I have a small embedded tick...very small...nymph...or what they are calling seed ticks now....well bigger than a period(.) but smaller than a deer tick...
It is behind the knee I recently had revised(2nd replacement) there have been some problems with healing...doc is very concerned about not getting it infected. That's my regular surgegeon...he's the one concerned. Tonight I talked to ortho on call and he said..."cover it with bacitracin...cover it with a bandaid and maybe it won't be able to breathe and it will back out."
Ok...so I'm an old Lymie. Been dealing with this over 38 yrs now. I rarely get bit but when I do I've learned not to go to docs cuz they just laugh or refuse to remove tick and offer you one 100mg doxy and say you are fine I take the tick off myself and start myself on doxy.
But this tick is so tiny and/or so deep I can't get it off. I have bad arthritis in hands. I do have really good instrument from vet to take it off and it has always worked before. I'm thinking about digging it out with needle but I'm really scared about infecting the new knee
What do you think. Won't the bacitracin bandaid thing just make it regurgitate more? [email protected] long will it take for these docs to ....nevermind. I know why.
But those of you who have been around. How would you handle it. I guess 200 doxy should help some...since its still attached 24 hrs later...I can steal the dogs doxy.
But do you think I should put bacitracin on or just wash with soap and water...or just water...please tell me what you think
I only have a few days of doxy. Is there a way to buy without prescription? Ty.
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
Is there an Urgent Care place that you could go to?? And have you heard anything about how they treat tick bites?
OMG, when, oh, when will these guys learn??!!
Or do you have a PCP who would be good with it? If so, surely you would have thought of it.
Last summer when I had a tiny tick, I thought, embedded, I went to Urgent Care to a derm, as it was really embedded, totally on spec, not expecting it to work out. To my total surprise, she was wonderful, got it out & sent it to pathology (it wasn't a tick!), & gave me the doxy rx that I asked for! No guarantees on that one, however.
But I wouldn't advise what the stupid doctor said, of course. Grrrr!
PS Is your surgeon in town? Can you see him to take it out? Unorthodox, but he's the one concerned, so hopefully he would care the most about the outcome.
Posted by lpkayak3 (Member # 43569) on :
No here they give one 100mg doxy for attached tick and insist you will be fine
I need to get meds on my own
Any normal infection near replaced knee is a real concern tho
Thx. I used to buy fish doxy but I'm getting scared with all the narcotics and crazy stuff going on
Maybe I should just put myself back on buhner
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
Lp--I agree with Rumgirl that if you can go to an urgent care or prompt care to have the tick removed, do so as soon as possible.
If you have some doxy, start yourself on it whether or not the tick is out. Some pet stores or places like Tractor barn or Farm and Fleet sell doxy for animals, but I don't know how to translate the dosage.
Not sure I would use a needle.
I can't believe that MD's out East where you live don't give correct treatment. Even here in the Midwest where I live the urgent care gives doxy for 6 weeks for an embedded tick.
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
I was bit by nymph deer ticks earlier this spring. Was so upset. Had never encountered them in real life.
I asked for help here but ended up having to remove my post/thread as it was more hurtful instead of helpful....
So believe me, Nymph ticks are no joke. I've learned the hard way that they are loaded with all sorts of nasty infections
I would recommend finding a trustworthy person to remove the very tiny tick.
With severe arthritis and the ticks difficult to reach place of attachment behind your knee, you could seriously injure yourself trying to remove it. Using a needle would only certainly create a wound and possibly severe infection.
I doubt that the bacitracin trick would help or harm you. The tick would probably only drop off after engorged.
You might go to local ER as concern of infection of your prosthetic knee could be a real concern. They should help you remove the nymph tick, inspect the bite site, and hopefully prescribe doxy.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
I would not use a needle because I know by experience that a needle will not work.
The mouthparts are barbed and when I pulled off a tick and the mouthparts remained in me, a needle did absolutely no good.
I dug and dug with the needle, but could not get the mouthparts to come out. It is due to the barb.
So, I had an appointment with my gyn and asked him if he would get it out. He numbed it with a cream and then tried to pull out the mouthparts. He couldn't believe that he could not get them out. He ended up having to use something like a tiny ice cream scoop to scoop out the entire area of flesh.
Then, he cauterized it and put a bandaid over it and told me to put Vaseline on it daily.
So, I KNOW the needle will do no good. If you can get in with a dermatologist, they should be able to cut out the tick.
The derm should also give you some doxy. It may just be one or 2 pills, but take them. Let's hope the tick wasn't infected.
If your surgeon wants to prescribe more meds, take them from him.
Posted by lpkayak3 (Member # 43569) on :
Ty all but I am frantic because all medical here is connected and refuse to remove or treat correctly. Ty for telling me about needle. I will not do that. I'm going to knee syrgeons in morning. I doubt they will do what I need but I have to try since that doc really cares about not having his replacements fail. I have to give him a chance. But if he won't unless someone here can give me good name the only doc I know who will see me in a week is in nj...7 hrs away and I'm recovering from some surgeries and that will be hard. If I can find cdc statement I will bring it but don't know. They are all robots. They don't think or research. They do what they are told. If anyone can find a place that will see me soon please let me know. It s crazy. I think we are close to #1 now in Lyme and they won't treat it
Posted by aklnwlf (Member # 5960) on :
Kayak-Going to a derm doc is an excellent idea. My derm doc prescribes tons of doxy for me for cysts, etc. I had the little scoop procedure done too for a biopsy. I'd probably go to urgent care first and see if they'll remove it and give you some antibiotics. Be praying for you!
Posted by lpkayak3 (Member # 43569) on :
Hi all. I just want to say Ty. Sammy I hope you don't live in a body like mine but it sounds like you really understand. Something happened recently here and all medical docs refuse to remove ticks or prescribe more than one 100mg doxy for an engorged tick. Also...in the last few weeks the vets are giving dogs 2 doses...12 hrs apart and saying that is only tx needed
I don't know why. A local person on fb gave me the name of np office half hour from me. They have a 20-30 min acute tick bite option for 150. I have been unable to afford their prices to use them as my primary but this worked very well for me. I am on 1 month doxy plus baba and Bart herbal and nystatin. I already have myself on s b c and vsl3
I think there will be a way to see them when necessary. All docs around here are ignorant of Lyme and tickborn diseases. They are mentally abusive. I can't describe how good it felt to be in the care of a Lyme literate doc
Ty again to all who responded.
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
So, I'm not clear, did you go to the np & they gave you 1 month of doxy? Is it 200 mg twice a day (I know you know the drill). I hope that is correct.
How did it go at the surgeon's? Did he get the blasted thing removed??
Where do you live? (You can reply via PM, obviously, & only if you want to). Unreal and horrible. Wait until this happens to the doctors & their families!
It sounds like you need to figure out about vet sources for when you need it and they won't give it to you, in case it happens again, or you need more than 1 month. Lord have mercy, what a mess!
Posted by lpkayak3 (Member # 43569) on :
Rumi he prescribed 28 days of doxy 200mg am and pm plus 4 nystatin s a day and he knows I am on sbc and vsl3
He also gave me two bottles of meds 15 drops each I don't know names of them ...I can get that for you...they are for nabs and Bart
He wants to see me in a month to see how I'm doing. The practice has rules about communication with doc between appts. Again I'm not sure but I think its 5 emails less than 500 words. Or fax or letter
If I herd I'm supposed to tell him and see what he wants me to do
I think that's it. Oh. I decimated the tick trying to get it out. So all that was left was a scab. He didn't cut it out so there is nothing to test
He knew early LLMD s that treated me...he obviously respected them....and more...it was so wonderful to talk to someone who knew more than me. Its been at least 12 yrs since I had regular contact with LL people and docs.
I was beside myself this time last night. I know things happen for a reason and I guess that stupid tick got me so I could finally connect with office
The seeking ppl should be sure to have this office I'm sure they do.but they can pm me if they need info
Posted by ukcarry (Member # 18147) on :
Very glad to hear that you have what sounds like sensible treatment and that it has helped to put your mind at rest.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Glad you got it sorted. That's horrible to hear that the doctors are still ignorant. You live in ground zero for Lyme + deadly co-infections. How can they still be so ignorant?
Posted by Splashi1 (Member # 28173) on :
I'm in the northeast. I am not sure where you are, but there is a LLMD in Harvard, MA, who accepts insurance. You might want to consider making an appointment with her so that if it happens again, she can take care of it and you won't have to pay out of pocket. Just as an aside, I had what I thought was a partially embedded tick in my arm a few weeks ago. I went to urgent care and the doc there didn't second guess removing it. It's been a mad year for ticks out here. I also went to an allergist recently who was very familiar with Lyme disease and incensed by the status quo. You might find that doc's around here (of course, not all) are slowly coming around. Especially when faced with one that's attached to you. Let me know if you want the name of the LLMD. I'd be happy to send it to you.
Posted by Angie b (Member # 50623) on :
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