It seems to be the hot topic of conversation in Ottawa, mixed with a wave of fear. So I’m here to tell you 5 reasons why you shouldn’t worry THAT much about ticks.
My husband and I were both the lucky recipients of tick bites this weekend. Instead of feeling more afraid, after speaking thoroughly with my family doctor and TeleHealth, I am no longer worried about ticks, and here’s why you shouldn’t be either.
1.) YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SEE THEM
One of the most common questions I’ve gotten over the last few days is, “How do you know if you have a tick on you”…trust me, you’ll know…those bastards aren’t small. You’ll see (or feel) a black bug literally sticking out of you…it’s gross as f*ck, but it will be very obvious…so as long as you take a quick scan when you’re changing or showering, you’ll be good to go!
2.) YOU HAVE 24 HOURS
To be “eligible” for lyme disease (I’m tired and can’t think of a better word), you need to have the tick on you for 24 hours. As moms, we generally shower and change more infrequently, but it’s a safe bet you’re doing at least one outfit change in that time…so just take a quick scan.
3.) ONLY 1/5 TICKS CARRY LYME DISEASE
While these aren’t odds I’d LOVE to bet against, even if you have a tick on your for more than 24 hours, there’s still a good chance it doesn’t even carry the disease.
4.) PLAN B FOR LYME DISEASE
My husband didn’t know how long the tick was on him, so our doctor prescribed him 1 dose of medicine as a preventative lyme disease “plan B”. She didn’t seem remotely worried and just prescribed the medicine as a preventative measure. I’m not perfectly familiar with how this works, but my understanding is that it acts as a “plan B” and nukes the potential for lyme disease in one dose (not for kiddos though).
5.) THE HEADS DON’T CARRY LYME DISEASE
Ok, this is where it gets gross. There’s a lot of debate on HOW to remove the ticks because people are VERY concerned about the head getting stuck in you. For example, when my husband removed his tick, the head was stuck in his leg and we couldn’t immediately remove it….but that’s ok.
Yes, it’s REALLY gross to think about having a foreign bug stuck in you, BUT the head doesn’t carry the lyme disease and we were told by our doctor that your body will naturally “expel the foreign body”. She even suggested it may be worse to remove the head because by “digging it out”, you’ll likely cause skin damage and infection.
So all that to say, at the very least, make sure to remove the body (but ideally everything).
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All in all, ticks can absolutely be dangerous…and yes, we have A LOT of them in the region now…but if you practice proper preventive measures and make sure to check yourself (and the kiddos), this shouldn’t stop you from carry about your summer plans.
When we noticed our tick bites, we called TeleHealth, walked them through the situation, and they suggested we should visit the doctor in the next 24 hours….easy peasy.
Have a lovely summer!
Erica
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This is for information only and isn’t meant to provide any medical advice or suggestions, this is just an explanation of my personal experience.
Hi Erica,
Thanks for sharing. This definitely has a lot of us quite concerned, and anything to help calm our fears in a good way so we can ‘keep calm and carry on’ with best judgement is appreciated.
However, I have to say that I think it’d be good to re-visit the information about ’24 hours’ for Lyme disease to be spread. I’m not sure myself, but I’ve heard that our understanding now is that transmission is possible in much less time, and that the 24 hour info needs to be updated among all branches of health care.
I’m glad your partner and you caught them, and wishing/sending you best wishes in health.
Thanks Lisa, that’s great information and good to know, thank you so much for sharing! <3