TICKS REMOVAL TIPS THAT CAN REDUCE THE RISK OF GETTING INFECTED WITH LYME DISEASE
In the unfortunate event you have found a tick attached on your body, do not simply pull it off!
Below you will find some tips that will help you remove the tick quickly and in the correct way. Using the proper technique of tick removal may decrease you chances of getting infected with Lyme disease or any other co-infection carried by the ticks.
- Remove firmly the ticks with fine-tipped tweezers in order to grasp the tick close to the skin surface.
- Pull gently upward using steady, even pressure until the tick comes off.
- Avoid compressing the tick’s abdomen or squeezing it. If you crush it, you are increasing the chances of transmitting an infection.
- Do not twist, turn or jerk the tick, as it can cause the mouth or head to break off and stay in the skin. Leaving parts of it in the skin is increasing your chances of getting infected. You won’t be able to remove the parts with the tweezers.
- Don’t try to remove the tick using petroleum jelly or smoldering match, nail polish, kerosene, cigarette or anything else. It will only aggravate things, as the tick will inject bodily fluids into the wound faster.
- Do not touch the tick with your bare fingers. Use a tweezer.
- Once the tick is removed, use soap and water or a mild disinfectant to wash and clean the bite area. You can also use rubbing alcohol or iodine scrub to disinfect your hands.
- Keep the tick and place it in ziplock bag or a small tightly closed container. Take it with you when you go to the doctor, for identification purposes. He may send it to a lab to check if it was carrying any diseases.
- Write down the day and the location where you got bitten.
- Do not flush the tick in the toilet. It will not kill it and there are chances that it might crawl its way back out of the toilet bowl.
- Keep a close eye on the bite area for several days. Usually the first symptoms (fever, flu-like symptoms, numbness, rash, confusion, weakness, pain and swelling in the joints, nausea and vomiting) appear after a few days up to couple of weeks.
If you present any sign or symptoms, you need to go see a health care provider immediately!
CanLyme (Canadian Lyme Disease Association) offers a great guide of tick identification and tick removal tips. Check it out and learn more about ticks!
Here are other Lyme-related posts:
LYME DISEASE COMES WITH CO-INFECTIONS
CHRONIC LYME DISEASE IS A REAL THING
TOP 10 WORST SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF LYME DISEASE?
WHY IS LYME DISEASE TOUGH TO DIAGNOSE?
HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST TICK BITES?
HOW I FOUND THE SILVER LINING OF LYME DISEASE
9 WAYS TO KEEP A RELATIONSHIP GOING WHEN BOTH PARTNERS ARE ILL
All of the above posts were written by me, as part of my Lyme Disease awareness campaign. They were originally published on my personal website A-ZLYME.COM .
If you would like to learn more about Lyme disease, visit A-ZLYME.COM. On my A-Z Lyme blog, I post weekly Lyme-related articles which I might re-post on Steemit, in order to increase the awareness about this infamous illness.
Please leave your feedback in the comments, I would love to hear your thoughts!
Wow! these are some useful information. I had a roommate who was recovering from Lyme disease and she was telling me how her joints were still aching after over a year.
We have something similar - it's called Dengue. It is carried by the Aedes mosquito, and unfortunately, it doesn't quite give the option of removing it safely. Ppl can die from it, but mainly it attacks the blood cells. And my joints became so inflamed. Some people say they still don't feel the same after several years. I've been doing Yogic cleanses, yoga and exercise, so it has made a huge difference in my recovery.
Thank you for this educational post! I found this particular tip especially amusing
Who does that?? LOL!!
Keep making the world a better place just by being you @lymepoet!
I'm not sleeping tonight
Hahaha! Right! So scary.
I learnt about Dengue while I was living in Sri Lanka. It was scary to see two of my friends having it. Luckily they recovered and never experienced other symptoms.
Lyme if not treated on time can put you in a wheel chair. Recently I have read about people dying of Lyme which is terrible.
I am glad to hear that you recovered well. The cleanses, yoga, exercise and meditation are always helpful.
Ooooh, another notorious country for it.
That's the funny thing about Lyme isn't it .... people don't even realise it's there.
Time to appreciate every second of good health! Have a blessed day!
Thanks for sharing such great information. It has been a while since I had a tick bite (since childhood), but now that I have kiddos of my own, I look at these type of issues in a different light.
Thanks for sharing and for being an adovate for this important topic.
The scariest thing about these ticks is that they can be found on patches of wood and even inside the parks in the city. People would think that you can get them only deep into the woods, which is not quite accurate.
Valuable information @lymepoet, those little ticks can wreck havoc inside our bodies! A farmer friend contracted Congo fever years ago after being bitten by a tick, he knew the type of tick was dangerous, he sadly died, was terrible!
I am sorry to hear about your friend. You'd never expect or suspect that a simple tick bite can do so much damage!
I hope I'll never fall victim of a tick, but if I do I'm sure your suggestions might help to limit the damages. Thank you for sharing these useful tips.
You're welcome! Be safe!
Thank you for your tips @lymepoet. This will surely helps.
I hope so! Have a great day!
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