What To Do When You Get a Tick Bite | Ranger Ready Repellents

Sometimes, you forget #insect repellent. Now what?

Finding a tick on your body can be nerve-racking, but it's essential to take all of the necessary steps to decrease your chance of suffering from a tick-borne illness

Read on for a detailed guide on what to do when you find a tick on yourself, including: How to properly remove the tick; Cleaning the infected area; Sending the #tick to be tested for tick-borne diseases; Being aware of symptoms.

THE BEST WAY TO REMOVE A TICK:

Removing a tick can be tricky, but the first step is to remain calm and move quickly. The longer the tick is embedded in the skin, the chances of contracting Lyme disease or other illnesses increases. Use a pair of tweezers to grab onto the tick and pull in an upwards motion.

DO NOT:

Twist when pulling the tick out so the insect breaks off into the skin. Use a match, petroleum jelly, or fingernail polish to remove the tick. Handle the tick with bare hands. Once the tick has been removed, thoroughly clean the bite area and hands with soap and warm water. Applying alcohol to the bite area helps prevent any infection from occurring.

Place the tick in a sealed plastic bag to send to a lab for a Lyme disease test or testing for other tick-borne diseases.

LYME DISEASE SYMPTOMS TO LOOK FOR:

A bump or irritation is expected after any insect bite, but when the rash gets bigger or appears as a bullseye (known as erythema migraines), it’s time to call a doctor.

Tick bite bull's eye indicates #Lyme disease black skin tick bite bull's eye indicates Lyme disease white skin

Other early Lyme disease symptoms include a fever and flu-like symptoms, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, joint pains, and muscle aches. Later stage Lyme disease symptoms consist of rapid heartbeat, headaches, poor memory, arthritis, and swollen joints. Call a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.

If the tick is collected and saved after the bite, send the tick to a testing lab, for any tick-borne diseases even before experiencing any symptoms of illness.

While there are several diseases that ticks carry, the transmittable diseases can depend on location and type of tick. A Lyme disease test may suffice in most locations, but if other tick-borne diseases are common in your area, then it’s recommended to test for other diseases. For example, Blacklegged ticks, or deer ticks, appear in the Eastern United States and can transmit Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Babesiosis, and Powassan virus. While Lyme disease is the most commonly known tick-borne disease, these other illnesses can be carried by deer ticks.

While waiting on the results from the tick labs, you should still visit a doctor especially if you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of tick-borne illness, so you can be treated in a timely manner. Do not rely exclusively on tick labs for a final diagnosis.

See the full tick map and travel guide for information on different ticks and the illnesses they can transmit.

[skratchvideos]

Great video. Last month I felt really weak and exhausted for about 2 days. I felt better but noticed that same bullseye pattern on my arm. It did not hurt or itch like a spider or other bug bite. I never found what bit me, I never got tested for lyme disease, but I called my provider asking for anti biotics to play it better safe than sorry. The Dr gave me that exact same anit biotic but just for 10 days. The nice thing is the medicine gave me no side effects. I still have a hard bump and scar where I was bit but I have felt fine. I have a friend who ended up in the hospital because he did not know he had it. It really can be scary and I think more awareness needs to be made.

[serf]

Thanks for responding to none of the questions or comments 😑

[DevinFroad]

Okay I got bit my a tick in Florida about a month ago, no bullseye, no rash, just a small red bump. Everything was fine until today when I got symptoms of a fever (chills, weakness, etc). The bite doesn’t itch or hurt when I touch it. What should I do?

[CriticalSurvival]

I have a lump under my jawline and am a bit worried. No large rash near the bite site tho.

[mikemercado]

Its winter here and got a Tick bite. Caught the tick and killed it with the back of my nail. Its about 24 hours now but it doesn't look like bullseye. But it's painful when i touch it. Question is, will i get lyme disease?

[carissaandrus]

I had a tick on my head and under my eye when I was a kid

[motionmuse]

I don't have the bulleye but two days ago it was a small red bump and now slightly larger and looks like two red bumps. No bull's-eye circle area though. Should I be concerned?

[sov]

Would get them as a kid during summer all the time, never seen a doctor

[parlayking]

That’s not a bullseye, the bullseye has a dark red ring on the outer circle. That’s just a normal bite

[mattiasyerkey]

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