topic Re: I have a tick😝 in Community Chat

I have a tick😝

KitTkat — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:47:58 GMT

So, to get out of the house I went for a walk in the woods and came home with a hitchhiker. I have a tick in my upper leg. (It's closer to my backside where I can hardly see it) I've tried apple cider vinegar, a lit match, peppermint, and the nasty thing won't let go. Any ideas out there? I live in the Pacific northwest, and tickborn illnesses here are rare, but that doesn't mean I don't want the thing out ASAP. I'd like to use the doctor as a last resort considering the virus crisis. Btw, I'm single and take care of my mom, and she doesn't have the best eyesight to try to remove it for me. I'll take any help or suggestions I can get. Thanks.

Re: I have a tick😝

Witchy Woman — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 10:57:36 GMT

@KitTkat

While not the approved method, I've always just pulled them out with a tweezer if I could reach them.

Normally, I'm so grossed out when one attaches, I don't want to fiddle around getting it out. I just take hold and pull it off.

Of course, I cleanse the area with something and keep an eye on it for infection or swelling. Mine have been mostly the larger ticks, not deer ticks, so easy to see.

Re: I have a tick😝

GabbyAnn — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:22:47 GMT

A nurse once told me to soak the area where the tick is with liquid soap, that it would come off. Never tried it myself, but I do remember her telling me that when my daughter was younger.

Re: I have a tick😝

OKPrincess — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:40:28 GMT

we were told to be sure to get the tick head out of the skin.

I was no stranger to seed ticks spending my younger years in the big thicket of east Texas.

Re: I have a tick😝

Boomerdotty — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:53:17 GMT

Sometimes smothering them in Vaseline gets them to pull out and start moving.

Re: I have a tick😝

KKJ — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 11:58:14 GMT

Any kind of oil works well. Baby oil, vegetable, etc. Just douse area with oil and tick will come off easily. The oil suffocates them.

Re: I have a tick😝

ValuSkr — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 12:38:38 GMT

A lit match?? Be careful, don't hurt yourself!

Re: I have a tick😝

Nbo — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 13:09:38 GMT

@KitTkat

How to remove a tick

Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.

Re: I have a tick😝

lolakimono — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 13:25:05 GMT

@KitTkat

How about some humor for today?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tiPndMqxLQ

Re: I have a tick😝

Carmie — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 13:44:55 GMT

Oh, I got this. I live in a highly infested tick area. The best and easiest way to safely remove a tick from a human or a,pet is to use a Tick Key.

They are around $8 or so and really valuable to have on hand. You can see how they work on YouTube. They are sold at many sites. I got mine at Pet Expectations which is a small family business on line.

Re: I have a tick😝

Mimi 1883 — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 13:59:40 GMT

@ValuSkr wrote:
A lit match?? Be careful, don't hurt yourself!

@ValuSkr @KitTkat Yes. I heard this is the best and most effective way to get in All out! The tick will actually back out.

Re: I have a tick😝

KKJ — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:22:12 GMT

Never had good luck using tweezers, plus you can end up only removing part of the tick. The oil worked like a charm for me.

Re: I have a tick😝

depglass — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:23:00 GMT

I don't have the eyesisght to see the tick's head, much less grasp it in the neck. I scrape the (*&%$ out and treat the area with alcohol. Cover with band-aid if you have exposed a raw area. As far as letting the skin heal over the head, yuk. We are in heavy tick area and I get a few each summer. I used to get Lyme disease test at the end of each summer, but it takes 6 weeks for test to register, so wait that long if you are worried. Check with your doctor, that advice may have changed. Your alternative is to coat yourelf with a deet containing bug spray each time you go outside. I choose not to do that.

Re: I have a tick😝

Sooner — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:24:21 GMT

Faint, cry, throw up, and maybe someone will get it off for you to shut you up. Worked for me when I was a kid! Worked every time!

SO sorry you got this. They are disgusting. Best wishes!

Re: I have a tick😝

x Hedge — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:31:03 GMT

@KitTkat

Have it professionally removed by your Dr or a dermatologist.

I had a tick.

I couldn't reach it, or even see it without a mirror. It was removed by a hunter who had lots of experience removing ticks.

But evidently a tiny portion of the tick's mouth parts remained embedded deep in me.

Start of vicious cycle:

Whenever I asked about having it removed, if it wasn't flaring up and abcessing, the Docs didn't want to disturb it. But then they couldn't remove it when all the tissue in a 3" diameter around it was flaring in hot, angry abcess, which happened every 2-3 years.

This speck of foreign matter remained embedded in me for 25 years and caused a great deal of pain and trouble.

So please have someone with the proper tools remove it right.

Re: I have a tick😝

Lucky Charm — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:36:59 GMT

I would get medical help for that.

Wear a mask, gloves and glasses (safety glasses, if you have them).

Don't try to get it, it's in a bad spot.

Re: I have a tick😝

depglass — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:41:16 GMT

To Hedge: I would insist they remove it. This sounds like something else is going on, but the only way to prove it is to get that thing out of you. Minor, minor surgery.

Re: I have a tick😝

KitTkat — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:50:57 GMT

Thank you all for your suggestions and replies. I tried vegetable oil, as that's all I have, but it's still in there. I can't see it good enough to try to tweezer it out. I've successfully removed ticks on my cats before, but that's a different scenario. I'll probably be heading in to the walk in clinic sometime soon because @x Hedge knows from experience. Thanks again.

Re: I have a tick😝

lolakimono — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:57:45 GMT

@KitTkat

IDK, what about butter?

Re: I have a tick😝

geezerette — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:14:01 GMT

@KitTkat

If you have any precious hand sanitizer, you can try putting that on it, liberally. The gel should help to smother the tick, the alcohol should help to disinfect.

However, if you can't get the tick out by yourself, please do get someone competent to do so ASAP. The longer the tick stays alive and imbedded, the more chance you have of contracting a tick borne illness.