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Tick Bite - Any Medical People? Red ring!
Lurker here. I posted on Pets too.
I found it this morning on the inside of my leg at the knee level. It was attached to my skin, but not full of blood. I pulled it out and got the head too.
It left a dark purple dot, maybe the size of a smallish eraser under the skin like some blood is trapped there, like how it looks when you get a blood blister. It's several hours later and I have noticed a light, reddish/pink ring around the darker dot. So it goes purpleish dot, then some light skin color, then the red/pink ring. And, it is truely a ring.
It is a little painful and I can feel its presence even when it isn't touched.
What should I do? Doctor? Which doctor? Any experience or advice to share? I'm kind of worried and freaked out. Thanks. Also, I'm nursing my DD, should I stop?
Re: Tick Bite - Any Medical People? Red ring!
Go to your regular doctor. They will put you on antibiotics for several weeks, which is a PITA, but nothing too terrible.
Lyme disease used to freak me out. But now I have a coworker who I love that gets it at least once a summer. I've watched him deal with it every year. It's annoying, but not the end of the world like I used to think it was.
Feel better!
ETA: No idea about nursing as my coworker is a ~60 year old man.
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A GP should be fine. I went to a walk in clinic when I was 27 weeks pregnant and found five tiny ticks stuck to my ankle. They had been there for about 12 hrs when I plucked them out and at that time the routine was do the antibiotics right away, don't bother testing for Lyme. I took azithromycin for 1 week and that was that.
Maybe with symptoms they'd do a more thorough course of antibiotics and/or some follow up. You're lucky you found it so you can nip any damage in the bud! I had Lyme as a kid and it suuucked. No tick found, no rash so it had progressed for a couple of months before I was treated. Apparently it can go under the radar for much longer and be very difficult to treat at that point.
ETA: The googles seem to say it's ok to continue BFing. For example:
http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/illness-surgery/lyme-disease/
You might want to double-check with a human at LLL, an LC, midwife or pediatrician knowledgeable in BFing. Be sure to ask for antibiotic compatible with BFing. Here's how they're graded (L1 is the safest):
http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/meds/aap-approved-meds/
Ditto this! don't be like my dad who ignored it.... for 15 years... now he is on this crazy diet, 12 months of these aweful antibiotics, all because he didn't think it was importatnt to go to the dr.!