Coincidently to this thread coming back up, I last night found a deer tick attached to my abdomen. He had been there a while. A night or 2 prior when taking a quick shower it appeared to me (without taking a close observation) to be a scrape and scab and I thought " wonder how that happened " and just washed the area with soap and water, got dressed and went on. Last night when putting on my shoes I realized I felt a bit irritated in that area so I put my reading glasses on and checked it out and found what looked like a dead, dehydrated deer tick that got mashed after swelling up which explains what looked like a scab prior without close observation. I pulled it off and saved him, washed the area with a hot wash rag then applied alcohol. Checked it a while a go and its way less irrated, red for about a dime sized area. Has a tiny black spot in the center I tried to pull out with tweezers without success, that I think is a hair root but rather would of got it out just in case its something from the tick.
Last year my parents dog was diagonoised with lyme and about a month ago my dog even though my old dog appears very healthy.
You folks that know something about it, should I take steps to see if this tick bite infected me. I spent several thousand dollars with a medical issue last year for a few dr visits and short in and out of the hospital procedures. Like being discussed, how likely my doctor will do the right thing?I have the tick, maybe I can have it tested somewhere ? Going to the vet tomorrow, maybe the can do it ?
As you know, I am not a doctor, nor am I a vet. With that being said, its hard for me to give you advise as to if you should spend the bucks and go see a doc. After all, we all cant rush off to the doc every time we think we "might" be coming down with something. But in your case, I would consider the following.
The tick you described obviously spent some time buried in you, it wasn't like you pulled the thing out the second you got bit. From what I understand, it only takes the bite to get infected if the tick had the disease, but the chances of infecting you go up as the tick has time to bury itself under the skin. Kinda like a snake bite really. If you just get a glancing bit you don't get a lot of the poison, but if the snake has the chance to clamp on and pump the poison in you are getting a bigger dose. Something to consider.
But, I can say one thing. If you decide not to go to the doc, pay attention to yourself. Write the date down on a calender and watch the area where you got bit.If it continues to swell or gets the "bulls eye" look, don't hesitate in seeing a doc. If you develop any symptoms that seem weird to you, see the doc. Strange muscle aches, headaches, loss or blurry vision, or a difficult time in concentrating on the simplest tasks are warning signs.
The first symptom that most complain about is being tired all the time. Even with sleep, you still feel tired and kinda wore out. Its easy to explain it away with the "oh well, we just switched to daylight savings time, just having a hard time adjusting" or "Well, been short night sleeps lately" etc.
Do yourself a favor now, and do some reading on the internet. While there are nutcases on the internet, there are many good sources of info to educate yourself. While doctors generally roll their eyes when the first thing that pops out of your mouth is, "I read this on the internet", you can leave that part out and just simply say, "I have been doing some reading on the topic of Lyme disease, and coupled with a tick bite on XXXX day, I am concerned seeing as my symptoms are similar."
Its important for everyone to keep in mind one thing. While its never a good idea to scare the hell out of yourself anytime anything weird comes along and you feel a little weird or abnormal, education has never hurt anyone. The better informed you are, the less you have to rely on a doctor to make the proper diagnosis. After all, at the end of the day the doc gets to go home to his McMansion, regardless if he treated you correctly or not. Wether you go home or end up in a pine box often is left up to how well you know your own body. And don't let anyone tell you that its normal to feel this crappy when your guts tell you something else.
