Tick on DD's head- can I leave it?

[Mosling]

Been camping in N Yorkshire then 3 days in London. At home in the bath for the first time ( grandparents just have shower) I can see what looks like a v small tick in DD2's hair. She's 18m and v wriggly, not happy about me looking and I can't imagine being able to remove it.

Can I just leave it, given it must have been there about 3 days and therefore any Lymes transmission is probably a done deal? I think I'm looking for the rash or a flu like illness if the worst happens.

Any thoughts from people who know? Am I risking anything if I let nature take its course?

[Seriouslyffs]

I wouldn't have thought so, no!
Call NHS direct or go to A&E.

[Swex]

No you can't leave it. If you can't deal with it then like previous poster I recommend getting it removed by a health care professional.

[KatieKaye]

I'd get it checked out. If a tick dies its jaws remain clamped... so could get a nasty infection.

[hellymelly]

Absolutely do not leave it. Get it out alive, take it to the GP and it can be tested for Lymes. I know a young adult who picked up Lymes as a child, it wasn't diagnosed for some years and she has major health problems now. If the tick has Lymes the longer it is there the higher the chances of transmission, and nymph ticks are the most likely to spread Lymes (they are very small). It is important you remove the tick without stressing it so that it doesn't vomit up stomach contents, so use a proper tool, or a cotton thread, google for films of how to do this.

[MickiJohn]

Just take it out.

Twist anticlockwise with tweezers if small or your fingers if big. Don't squeeze.

Use antiseptic spray afterwards. Better to get it out quickly because of Lyme Disease.

[MrsCampbellBlack]

No, don't leave it. Dh had v nasty reaction to a tick recently. Needs to be removed carefully.

[nigerdelta]

I thought you didn't twist, when I took one off my cat I gripped very firmly & pulled straight out. It was like removing a plug . I thought twisting might leave mouth parts behind which increases chance of infection.

[MickiJohn]

I'd call the docs just in case once it's out. My friend's DD had to have check ups every couple of months for a year to make sure she didn't have Lyme Disease.

[exexpat]

Have you got any friends/neighbours with a dog? They may have a tick-twister - little thing designed to get ticks out of pets' fur whole.

[MickiJohn]

No definitely twist. If you pull you can leave the head in.

I've taken hundreds off the dog. Definitely twist! They burrow in clockwise so remove it anticlockwise.

[Knottyknitter]

Tick card from good camping shop, minor injuries or ed.

[elfycat]

Please go to the GP for advice/ antibiotics even if you remove the tick. Do not squeeze it (with tweezers) as that's another infection risk.

I've looked after patients who have had Lymes disease and it can cause all kinds of complications that make things like surgery more, well, complicated!

[nigerdelta]

This says very clearly Do Not Twist.
www.webmd.com/first-aid/tc/how-to-remove-a-tick-overview

[MickiJohn]

Hmm. I always twisted and my vet twists. I've never had a problem...

Well, pull or twist I think it needs to be removed. Then the doctors either way.

[onedogatoddlerandababy]

You need to remove it, use a tick remover, otom ones are what we have for the dog, vets/pet shops sell them, as will camping shops and some pharmacists.

And yes to twisting it out with the tool. You just sort of twirl them out.

[Mosling]

Ok, general consensus it needs to be removed. Just not sure how feasible that is, and also aware that while untreated Lymes is serious (and I'll be keeping a close eye out), it's not serious if caught early.

[Mosling]

Duly removed from sleepy daughter, will call GP in morning. Thanks for helpful link and tips!

[hellymelly]

Well Lymes is treatable if caught early, yes, but the symptoms can take a while to appear, and they are so like a bog standard childhood virus in appearance that they can often be missed. Lymes is very hard to diagnose and it seems likely that many supposed cases of other illnesses are in fact due to Lymes. My friend's dd had years of mis-diagnosis and tests, all through her teens in fact, so I personally wish there was far more awareness of Lyme's and how serious it is, and how easy to catch. Most people never know they have been bitten, as nymph ticks are so tiny, and the classic bull's eye rash often doesn't appear. Anti-biotics need to be given very early to eradicate Lyme's before it becomes systemic.

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Best tick removal information here:

www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/about-ticks/tick-removal/

[InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream]

I agree with Helly- you wouldn't necessarily know whether she had contracted Lyme's or not, and it doesn't always show up on blood tests either. You should get the tick tested

[Theonlyoneiknow]

The chances of getting lyme disease is slim, only a very small percentage of ticks carry the disease but it is a nasty nasty illness that you really don't want to get.

[hellymelly]

Actually the percentage of ticks carrying Lymes is surprisingly high, latest study for my area , which is never considered a very risky area, showed 30-40% of ticks were carriers. That is pretty high, we don't have deer, am in West Wales, so not an area known for Lyme's. Awareness of Lyme's is increasing, it is much more of a public health issue than was previously thought, mainly due to the fact that it is hard to connect a health issue years later, with a bite you may not even be aware you had.

[Theonlyoneiknow]

Really? I recently read it was only 2% that were lyme disease carriers (but can't remember where that was, perhaps out of date info).

I am glad awareness is increasing. I went to my GP a few years ago with a tick bit and watched as he googled it!

My friend has lyme disease, this is her blog
lymeywifey.blogspot.dk/2012/09/introducting-lymey-wifey.html