Tick bite urgent advice needed

@ruby_hosh

hi ruby,

As a rule for everyone out there never go in long grass or under any leaf canopy from spring to late autumn and if warm winter too as you run the risk out here to ticks which the Bulgarians call curlish.

Ruby your child will need antibiotics as soon as possible, maybe a blood test too to check. If a red ring type rash appears thats not good and a long period of antibiotics willbe needed. I know this as my son got one in Germany years ago just kicking a ball at a park but went to retrieve it from a boundary hedge and thats where he picked one up.

Go to your nearest hospital and get checked out.

Please note people that the longer a tick is on you feeding the more chance you have in getting a disease from them, always check yourself if in grassy areas and check pets too. Be warned too that if removed wrongly the tick can reguritate its stomach into your blood and again thats when you can get illness, putting alcohol on them etc may be the wrong thing too as the tick goes into a kind of shock and may spill its guts into you not good.

Always seek medical assistance quickly too.

Hope this helps , Rgds Ozzy

@ruby_hosh

Thanks to @Ozzy183a for his helpful post. I'm not a tick expert, but I think it seems much scarier than it actually is. And almost certainly not "urgent".

My understanding is that most tick bites DON'T result in any kind of infection. And it's important to note that the risk increases greatly if the tick stays attached for a long time (more than a day). However, it seems you found it and removed it very quickly.

I'm not sure if the indiscriminate use of antibiotics is warranted. I believe there is a long course of antibiotics prescribed if Lyme Disease is suspected (according to symptoms/blood test). Or, in some situations, you can consider an immediate short course.

https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tickbornedise … laxis.html

Nor do I think that Ramus Labs can help much. I doubt they test ticks, as they do human blood tests for a range of factors. I believe one of their tests is Lyme Disease, but it's probably too soon to test for this.

I believe that you should practice "watchful waiting" and keep an eye open for a rash developing at the bite site, or developing flu-like symptoms, or any kind of neurological condition.

But, of course, you might feel better hearing all this from a doctor. I'd suggest going to see your local Bulgarian GP... or, if that's not an option, you can always pop into the emergency room at a private hospital (in VT, if that's the nearest city). It's not an emergency, but I find this is a very easy/quick option when I want an immediate answer/scan for a particular health concern. It's much more expensive, as your GP would be more like 5 leva (if covered by public system) while a private hospital might be 100-150 lv.

Meanwhile, Dr. Google says...

General Bulgarian tick info

https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/64206

Lyme Disease

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/

https://www.traveldoctor.network/countr … e-disease/

If you live in an area with high numbers of ticks, get vaccinated.

Sounds like a storm in a teacup to me.  Our garden here in Sofia has plenty of ticks (I don't like the Nuke Everything approach to insect control, especially as we usually grow fruit and salad crops.  I also garden in my shorts, which inevitably leads sooner or later leads to a tick or two appearing as unpaid passengers aboard HMS Family Jewels (and elsewhere).  I just use the same "plastic mini-crowbar" as I use on the cats to remove them - make sure you twist, not "lever", the beggars off.

Neither I nor the moggies have had any ensuing problems in the past 20 years, but I always keep an eye on things for several days after removal. It appears that there's a greater risk of contracting Lyme disease in the North of the country (DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a5007)

There is Lyme disease in Bulgaria for sure, but the risk from a single tick bite is generally quite low. If there are also deer nearby, it's more likely. But still, most ticks, especially when removed fast, won't pass on any illness. If you're in Targovishte or Gabrovo regions, they do have a higher than average rate of Lyme infection.

Tick testing ideally needs to be done within 24 hours of removal.

Though the risk isn't super-high, Lyme is a nasty illness, so a trip to the lab with the tick and a nice day out in VT might be warranted to give you peace of mind.

@JimJ same here mate got one in my tackle once. Twist it out with tweezers and hope it doesnt snap inside!

Hi, first please note it is normal to have a small red bump still.

If you want to test the tick you should take it to РЗИ Veliko Tarnovo.

Otherwise you can get blood samples in any laboratory for Lyme decease, even if that's the case it can be treated by antibiotics.

I would personally get the blood test as it would be faster

Please let me know how it goes

This may be a bit late, but here is a very useful video for any future issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFGEcS7CGbw by the NHS

Thank you to all the fab community!

We took the tick to the lab in VT. Honestly, the staff there weren't the most sympathetic and kind of rude, which scared us even more. They explained in English that there was no need for a blood test and that the tick should be tested first. I handed it over wrapped in the cotton wool, and was given a password to check the results online. About three hours later, we logged in and saw that the tick tested negative for Lyme disease.

The red lump is still there in her armpit, but we were told to keep an eye on it for the next few days and not expect any problems. She isn't allowed to play near tall grass anymore, and I'll be checking for ticks regularly. We have a big garden at the house, so I'll have to look into spraying it. I dont really like pesticides, but I dont want to risk my little ones getting Lyme disease. 

I was impressed by how quickly they handled the testing and how modern their system is. Even though the staff were a bit rude, I've seen this before in Bulgaria and I cant really get hung up on it. People in the village have all been fab, and the guy who got the tick out with the alcohol and cotton wool was a star, though my daughter might not agree.

Thanks to everyone who sent me advice. This is only the first week of our ninety days! Does anyone have any tips on spraying the garden, or should we just stick to repellents? 

Phew, what a relief for you!

It's a shame the lab staff were rude, but they were right about not putting your daughter through a blood test. Because it tests for antibodies, testing a person for Lyme will only give an accurate result once her system has had time to react to the Lyme infection..  This can take at least two weeks and as long as six. So having a blood test too soon can give false reassurance and lead to missed diagnosis if the person doesn't have another test after six weeks to check it;s still negative.

The test on the tick is different, it  looks for the actual infective organisms, so if that's negative it should be fine. Though if you have any doubt or she develops more symptoms, seeing a doctor to discuss antibiotics is wise.

The red lump and localised soreness can take a few days to resolve.

As the No Win, No Fee attorney of your victim's next of kin, I have to inform you that if you indulge in any acts of aggression or genocide against my clients, we will be filing a claim for compensatory and punitive damages against you at the European Court of Silly Jokes...ignore this warning at your peril!

Lyme disease is only one problem. Tick borne encephalitis is a risk further West here in Hungary and in Austria.   If you spend a lot of time in forested areas, then it's worth having it but usually they reserve it for forestry workers. I used to get vaccinated as I did a lot of mountain biking in forests.  Our dogs and cats get them all the time and we remove them ourselves, but none of us humans  have ever had them. The animals never seem to suffer either.  Post-removal, we put antiseptic cream on the furry friends.

@Ozzy183a

As a rule of thumb unless the tick has been attached longer than 24hrs the risk of disease transmission is low, so first dont panic. Sensible advice re removal has already been given on here, invest in good hook end tick removal tweezers. Seek medical help if they show any signs and symptoms, most UK doctors would be reluctant to give a very strong dose of antibiotics needlessly as they can do more harm than good sometimes. For prophylaxis use a good repellant containing DEET, and keep your own garden areas cut short or borrow some chickens!

I just realized what that mini-crowbar thing in my first aid kit is actually for—it's a tick removal tool! All this time, I thought it was for pulling out splinters.

Oh, I feel a bit silly now but it just goes to show, every day is a school day.