Also, I just came back from an excursion in southern germany and I've found and removed a fed tick that's been on my leg. As far as I can think of, I prolly picked him up last night. Umm I'm at a loss of what to do.

I leave again tomorrow for another excursion so I guess I should go to the doctor eh? How the heck does all this work? Do I just take my health card and walk into Inselspital or something?

No bulls eye, just a slight small rash where I took him out. He's still alive and trapped in a little plastic jar.

So damn, but it was to happen eventually.

How did you get the tick off? If you did it properly there should be no need to follow up with a doctor. Only if you managed to leave a part of its mouth/head under your skin...

The bump should go away in a day or two. If you begin to feel unwell or develop a rash, that's when to call the doctor.

Head is still attached to tick (thankfully back in Canuckia I've spent my life pulling these buggers off) also I don't see any skin attached to it's pinsors that are still connected to it's body.

Shouldn't I go in now and see if there is some shot I could get now to prevent me possibly developping Lyme in the future. That anti-malaria that kills Lyme within the first 72 hours or whatever?

Watch the area where you were bitten and if you develop red circles on your skin that move, see a doctor, you'll have a lyme disease infection. My daughter had it when she was a kid. You need antibiotics because if untreated it can cause severe health problems, years or even decades later in you life.

picture

Gruesome pics please!

Not much you can do, doctors will only treat you with antibiotics if you actually develop lyme disease.

There's a clinical trial going on to test an antibiotic gel that's supposed to kill the bacteria at the entry site (http://www.zeckenstudie.com/default.aspx). Hopefully it'll be proven to be effective.

Hello, I have heard the awful story of a mother who has two children suffering from Lyme disease. They caught it years ago in the USA and the consequences are horrendous, I am afraid to say.

There is a special kind of antibiotic for treating Lyme disease and it should be taken as soon as possible. When this is done there is nothing more to worry about. If you leave it then the disease can develop. The sign to look out for is the rash that has already been mentioned. Perhaps you could take a photo of the bite area in case this helps?

Good luck!

Well this is all disheartening. So basically I can't do anything until I may already have the disease?

Well tomorrow morning I'll go in to the clinic downtown and get it checked I guess as I couldn't do it today due to to many people already waiting.

Edit: Since I took the tick off the bite area (Still just today) is nothing special to note other then a gradually smaller growing rash which is now more like a pimple.

A tip for the future... someone gave me the wonderful suggestion of mixing teatree oil in a spray bottle and spray your clothes before going out into the wild. My little one was bitten by one and we used it on the tick and it died pretty much instantly. I haven't noticed any problems since the incident. Wishing you good health!

kngavl, you will be fine because you are acting quickly. I think you have one to two weeks to stop the disease with the right antibiotics. At the clinic you should insist that you are given the antibiotics known to erradicate lyme disease.

And even if you have not been infected by the disease, prevention is better than cure!

No. No reputable doctor will give antibiotics just as a precaution. Ever heard of antibiotic resistance?

However it takes some 24 hours before lyme starts to transfer from tick into you and as it sounds like you got it out faster than that you should have no problem. Also no need to go to the doctor - just watch that bite site for a week or so.

Eitherway I have the tick still with me here by the laptop.

At the very least they could check it out so I could be sure to see if it doesn't have Lyme or heaven forbid TBE. Back in Canukia, an acquainted husband just succumbed to TBE last week on 3 weeks notice after the bite (rare of course, but it happened).

Well I went to City Notfall (walk-in clinc) and wrote down 1 form with basic and health insurance info. Then spoke with a Doc who said it's good you took it off and that 10% of people will go on to catch Lyme after being bitten but taking it off in time. Also said there is nothing he will do unless the ring develops or one of the many symptoms associated with Lyme appear within the next 2 weeks. Then a quick topical disinfectant spray and the bill will come in the mail.

Now I'm away from civilization again for a week and I'll update once I have the internets.

Also: The little guy died last night. Judging by photos it looks like an Ixodes ricinus.

Symptoms of Lyme can develop after the 2 weeks, too. Don't need to worry, just keep this in mind in case any unusual health problem appears in the next couple of months.

How is it that you're so freaked out by this tick, when you commented that you've removed many in the past? Are Canadian ticks somehow more benign?

You just confirmed exactly what the rational posts here have said: Yes, you should have removed it, good job on keeping the head intact; yes there's a slight risk of disease transfer, keep an eye on it for a few weeks and no you don't get treatment until you actually have the disease.

Thanks for wasting medical resources - I'll think of people like you when my insurance rates are inevitably raised, again.

Yes, where I live we only have Dog ticks. Dog ticks do not carry lyme so there is 0% chance of getting Lyme from my province. As for TBE, also a near 0 chance for getting it (the man is the only time I've heard of it back home).

Maybe you should get a new insurance policy that doesn't base it's price on the number of 4 minute doctor consultations on Sunday mornings (oh and heaven forbid the antispetic spray!) I'll send over your 5 rappen as soon as possible

This, is completely fair.

The rest is inane babble. Your 4 minute appointment, across the entire population (much like idiots that think taking antibiotics as a prevention is a good idea) costs the system much more than 5 rappen - how do you think they determine their rates, darts?

I'm under the understanding that in at least the East Coast, doxocycline (sp) can be given if certain criteria are met and from what I've "researched" over the night it is given fairly regularly and I had met those requirements. I grew up hearing that Lyme was basically not much better then a death sentence (now I know better, hell I didn't even know it was possible to be treated once you had it until last night). I'd rather hear a doctor tell me exactly what to look for/do then risk developing something that, in my mind, could have been prevented had I simply looked into it earlier. A consultation is not wasting medical resources.

Either way now if someone looks into it on the forums, they'll at least have one more anecdotal thread of advice.

But thank you everyone who's provided advice and comments, I appreciate it.

Absolutely - because there is so much information out there about how careful you have to be and what a major disaster it is to get bitten and gory detail about how to remove tick/possible disaster scenarios that could ensue - and then when you actually do get a tick bite and remove the tick, its hard to believe after everything you've heard that you're then meant to just clean the wound/entry site then tootle off on your merry way ... (whilst obviously keeping a good eye out for any reactions around the bite entry site for the next couple of weeks). But the reality is that that is exactly what you do - and you only need visit a doctor if you have not cleanly removed the tick or if you start to feel unwell/react around the bite site.

If anyone is bitten and then in doubt about what to do next, try visiting your pharmacist as a good half way house - they can help confirm if you have correctly removed the tick (and also sell you some expensive balm to spray onto the entry site ... try to avoid that!)

Okay. Back this up with the facts. The population is? The cost of the 4 minute appointment was? ( kngavl, please humour the guy and supply this
;-) I am sure that the amount that knagavl pays in medical insurance actually offsets the cost to the rest of we poor people who are subsidising the 4 minute appontment.

Pesonally, I support the idea of anyone going ot a doctor to check out a tic situation that could possibly have dire consequences, even if only for the peace of mind given by a reassurring doctor.