Lyme Disease Part 2: When you find a tick on you

Tick checks after being outside are IMPERATIVE.

If you can pick a tick off of your skin cleanly that means it hasn’t bitten you yet…

If you find a tick attached or imbedded in your skin here’s the Scoop.

Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.  It will be face first burrowing into your skin. 

Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, try to remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.

After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

Avoid folklore remedies such as "painting" the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible–not waiting for it to detach.

WHAT TO DO WITH IT

Place the tick it in a ziplock and write the date on it with a Sharpie pen; place a small wet piece a paper towel in bag with tick. 

If you suspect the tick has been attached for awhile you might want to send it into a lab to be tested for tick borne diseases which is easier that waiting for symptoms of Lyme to appear.

www.tickreport.com   $50-200 results in 3 days

Tomorrow and Friday I will teach you prevention strategies including Permethrin spray for clothing, what to use on skin and how to make tick tubes to keep the tick population on your property down.