More fears (updated)
Had a tick clinging onto the back of my leg for 55 hours without my knowledge (or permission).
Will I get Lyme's disease?
Will I get Lyme's disease?
Update: To answer the question about the 55 hours that so many of you had, I believe I know when the tick latched onto me. This was Sunday early afternoon. I was vacationing on a beach in North Carolina and felt something bite on the leg. I jumped up and shook my leg and saw a big beetle-like insect crawl away and assumed that I had been bitten by that creature. In retrospect, I think the beetle was just taking a stroll near me and it was the tick that had bitten me instead. But I was wearing long pants and did not see the real offender. And I did take a shower right after that and also after returning home and still did not see the tiny critter. It was the back of my leg, for crying out loud, and I did not feel a thing. And I do not have a full length mirror in my bathroom to preen in front of. Therefore....it went undetected until Tuesday evening when I took a shower after returning home from work. And the thing was still clinging on to me. And it was still alive! I have it trapped under a glass for identification purposes.
And no, I do not have a rash or fever or other symptoms.
Yet.
But it is way too early to say. It takes atleast seven days for the disease to start showing symptoms.
Only time will tell.
And no, I do not have a rash or fever or other symptoms.
Yet.
But it is way too early to say. It takes atleast seven days for the disease to start showing symptoms.
Only time will tell.
Labels: Random
posted by M (tread softly upon) at 2:30 PM
31 Comments:
I hope it's nothing serious. See a doctor.
How did u calculate 55 hours, if you had no knowledge? Hopefully, its nothing
yikes... i have no clue but if nothing's happened for 55 hours... i dont think it'd happen now...
btw, that is why you are supposed to shower twice a day :P
Nice blog, came to your through jinguchakka.
How can you have it on you for 55 hours, fact or are u assuming?
eh?
And ya... Am back! :)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
goodness. I hate typos, or unrelated words for that matter.
so here we go again.;)
ummm.
a visit to the doc is in order.
and are you sure it was 'a' tick, as in one tick?
:)
If its actually over 55 hrs u wud have seen some symptons by now, dont worry it never as bad as we imagine to be anyways
like the rest, even i'm curious... how did you conclude it was 55 hours if you didnt know it was there ?
Don't worry too much... For all you know, the tick just needed a place to chill :)
Ouch...55 hours? Never mind that there haven't been any obvious symptoms for so long, better visit the doc immediately.
Nice blog...guess I will come back again :)
Hope you've seen a doctor by now and it's nothing !
What do the docs and tests say?
*dusts M with tick powder*
*giggle*...
@ kele panchu yeah me too. But right now there is no test that can be done. Serology is not going to be positive until a few weeks. So unless I have any symptoms there nothing a doctor can do. Prophylactic antibiotics have not proved to be useful.
@ kausum I answered the 55 hour question in my update.
@ seashells I did shower! It was just a stubborn thing that had to be forcibly removed. And I just didn't know it was there because it a part of my body that I usually do not see. But it is still early to say whether I was infected.
@ shankari thanks for stopping by and I'm sorry you have to see me in this potential-infected state. But do come back. I'm not infectious :)
And yes the 55 hours is a fact. Unfortunately.
@ a.g.s good to see you here. Welcome back.
@ the wannabe indian punkster yes it was "a tick". Lone star. And thanks for stopping by. A doctor will be seen if I get any symptoms.
@ rohan like I said before it is actually too early to have symptoms and I'm hoping that nothing happens. But I'm obsessively checking myself for a bull's eye rash and joint pain and facial palsy, all day :)
@ fosix lol well I wish it had chosen a different site to chill. I just don't want to have Bell's palsy!
@ ghostoftomjoad the doctor will not be able to do anything unless there are symptoms. But will see one if I feel sick.
@ albatross thanks for visiting and do come back.
@ priya tests won't be positive, yet. Will have to wait patiently :(
@ grafxgurl thanks...wish I had put on some bug spray before stretching out on the beach. May be the tick would have gone elsewhere.
How about showing to a doctor before the symptoms appear? I can see you have amassed a huge knowledge based on internet and you are waiting for a symptom but maybe the doctor can help you before that. Later on you will be blaming the poor tick for any symptom u may have.
Btw, if u had a good bath, the tick should not have been there, unless it stuck like a leech.
@ kausum thanks for your concern. My knowledge is not entirely based on the internet. I'll let you on a little secret. I happen to be a doctor myself :)and I know for certainty that there's nothing another doctor can do right now unless I show symptoms of infection which can take between 3 and 30 days! And one takes an antibiotic based on whether there was any infection in the first place.
Also I DID have a good bath. Not one but three before I discovered the tick. The tick is like a leech. It burrows into the skin with its mouthpart and gets stuck. And even when I found it I had to struggle to force it off. In fact I did not know it was a tick or even an insect until I forced it off and saw it crawling. Eeeks!
My Bad !!!
:o I was guessing you're one! My assumptions are usually false, it's good to see this one was right.
whoa! that was quite something! hope u're well now
:( gross, na?
@ kausum huh?
@ kele panchu :)
@ pearl I haven't felt bad at all except a little grossed out by the fact that this disgusting insect was stuck on me for that long.
@ prero absolutely. Makes me feel like I have some kind of communicable disease....awful, to say the least.
Eeeww!!! That was GROSS. I do hope you dont contract any vague disease :(
I meant -- my mistake
ahh...its ok...I came here from neha's blog.:)
and I hope its nothing too serious(the tick bite).
*crossing fingers*
well if you were born and brought up in india, then you probably already have plenty of germs, bacteria, virus, etc living peacefully in your body... whatever new stuff the tick tried to give you, trust me, those new guys wont last five minutes in your body... those xenophobic desi germs will boot them out in no time.... ;) :D
PS: hope you are ok
Doctor! Isn't there any cure?
In a lighter vein, you are more dangerous than the tick. A tick has to bite you and see where it has gotten itself! Under a glass!
"Hung on to 'M' for 55 hours and you become a specimen", goes the talk in the tick world!
:-)
I know how you must be feeling - 30 days (or even 7, for that matter) is a long time to have to wait...
I'm hoping that this is just a scare and nothing else. Wish I could help more than just offering a few words of sympathy. You will be in my thoughts.
Thanks for dropping by my blog and for your words of advice - it meant a lot to see someone concerned about how I am...
Hope u fine now M?
Oooouuuuucccchhhhhhh!
*faints*
@ ron i know....but I'm fine. So far :)
@ kausum hey... no problem.
@ the wannabe indian punkster thanks for coming back and yes I don't think it's anything serious either.
@ fosix "those xenophobic desi germs will boot them out in no time" ...lol...I guess so too.
@ jinguchakka of course there's a cure. You take antibiotics if detected early and you're okay. Its just the witing around to see if I'm okay that kills me.
""Hung on to 'M' for 55 hours and you become a specimen", goes the talk in the tick world!" :)))
@ gettingthere nice seeing you here and don't worry, I'm okay. Hang in there and things will be fine.
@ pearl thanks I am doing absolutely okay.
@ casa that's exactly the feeling I had when I discovered the tick. But so far, so good.*runs to get water to sprinkle on casa*
I have been looking for sites like this for a long time. Thank you!
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