Jump to content
ACN Latitudes Forums

Found tick on DS's head tonight.


Recommended Posts

So for a year now we have dealt w/ LD/Bartonella symptoms. Didn't realize Lyme was the culprit until last Oct/Nov. But we have learned the effects of the nasty stuff ticks carry...1st in my DD, then DS, then me, probably my DH, now my dad and possibly my mom. It's insane how this has turned our life upside down (and I know you all can relate!). NONE of us, not even as sick as my dad got (LD/Ehrlichia/Babesia/Bartonella/Chlamydia Pnuemonia) these past few months (dr's assume he got bit sodding his lawn in Feb.) have any of us ever seen a tick or a rash. We had to go off clinical symptoms, CD 57 scores, Igenex results, etc. In order to help prove my thoughts that ticks are in our yard which is on a golf course with deer and mice, I did a tick sweep the past 2 wks w/ white felt like in Under Our Skin...yes my neighbors probably think I am nuts! I found a few bugs but nothing that exactly screamed tick. Wasn't sure if I had found nymphs or mites so I took my few specimens to the local Penn State branch 3 min down the road where they identify ticks under a microscope...no testing for LD but at least identify. 2 of 3 specimens weren't ticks. The 3rd one was smooshed and we couldn't tell but probably a red clover mite like the 2nd specimen.

 

Then...tonight, my DS6 was reading to DH and at the end DH rubbed back of head to say he was proud of him and he felt what he thought was a scab in his buzz cut hairsytle. Low and behold...it was a tick!!! It wasn't embedded/engorged but it had a little piece of skin hanging from it. I have it in a baggy all ready to go to Penn State tomorrow for identification. So the ironic part is this: We have lived w/ the effects of LD for a while but this felt like getting kicked in the teeth to see this little creature whose little relatives have caused so much trouble in all of our lives.

 

After I bathed my son, ripped his bed apart, washed all his bedding in hot water (just in case there were more), I cleaned his ears. I love to pick, clean ears, etc. I even have this flashlight on a headband. So get out the flashlight and Q-tips. 2 wks ago I noticed a black spot like a scab in his ear canal. I tried to wipe it out back then but he cried that it hurt. I assumed he had a cut in his ear canal??? I did think possibly a nymph tick but scolded myself to chill out and not have Lyme on the brain. A week later it was still there but I couldn't get it easily and didn't want to make him upset since it hurt the week b/f when I tried to get it. Tonight I was finally able to wiggle it out of canal. I was determined. I nearly dropped dead. It appeared to be a very small tick with dried blood connected to it! I had to struggle to see it thru a magnifying glass. My son saw it too. So now I have another specimen in a baggy to take to Penn State. Specimen #1 is definitely a tick but I want them to identify which one for sure. Specimen #2, will be interesting to see under the microscope.

 

Uhh, just an upsetting night. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know exactly how you feel! Like your heart just sinks, like a whole in your stomach.

The last couple of weeks have been absolutely insane here. We pulled out a tick out of dd5's head... it was embedded, but I cannot have been there too long because I've been checking daily. Nevertheless, the site looked awful and she developed swollen lymph nodes. The pediatrician said it could just be a reaction to the infection on the bite site itself, or it could be Lyme, but we are not going to wait a month to test, so she is on 30 days amox.

I've been pulling ticks out of everyone! One day I was giving the little girls a bath, took the 1yo out first, as I'm changing I heard dd3 screaming in the bathtub... DD5 saw a tick on DD3's armpit and decided to pull it out herself!!! Goodness gracious!!! I did find the dead tick, it definitely was a tick. It's just crazy!

Our big problem was our dog got into a fight with a fox that we later shot and was confirmed by the health department to have rabbies (don't you just love country life!). As a result of the incident, the dog had a bath, and we did not think of re-applying the tick stuff on him, duh! I only made the connection about a week later because I showered, went to church, came back home, parked on the driveway (the dog came to me as I was getting out of the car), and five minutes later I found a tick on me!!!

So, if you have any pets, make sure you treat them, since they are out and about picking up all sort of things!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spent all my summers up on the Canada/Minnesota border as a child. We found it assuming to pull bloated ticks off the dog. No wonder I have LYME.

 

My girlfriend grew up on a dairy farm in WI, drank unpasteurized milk from the can and had 20 furrow cats at any given time that she played with regularly. No wonder she has LYME.

 

I am so sorry to hear about the tick in ear. Your story makes me even more committed to protection this summer.

 

Very similar story with a little girl from NJ about 2 weeks ago. PANDAS/Lyme/Bartonella, etc. was doing really well with treatment. Mother noticed a sudden increase in behavior and found an embedded tick. She got so scared she immediately threw it in the toilet and flushed. She called her LLMD and they did put her on Mepron 'temporarly' in addition to current protocol to protect her from Babesia. They think the tick was probably attached for 12 to 24 hours.

 

Hate to bring the topic up again but what are people using for protection. I forgot to ask LLMD yesterday. I hate to use anything too toxic. We do spray the lawn but summer camp is about to start.

 

-Wendy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spent all my summers up on the Canada/Minnesota border as a child. We found it assuming to pull bloated ticks off the dog. No wonder I have LYME.

 

My girlfriend grew up on a dairy farm in WI, drank unpasteurized milk from the can and had 20 furrow cats at any given time that she played with regularly. No wonder she has LYME.

 

I am so sorry to hear about the tick in ear. Your story makes me even more committed to protection this summer.

 

Very similar story with a little girl from NJ about 2 weeks ago. PANDAS/Lyme/Bartonella, etc. was doing really well with treatment. Mother noticed a sudden increase in behavior and found an embedded tick. She got so scared she immediately threw it in the toilet and flushed. She called her LLMD and they did put her on Mepron 'temporarly' in addition to current protocol to protect her from Babesia. They think the tick was probably attached for 12 to 24 hours.

 

Hate to bring the topic up again but what are people using for protection. I forgot to ask LLMD yesterday. I hate to use anything too toxic. We do spray the lawn but summer camp is about to start.

 

-Wendy

kmom & mati's mom- uggh! Please keep us posted on what you find out kmom.

 

SFmom- we had our lawn sprayed yesterday and 2 hours later we had torrential downpours with tornado action. I hope some of it penetrated before being washed away. We also put Daminik tick tubes around the perimeter of property. We are using Avon Bug Guard plus Expedition spray & lotion. I also purchased a pair of shorts and 2 t-shirts with insect shield included.

Edited by philamom
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spent all my summers up on the Canada/Minnesota border as a child. We found it assuming to pull bloated ticks off the dog. No wonder I have LYME.

 

My girlfriend grew up on a dairy farm in WI, drank unpasteurized milk from the can and had 20 furrow cats at any given time that she played with regularly. No wonder she has LYME.

 

I am so sorry to hear about the tick in ear. Your story makes me even more committed to protection this summer.

 

Very similar story with a little girl from NJ about 2 weeks ago. PANDAS/Lyme/Bartonella, etc. was doing really well with treatment. Mother noticed a sudden increase in behavior and found an embedded tick. She got so scared she immediately threw it in the toilet and flushed. She called her LLMD and they did put her on Mepron 'temporarly' in addition to current protocol to protect her from Babesia. They think the tick was probably attached for 12 to 24 hours.

 

Hate to bring the topic up again but what are people using for protection. I forgot to ask LLMD yesterday. I hate to use anything too toxic. We do spray the lawn but summer camp is about to start.

 

-Wendy

Our LLMD recommended Eucalyptus oil. I does work, but you have to remember to apply it, and it does not last too long, so you'll have to reaply maybe every 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. I made my own mix with Eucalyptus and Geranium oils, and it works, but whenever we let our guard down thinking they are only going to ride the bikes on the driveway, they'll just be out a few minutes, etc, that's when we get the ticks! So, I need to re-program everyone to PUT SOMETHING ON before they step out the door, no "buts", no excuses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

kmom & mati's mom- uggh! Please keep us posted on what you find out kmom.

 

SFmom- we had our lawn sprayed yesterday and 2 hours later we had torrential downpours with tornado action. I hope some of it penetrated before being washed away. We also put Daminik tick tubes around the perimeter of property. We are using Avon Bug Guard plus Expedition spray & lotion. I also purchased a pair of shorts and 2 t-shirts with insect shield included.

Same here... my husband applied something on the yard, and we've done the tubes too, but with all this rain it's probably washed off completely. As soon as it dries up a bit we'll have to mow really short (it's been raining every single day so we have not even been able to mow!) and treat again. I am also planning to treat the dog more often than recommended...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like you are in a real tick hot spot. You should try tick tubes - sometimes called Damminix (sp?). The website is www.ticktubes.com. They are really easy to use, and pretty environmentally friendly. They control the tick population by getting the host animal (mice) to spread pesticide to the place it will get the most ticks at once (in the mice dens). But they don't hurt mice or pets. We have been using them for a couple of years now and they really have reduced the numbers of ticks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...