I wouldn't worry about it unless you get a bullseye-looking spot where it was. I think it's a sign of lime disease.

I spelt it wrong, here's a link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lyme disease

You should keep that tick in case it needs to be analyzed. Chances are you're fine, but you never know. Is Lyme real bad where you live? We get bitten all the time and have never had a problem other than an allergic reaction, but some areas are worse than others.

Yes, suzique, keep the tick. You did the right thing...got the tick off and cleaned the area well. The Lyme tick is very, very tiny. Watch for the bullseye and call your Dr. if you see it. I think you are in Mass ? which should mean that your Dr knows what s/he would be looking at. As you know, Lyme Disease is a very big deal here. Stay on top of it but don't go crazy with worry. You found it, you took care of it, now just watch it.

sooey
who has been there and knows it is not fun at all.

EXACTLY! Put the tick in a zip-lock bag and write today's date on it. My sister had one last spring, and it was about two weeks (I think?) before her symptoms appeared. She thought she had the flu...ER doc asked her if she'd had a tick bite lately. DUH.

Ticks carry other diseases besides just Lyme. That's the one you hear about most, but there are others. I think they finally determined sis had been bitten by the Lone Star tick, which made sense because she got the tick in southern Oklahoma.

Oh great. I didn't even think of keeping that icky tick. I burned killed him and then gave him "burial at sea" (aka flushed him). Darn - should'a known.

Yes, I'm in Mass. I will watch the spot. Right now (about 9 hours after removing the tick) the area is quite red, and redder in the middle where the tick was. Not to be gross, but it almost looks like it was a big pimple that burst (TMI?).

Thanks for all of the input.

Suzieque

Make that "I killed him", not "I burned killed him". So much for proofreading.

:-)

The ticks are really thick here. We mostly have Dog Ticks - I have never seen any other kind here in Iowa, but they say Deer Ticks could be in our area.

Dog Ticks do not spread Lyme's Disease - I think only Deer Ticks do.

This is a female Dog Tick:

{{!gwi}}

The male dog tick looks just a litte different. Deer Ticks are itty bitty.

Hope your tick bite is ok!

I thought the following was interesting.

From an article in today's paper referring to the increase in ticks:

The cause of the increase might have less to do with weather than with wildlife and the rapid encroachment of residential development in rural areas, Gaines said. Housing sites carved out of forest or agricultural land actually increase deer populations, he said. Because deer serve as breeding grounds for ticks, that could mean more bites  and possibly more disease  for people living near them.
"If you have 100 acres of forest, that might support two or three deer, but if you take those 100 acres and carve openings into it and let the sunlight in, it will support a whole lot more deer, because the sunlight is able to reach plants that serve as good forage," Gaines said.
Deer living near homes are also less vulnerable to hunters, he said.
Development increases the risk of the disease in other ways as well: Blacklegged ticks usually contract Lyme disease during the early stages of their 2-year life span by feeding on white-footed mice, which thrive in residential areas, Gaines said.
Because a variety of rodents proliferate in an undeveloped field or forest, the chances of a tick feeding on one carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme disease are reduced in the wild. But in the edge-land surrounding houses, white-footed mice vastly outnumber other species, so that the number of infected ticks in an area might rise even if the total number of ticks remains fairly constant, Gaines said.
It takes 48 hours for Lyme disease to be transmitted to a human or animal, so people should carefully check themselves and their pets for ticks at least every couple of days, Vaughn said.
"We are seeing more Lyme disease in pets, so there are obviously ticks here that are carrying the disease," Vaughn said, "and I feel I would be remiss if I didnÂt tell people that they are at risk of getting it too."

(Dr. David Gaines is a public health entomologist with the VA. Dept of Health.)

Just an aside: I had Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever back in 1936. That is caused by the Dog tick. I can't find any studies from that long ago, but I believe that is when my arthritis kicked in.

Sue

We have a lot of it here in upstate NY. I went to Dr. today to check out what she says are spider bites on my ankles.
Red and swelling is gone. Showed her large raised area on my waist, and right away she arranged test for Lyme Disease. I'll know in a week or so.

Gawd, that's all I need. DH has had 2 surgeries during winter and gallbladder removal next month. ENOUGH!!!!

Used to be Wanto Retire - Did.........

Make sure your tetanus immunization is up to date. If it has been more than five years, you need to have a booster.
I had a tick bite once and one of the docs I worked with was adamant about me getting the booster as soon as possible.

Feeling a wiggle in hair on back of head last week ... I found a moving lump ... tick.

A couple of days ago, found another and later that day one on my hand. None of them dug in.

Last night found one on belly, just below belt line, brushed him off. Crunched and pitched him. Left hole with small red space around it.

This morning asked landlord if he could see a head left in the hole - no. He's found several on him, and on their fairly large dog. It seems that there are quite a few around, this year ... it's been rather damp and that seems to help them proliferate.

So I'll keep watching for a red ring.

Hope with me that one doesn't appear, O.K?

ole joyful

Lyme's disease is mostly associated with deer tick and deer, but as mentioned by the post above, this tick may be found on mice too. In wisconsin, there were several cases reported last year, and these were in places frequented by deer. The larve of this tick in its dangerous stage is no bigger than a pin head (before it feeds).

The once mysterous arthritic like disease was first indentified by a pedetrician in Lyme, Connecticut, hence the moniker, Lyme's Disease. He noticed that a group of his young patients were comming down with arthritus of the type and that usually never happens until a person is much older. The disease was damaging joints much akin to arthritus.

The good news is that it is treatable and joint damage can be avoided if treated in time. However, as time passes, joint damage occurs and the disease become harder to eradicate.

The message is "Take heed!". Don't mess around with it. If you are not expert in indentifying this tick and recognizing the infected site, please see your doctor. If he is not expert, he can refer you to someone who is. And yes. it a good idea to capture the little bugger in a plastic bag for identification purposes.

When you remove a tick after his head has embedded, do not take actions that may pull his head off or cause the tick to disgorge. There exists first aid instructions about where to place tweezers to prevent disgorgement. If the head is pulled off and remains under the surface, it should be removed by a professional.

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a doctor or a professional who is expert about ticks. My statements above are only friendly advice.