Ewww, I hate them. I found one in Katelyn hair this morning and now I am scared. I have heard alot of really bad things from this. Does anyone have any experience in this? Should I just keep an eye on her? She has been fine today, but I think I am supposed to wait and see how she acts in the next few days. Head checks have started in our home as of this morning! Oh I love summer but not all the bugs and stuff. ugh!

By Andi on Tuesday, April 19, 2005 - 11:42 pm:

Never had to deal with this but I would call the doctor ASAP!! I wouldn't want to take any chances especially with a new baby coming any time now.

Let us know what they say if you decide to call.

By Trina~moderator on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 07:23 am:

Lots of experience with ticks here in CT. I used to freak out but now have accepted them as part of life. They LOVE my DD! We do tick checks often. If we see them crawling on each other we grab them with scotch tape and SQUISH. It's when they have embedded themselves into the skin when you need to be concerned. I used to rush to the doctor to have them removed and request a blood test and antibiotics but our doctor assured me this wasn't necessary each and every time.

Lots of information at this site:
CDC - Lyme Disease

Taken from the link above:

Perform a tick check and remove attached ticks: The transmission of B. burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease) from an infected tick is unlikely to occur before 36 hours of tick attachment. For this reason, daily checks for ticks and promptly removing any attached tick that you find will help prevent infection. Embedded ticks should be removed using fine-tipped tweezers. DO NOT use petroleum jelly, a hot match, nail polish, or other products. Grasp the tick firmly and as closely to the skin as possible. With a steady motion, pull the tick's body away from the skin. The tick's mouthparts may remain in the skin, but do not be alarmed. The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are contained in the tick's midgut or salivary glands. Cleanse the area with an antiseptic.

By Latonya on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 09:07 am:

My DS had a tick embedded in the front of his head right at the hairline a couple of years ago. I removed it but for some reason he now has a scar in that spot. It was a pretty big tick but I didn't know they could leave scars. He likes to keep his hair in a buzz cut so it's very noticable. At least to me. I dont think other people notice it much. He never got sick or anything. I took him to the Dr. and she said if it happened again to remove the tick and clean it and out antibiotic cream on it.

By Conni on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 09:27 am:

We have them here in Arkansas too (year round). We were in the country last weekend and surprisingly none of us came home with a tick. I was surprised at bathtime when everyone did a tick check. We had all used bug spray on our feet/ankles-- so maybe that helped.

We do have them in our yard in town this yr- the dogs have brought them home from the country. So we are planning to treat the yard soon. But we keep having company and dh has been sick to boot. argh! We are so behind around here.

We use Frontline Plus on our dogs. Works great! If you have a dog.

In the Fall my middle ds *always* gets into seed ticks while we are hiking. OMG!!! They are so bad. It doesnt matter what he wears, how careful he is or how much spray he uses- every yr he gets those on him. I feel sorry for him. I know they are miserable. We will immediately get cotton balls of alcohol and start rubbing down his legs wiping them off and killing them. If any attach then we have to pick them off.

Of course all of the boys have found them underneath their privates at diff times too- so if you have boys make sure you remind them to check *everywhere*. lol

Blake has had 2 ticks on him this week from playing in the yard. One attached and one just crawling around looking for a nice spot to dig in. ugh

We dont go to the doctor over tick bites. However, if my child or dog was acting sick after a recent tick bite I would call and ask if we should bring them in. I do have a friend that got rocky mtn spotted fever and she lived thru it. My sisters dog had the same thing and lived thru it. It's miserable tho.

You can go to www.frontline.com to learn about the ticks in your area and what diseases they can carry.

By Lauram on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 10:08 am:

My youngest son woke up last night because "he needed a bandaid". It turned out he had one in his ear- and his ear was all read and HOT. I think the tick was really hurting him! It was big though- so I'm not worried. The little guys are the ones to worry about. THey are so small that you can barely see them. I've had Lyme disease twice- not good. I also have post Lyme syndrome. My kids have always escaped it though because we do check them regularly.

Also, ditto about Frontline. That really helps.

By Karen~moderator on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 10:54 am:

We used to either put alcohol or polish remover on the embedded ones - I seems to remember that supposedly made them pull their heads out - at least that was what we were told when I was growing up in GA.

By Palmbchprincess on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 02:52 pm:

I've only had a few embedded over the years (we don't see many out here but they are really bad in my hometown) and I've been lucky to not have gotten Lyme's. My mom, dad, and sister have all had it, as well as their old dog. If it wasn't a small tick (about the size of a pin head) I wouldn't worry too much, I've always been told it's usually the deer ticks that carry it. Keep an eye on her, but you probably don't have anything to worry about. Oh, and those of you with boys, my cousin had one on his privates when he was young.

By Boxzgrl on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 03:42 pm:

Eeeewwww, i'm all itchy now.

I lived in N. Carolina for a year when I was younger and I used to have fun picking them off my dog. Of course, when they got on me I went screaming in the house completely disgusted. I remember having one "down there" before (not *down* there but close enough). I was about 11 and asked my brother to get it for me because I was freaked out. Ticks are nasty. They are the reason I hate outdoors stuff. I am much more scared of them now than when I was little.

By Palmbchprincess on Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - 06:51 pm:

Oh, I HATE when they get all swollen and fall off the dog. We had a long haired German Shepard, and if we didn't notice a tick we'd find it on the floor all big and disgusting!! Blech!