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Friend just found tick attached to her - what to do asap?


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I know many people here will have much better knowledge of this than me - a friend just found a tick attached to her (this morning).

 

She pulled it out and the head is still attached and she seems so nonchalant about it. I just told her to get that thing out of her!!!! She has no clue about TBDs.

 

What should she do? Should she get a doctor to give her abx for a while? They are SO against it here (Ontario) that I'm sure she will receive opposition, so can she take herbs for a while??

 

Thanks

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I'm very, painfully aware of the seriousness of Lyme and Pandas, and many will not agree with me, but a tick bite doesn't necessarily equate to Lyme disease, and definately doesn't equate to pandas. Early diagnosis of either is obviously important, but IMHO a tick bite doesn't necessitate the need for abx.... Just my opinion ;)

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I think monitoring for the red bulls eye would be an obvious start.....but many times you don't even get the rash according to what I have read. I would say a cost benefit/risk analysis would be in order:

 

1) 2-4 weeks Doxy as a preventative just in case with probiotics and their associated cost monetarily and risks physically VS. Do nothing and have it/get it and deal with the long term issues and costs both monetarily and physically.

 

I know where I would fall......however, try and get an Ilads phone consult.....one close to your area.

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She could also save the tick and send it off for testing. I imagine the tick might have to be in tack to do this. Igenex tests ticks and some states have a state run program for free tick testing.

In my personal experience I would treat with doxy for 4 weeks. Some docs now are adding a cyst buster to initial treatment like tindamax as research has shown the spirochete can quickly go into cyst form.

I would do ANYTHING. To prevent what happened to me and my children.

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This is why we have a problem with abx overuse and resistance to bacteria. Dig the head of the tick out before it causes a localized infection. It is INSANITY to think that every single tick bite immediately be treated with abx. The average person in my area of the rural countryside gets a 25-100 tick bites a year. Literally millions of people get many many millions of tick bites a year and nothing happens. I stated abx (200mg twice a day of doxy X 4 weeks) after a tick bite with an expanding rash and still got chronic batonella from it because doxy does not kill bart. Really one tick bite, even in an endemic area does not make for a trip to the doctor.

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not doing preventive abx after a tic bite is like playing russian roulette. strictly speaking, odds are in your favor.

but, then, perhaps, current understanding of lyme is not entirely correct. There is that HIV baby patient that is currently in the news. Her blood was tested over and over and over again and they could not find even a trace of HIV for three years. But, now, it appears that they did not know how or where to look. and the baby has HIV once again. and that is AIDS virus which is well known.

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When DH got bit last spring we saved the tick and sent it in for testing including all co-infections. Our LLMD gave him 3 weeks of doxy until we got our test results back.

 

In our area Borrellia Miyomoti is more prevalent than BB and is not testable at this time unless the tick is sent to a research individual. The rate of infected ticks CA is lower than in the NE. I understand about 50% of all deer ticks carry BB in NE.

 

LLMDs will often provide antibiotic cream (Azithro) to treat area of bite topically as well. Something to consider if the head is still embedded.

Edited by sf_mom
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