going to my pedi is a huge pain because you always have to wait a really long time.  (last time we waited over an hour)  so I hesitate to take my kids in for every little thing.  But I've also been reading that if it is a tick bite, it's better to be safe than sorry and take care of it as soon as possible.  I may wait and see if it is still there next week.  It just worried me at first because it is a perfectly round bite and although doesn't look like a typical bullseye, it also doesn't look like a typical bug bite.