When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No, I won't be afraid
Oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you tick,, tick on me
[Chorus]
So darlin', darlin', tick on me
Oh, tick on me
Oh, tick
Tick on me, tick on me
Yes that's what ticks do. You're going to come into contact with them if you're spending time out an about, so best to make your peace with them early.
Good that you got it pulled off clean, there will be a bite mark for some time and it might get a bit itchy. No biggie. Keep an eye on it but if you've got it off within 24-48hrs there's going to be no problems.
If it latched and was drinking, don’t get rid of the little dude. Put dude in a ziploc with the date and how long you think it was attached and toss it in the fridge. Then you have the bug if you need to get it analyzed to see if it carries any of the pathogens and could get prophylactic treatment if available.
In theory this is what you should do. And as a first timer, sure go for it.
In reality if you're spending time in the woods in ticky areas (which is fast becoming the temperate areas of the entire northern hemisphere), you're going to pick up a non-insubstantial amount of ticks. Are we really all going to be collecting and sending off each individual tick? And for people that work in the woods? Not happening.
I do. I've had Lyme twice. The first time was during covid lockdown and I was misdiagnosed for four months. It was a nightmare. I treat my clothes with permethrin and send every tick I find on me to ticklab.org
Honestly it’s not likely your doctor is gonna try and have you send this to a special lab for testing. It’s cheaper and easier to just give you a big dose of doxy. I see this advice all the time, to save the tick for testing, but I’ve never had a doctor suggest it.
Depends on where you're located, but yeah in my area if you want testing you have to mail it off yourself and pay. If it's on you for more than 24 hours here they'll just give you the doxy I think.
That looks a lot like a Lone Star tick to me, and as far as I know, antibiotics are going to do anything to prevent development of the alpha gal sensitivity.
Yeah I always hear this but when my 1 yo daughter had a tick on her I was super paranoid so I kept it and called her pediatrician, local DEC office, the hospital (non emergency) and they all said they didn't take ticks or do testing. So yeah, I don't know how your actually supposed to do that.
You should contact your doctor. That's a lonestar tick and they can carry alpha gal syndrome. Keep the tick in a zip lock bag as others have suggested in case your doctor wants to send it for testing.
I live in a rural area - 6 of my neighbors have alpha gal, it's getting more and more common. Some have been able to add some pork in their diets though.
I live in Kentucky, it's a hotbed for alpha gal. I use a lot of spray when I go in the woods (Sawyer is the typical go-to), and constant checks... I like red meat too much. Hate those lonestars.
They are the biggest assholes. We tried Emu and Ostrich and I, surprisingly, liked it better than beef. It’s way too expensive to have on the regular though. :(
Seems like you might be new/newer to hiking. Ticks have really gotten out of hand the past few years (especially here in Ohio where I am) with the added rain and heat into the seasons and most parks no longer putting effort into upkeeping grasses and whatnot... I had my 11th tick of the season yesterday 😭 Thankfully, not on my skin. I had one that made it's way onto my stomach two years ago and started getting under the skin, after about 4-6 hours. I highly suggest layering and giving them no way to make it to skin, as well as wearing lighter colored clothes that make spotting them easier at a glance.
I started wearing a second pair of thin pants under my hiking pants that I can tuck into my long socks and a very thin long sleeve running hoodie either under or over whatever shirt I'm wearing and tucking the under layer into my under layer of pants. The less amount of exposed skin the better. I personally don't think many sprays work that well. I coated all of my layers yesterday with spray and still had one on my pants after I got out of my hammock for about 45 seconds. They're quick, small and easy to miss. I'd also suggest bringing a change of clothes for after you're done and giving your hiking clothes a thorough check inside and out before getting into your car or going into your house. Definitely give your body a full check when you are out of nature.
Also make sure to give any gear that you may set on the ground a good check before moving on. Two of the ticks I found this year were on my backpack after putting it on the ground and could have easily made their way onto my neck or in my shirt.
I've been an avid nature explorer and hiker since I was a young child and have had more tick contact this year alone than I have combined in my other 40+ years outdoors. They are out of control right now, be careful and diligent AF!
I concur, it looks like a lonestar. Those bastards.
It took months and finally a really thorough dermatologist for my partner to get diagnosed with alpha-gal. It makes you develop an allergy to any mammalian meat or by products and future tick bites that expose you to alpha gal can make it even worse. Our household had to pretty much go vegan. We use bug spray with Picaridin religiously and also have our property professionally treated for ticks in the spring and summer.
This is what i’m terrified of that i’m reading about. Sorry your family went through this. How soon after the bite did you have symptons? Do you still have alpha gal?
We’re not exactly sure when he was exposed because he had multiple tick bites in the proceeding months. But it took over two months after his last bite that caused systemic symptoms to finally get a diagnosis. It’s untreatable. And it’s cumulative so each bite from a tick with alpha gal can make the disease even worse. I’m not an expert or a physician but I would treat it like any other BBP exposure and test now for a baseline and again in 30 days, 3 months, and 6 months.
So sorry you have to worry about this!🤞you’ll be in the clear!
What kind of test did you run for the baseline? I read somewhere an allergy test and asking them to test for AGS works? I’m also reading that its too early to test for the syndrome so not sure if I should wait? Thanks so much
Just the alpha gal IgE test. It looks for antibodies to alpha gal that your immune system produces. I say “baseline” just to determine if/what your current levels are and if negative, you can compare to future tests. It could take weeks for your body to have an immune response if you were exposed. Again, I’m not a doc, this is just what I would want to do as far as testing. Best of luck! Don’t let it keep you from the great outdoors!
Okay, final thought, check out your state’s department of health website. They probably have directions about how to submit ticks for testing/identification and what you should do next. It’s a rapidly developing public health problem and the information and tick you provide could be really helpful.
Somewhat semantics but - They carry alpha-gal which causes alpha gal syndrome. They do not carry alpha gal syndrome. Non human mammals also produce alpha gal which we are normally not reactive to, but when it gets injected into out blood via tick saliva, out immune systems suddenly recognizes it as a threat which creates the allergy.
This is why getting bitten by the tick itself can also cause a life threatening allergic reaction and not just when eating mammalian products following the bite.
The head's not inside you so that's good. Take a sharpie and circle around the area that is swollen to see how if spreads. If you develop a rash, flu like symptoms, major swelling of the bite area or lymph node regions, or break into hives after eating red meat, contact your health provider. My tick bites tend to always look like mosquito bites, so just watch it for a day or two.
You definitely want to do a tick check every night you're in the woods to prevent diseases. I've been told it takes 48-72 hours for a disease to set in IF it is an infected tick, but it's safer to do it sooner. Also do not attempt to drown the tick in alcohol or anything else while attached, it could cause it to vomit into your blood and infect you with something. Pulling it right out is the best thing to do, and it's not a big deal if the head's stuck inside, it just might take a couple days for your skin to force it out.
It looks like a lonestar tick! They're distinct and cool looking with that white spot. The good news is these don't carry the organism that causes lyme. The bad news is their saliva can cause the "alpha gal" reaction, which is an irreversible allergy to red meat. There is no way to test the tick for this, but you could get tested for the antibody to confirm the diagnosis if you develop these symptoms.
Call your doctor and find out what they want you to do. At the very least, keep a close eye on the bite location and see if it makes a target style ring around it.
Also, now that you know, do better with checking for them when you're done and see about getting some tick repellent.
The 24-48 hour thing is not actually true from what I have read. Everyone on Reddit wants to be an authority but it’s best to be preventative and talk to a real doctor if you are able.
For future reference, buy some Sawyer PERMETHRIN and spray treat your daytime outfit. Socks, pants, shirt, hat, coat! Follow the directions and you will have less bugs and ticks on you. When they come in contact with the clothes, it kills them. You can also spray treat your tent!
The comment above mentioned permethrin which is a a good insecticide. If you’re also using an insect repellant then I prefer picaridin over deet. Deet is effective but nasty stuff. It will damage any synthetic material it contacts which these days is a lot of outdoor gear, tenta, sunglasses, cameras etc.
To add a little more info about permethrin, it is used only on clothing and gear, not on your skin (for your skin use DEET or Picaridin).
Permethrin is also highly toxic to cats while wet. It's safe around cats once dry, so just keep it away from felines while it dries. It's fine around dogs.
Permethrin applied to clothes usually lasts about 6 weeks and multiple washings, so you don't need to apply it constantly. I usually note the date with sharpie on my permethrin spray, so I know how long it's been, and then retreat my clothes/gear if it's been more than 6 weeks.
My husband has alpha gal. Pushing ten plus years now. We had to keep a food journal and noticed he would get welts around his waist roughly 3 hours after eating a hamburger. After 3 ER visits, his doctor finally listened and tested him for alpha gal. He was off the charts. We are now a “fins and feathers” family. It sucks.
First off: it’s normal for tick bites to swell like a mosquito bite, it’s not a sign of Lyme or alpha gal. It’s your body detecting a foreign body and later a wound and your immune system reacting to it.
If you are in the US, see a doctor when you get back. You can’t test for Lyme this early, and even if the tick had Lyme, doesn’t mean you caught it. But maybe they could test the tick (it’s not done in my country but I heard it might be in the US?) and see if it can transmit any diseases, and then do follow ups to see if you caught anything.
The Lyme risk from a single tick bite is not that high, so please dont freak out. And it’s easily treatable with Doxycycline, especially if you catch it early.
Thank you so much. I’m reading other comments and very nervous its a lone star tick, and i’m reading theres no preventative or test I can do to see if I have it, ans that symptons take weeks to show up😭
I don’t know a lot about alpha gal cause it doesn’t exist where I live (Europe). But we have a lot of ticks, Lyme, and I know some people who got it (plus I am in med school and studied it there too of course). Lyme disease is not such a big issue as long as it doesn’t go untreated. Don’t freak out about Lyme friend! If you get a bullseye, you take Doxy immediately and it’s fine. And if you are positive for IgM after some weeks, you take Doxy and it’s fine. The big danger from Lyme comes when people don’t know they could have it and don’t get tested or treated.
Medical labs have (generally) stopped accepting ticks because the more useful piece of data is in observing the person who was bitten. Along with that goes the lack of funding for that testing.
Commercial labs do still test ticks for a fee.
So you would need to be aware of the difference so you know how/where to get that testing done (at a commercial lab).
I grew up on a farm and spent all my time outside as a kid. I remember going to my dad to ask him to pull a tick from my head one day, so he did. I went to leave but he stopped me and kept searching through my hair until he found 11 more. That was just one day of a long childhood.
You'll be fine. Keep an eye on the spot, if you notice a rash around the bite or randomly start feeling terrible, see a Dr.
I spray permethrin on my hiking shoes and pants now and have never found a tick on me since I started, even when my buddies are picking them off at the end of the day, so check that out. I swear by it.
Thanks a lot. I found out its a lone star tick, which can carry AGS. Unfortunately I can’t get tested for it for 4-6 weeks so that sucks. It’s my first tick bite too. Thanks for your comment
I read that its harmful to cats, which I have. Given I spray my clothes outside with it, can I wear my clothes back inside after its dried hours later, say after the hike?
Yes after its dried its not harmful to cats, however I would still not let them on or near the treated clothing out of precaution. I have cats as well what I do is keep them inside, go outside on a sunny non windy day to avoid drift, lay down a tarp to spray your clothing on and to avoid the spray getting on the ground, soak up any excess on the tarp with clothes, hang up on a clothes line for a good hour and allow the tarp to dry as well. Store the tarp in a shed or a container where it wont come in contact with anything and use it only for treatment. I use "Ranger Ready .5% permethrin". It works great.
It’s probably not a big deal. I grew up in the northeast and have had my share of ticks. Whenever I have removed one there is a mark.
I definitely don’t take tick bites lightly and I do take all the precautions I can.
I would look up tick borne diseases in your area and see what the symptoms are. A small bump and a bit of redness’s that lasts a day is probably not a big deal but if it gets to big/ / red it could be cause for concern.
I acquired “Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever” never even seeing the tick. This won’t help your freaking out, sorry. I really hope it was benign. Seek care if you start having fever at So and headaches. I was 17 when it got me, it was bad. Go to er. Put the tick in a bottle and show them.
I know this might sound f’d up, but just take it easy. Stress/worrying will likely weaken your immune system, just accept that whatever may,might,did happen is already done. Say a prayer light a joint and go on to live another day 🙏🏼
Some people recommend freezing the tick in a little Tupperware and putting the date you got bitten/found it on you. That way, in case you DO end up with symptoms, you have the exact tick and they can test it to see what it carried. I usually just burn them but I might start freezing with how bad the ticks are getting in WI
If this were me, I would contact my doctor immediately and let them know I found a tick actually attached to me, and start a month of doxy. Then, I would buy andrographis & apply to the bite ASAP. Finally, I would start the Buhner herbal protocol for borrelia. I know this sounds like overkill, but I wish I had known this information when I was bitten.
Thank you so much for your help and i’m so sorry for what you have dealt with. The tick that I was bit by was confirmed to be a lone star tick. They can’t pass Lyme but do you think starting doxy would help/prevent any illness/fever that might come?
I don’t fuck with those things at all anymore. Whenever I pull one off that has bitten, I automatically go to urgent care and get antibiotics. 100% full stop. Tick bite = antibiotics every single time.
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u/hollow4hollow 20h ago
Tiiiiiick ooonnnn meeee (tick on me) tiiiccckkk meeee ooonnn