Tic bite

Jrose214

Last night I noticed something on my skin and pulled a tiny tic off my rib cage, my first reaction was to smash it with what ever was near me, so I did. It was filled with blood. I looked in the mirror and saw I had a red bite mark bigger then the tic itself. I called my ob and she said to go to my primary dr. I did and they took blood but said they could not give me an antibiotic bc I am pregnant and to just watch it. if it looks like a bills eye to call them. At this point there is nothing I can do but I am a hypochondriac and am now extreamly itchy and am worried that I could get lyme disease. Has anyone else ever been bitten by a tic while pregnant? Any advise?
This has never happened to me before and the only thing I can think of why this happened is that my bf is a landscaper and may have brought it home on his work clothes which are in my car to be washed. I don't live in an area where tics would be.

urby87

I have had several tick bites before, but not during pregnancy.  Itching is totally normal, but all you can really do as far as lyme is keep an eye out for symptoms, like the doctor said.  In the meantime, just try to take your mind off of it and relax.  I know that can be tough, but stressing about something you can't fix is no good for you or your baby.

Ceridwen77

I have had tick bites from a high Lyme area. Definitely do some research on how to properly remove a tick, because it's important not to squeeze them as that can actually cause an infection (Lyme or other - not to scare you but ticks carry a variety of disease).

Did you save the tick? You can always freeze it and send it to the health department to be tested for Lyme. Remember deer ticks carry Lyme, not dog or other ticks, so you have to be sure it was a deer tick (they are small).

If you find and properly remove a tick before 12hrs it's highly unlikely to get Lyme. That's why it's important to do regular tick checks and properly remove them.

Note that blood tests for Lyme are highly unreliable. Unfortunately during the first stage false negatives are extremely common. My PCP did not even test me because of this, and put me on a 2 week antibiotic (doxycycline). This was done due to the area where I was bitten by the tick being extremely high Lyme. It was the best route at the time. I know you may not have that option being pregnant but take Lyme seriously and keep an eye out for symptoms. Also know that not everyone gets a bulls-eye rash so familiarize yourself with other symptoms and the variety of stages of Lyme disease. Also get educated on the other tick-bourne illnesses and look out for symptoms of those as well.

Lsager424

One of my good friends was diagnosed with Lyme during her pregnancy. She was prescribed 1 month of amoxicillin, and both her OB and the specialist that she saw agreed that there was no risk to her fetus. Try not to stress, and good luck to you-keep us posted!

helsbels222

I do not have experience with tick bite during pregnancy but I live in the Lyme disease capital of the country. Was the tick small with a red dot on it's butt? They carry the disease. Mark your calendar the day you found the tick on you. In two weeks if you have a bulls eye rash, go to the doctor immediately. Lymes is treatable in this stage but you must go immediately when the rash appears. Also I am not certain if the antibiotics are safe during pregnancy but I'm sure they have something to treat it.

sadyy131

I had Lymes (although technically you always have it because it stays in your system) and I can say that the symptoms are similar to those experienced during pregnancy such as exhaustion and joint pain. But the thing that really sets it apart is the bullseye rash, which btw doesn't always happen but if it does, it won't nesseciarily be where you got bit. I would put Vaseline on the area you got bit to suffocate the tick if it's head was left in your body. I know it's hard, but don't worry too much Lymes has become more common and lots of woman are pregnant during summer time, so it can become unavoidable. But I can tell you that I live in the woods and have gotten by ticks since I was a baby, and only last year did I ever get Lymes disease. The best thing to do is have your boyfriend check your body over and your hair every once in a while to make sure you don't have ticks. Best of luck

Ceridwen77

sadyy131 said:

I had Lymes (although technically you always have it because it stays in your system) and I can say that the symptoms are similar to those experienced during pregnancy such as exhaustion and joint pain. But the thing that really sets it apart is the bullseye rash, which btw doesn't always happen but if it does, it won't nesseciarily be where you got bit. I would put Vaseline on the area you got bit to suffocate the tick if it's head was left in your body. I know it's hard, but don't worry too much Lymes has become more common and lots of woman are pregnant during summer time, so it can become unavoidable. But I can tell you that I live in the woods and have gotten by ticks since I was a baby, and only last year did I ever get Lymes disease. The best thing to do is have your boyfriend check your body over and your hair every once in a while to make sure you don't have ticks. Best of luck

If you properly remove a tick, there is a chance that the head will be left in your body. But trust me, there's no need to suffocate it at that point - it's pretty dead once you rip its body off

The head was left in my leg for one of my bites. It's important to leave it alone - keep it clean (Vaseline can collect dirt) and don't pick at it. It will fall out eventually. I promise. It took weeks but one day I woke up and it was gone.

helsbels222

Ceridwen77 said:

sadyy131 said:

I had Lymes (although technically you always have it because it stays in your system) and I can say that the symptoms are similar to those experienced during pregnancy such as exhaustion and joint pain. But the thing that really sets it apart is the bullseye rash, which btw doesn't always happen but if it does, it won't nesseciarily be where you got bit. I would put Vaseline on the area you got bit to suffocate the tick if it's head was left in your body. I know it's hard, but don't worry too much Lymes has become more common and lots of woman are pregnant during summer time, so it can become unavoidable. But I can tell you that I live in the woods and have gotten by ticks since I was a baby, and only last year did I ever get Lymes disease. The best thing to do is have your boyfriend check your body over and your hair every once in a while to make sure you don't have ticks. Best of luck

If you properly remove a tick, there is a chance that the head will be left in your body. But trust me, there's no need to suffocate it at that point - it's pretty dead once you rip its body off

The head was left in my leg for one of my bites. It's important to leave it alone - keep it clean (Vaseline can collect dirt) and don't pick at it. It will fall out eventually. I promise. It took weeks but one day I woke up and it was gone.

I second this! DS had a tick and I couldn't remove part of the head. It did take a while but eventually fell out on its own. The doctor advised us it was okay and to just leave it alone.

VexyMommy

Does anyone else think of Tic Tacs when reading the title of this discussion?