Tick Bite? Red, Swollen Bump on My Side

[totallyclueless]

I just got back form camping. I think I have been bitten by a tick but I'm not sure. I have a red, swollen, painless bump on my side. It has blood in the middle and is surrounded on the bottom by darker red. It doesn't hurt or itch or anything. I don;t know what to do. I washed it in alchohol and tried to pull the tick out, but I can't actually see the tick. I don't know what it is. Does anyone know? Thanks! I don't want to get a disease...

 

[brewnog]

Do what I always do. Squeeze it! If no pus comes out, squeeze it more, and then some more. If it still doesn't work, get the needle-nose pliers on it...



Or wait for a girly doctor type to get here and tell you what really to do.

 

[chroot]

Ticks don't let go until they're done feeding, which can take days. Some ticks are very small, but you should still be able to see it. Sometimes people pull on ticks, or rub the bite, and actually sever the tick's head from the body, leaving the head embedded in the skin. (This is why you should never, never pull on ticks -- you have to make them let go first, then pull them off.) It's possible you have the tick's head still embedded in your skin, and you're suffering an allergic reaction to it.

It's also possible that you got bitten by a spider -- the "blood in the center" part of your description makes it sound like a necrotic ulcer, an area of tissue that was killed by the spider venom.

Going to see the doctor would always be a good idea, but if it doesn't continue to get worse, it's probably nothing to be concerned about.

- Warren

 

[Moonbear]

Could have been anything that bit you. Ticks don't burrow under the skin, so if you don't see a tick, there's none there (even little deer ticks are easy to see once they've filled their bellies). If you were in an area where tick-borne diseases are common, get it checked out (and keep an eye on it...if the redness worsens or spreads, it can be a sign of infection; if you're in an area where Lyme disease is prevalent, watch for that characteristic bullseye shape to develop or if you feel any unusual fevers or aches and pains in your joints over the next month or so, see a doctor and let them know you suspect you may have had a tick bite).

Edit: I see Chroot chimed in while I was replying. His comment about the tick's head possibly being left behind if the rest of the tick was rubbed off when you didn't notice is valid, though it would likely be itching or sore if you had something in there causing infection/irritation.

 

[Monique]

sever the tick's head from the body, leaving the head embedded in the skin. (This is why you should never, never pull on ticks -- you have to make them let go first, then pull them off.)

You should not make a tick let go first, you don't want it to inject anything into your skin. The best thing to do is get some tick-tweazers and pull the thing right out in a slightly twisting motion. Don't ever put alcohol or butter on it to let the tick go, it will increase your risk of getting lyme disease. You SHOULD disinfect the area after the tick has been removed.

It could be a bite to which you developed an immune response, watch that the spot does not get bigger (as Moonbear said) and you'll be fine. Go see a doctor if you trust it, it's hard to give advice without actually seeing the rash :)

 

[Chi Meson]

I agree with Chroot that it sounds like a spider bite. If there is NO sensation in the inflamed area, you need to get to a doctor, no kidding.

 

[totallyclueless]

Thanks a lot peeps! I thikn I'll put some Neosporin on it and see how it looks in the morning.

 

[1123581321]

if you get pains in joints and such, fever, loss of feeling in the area, or a worsing of the condition, see a doctor.
if nothing happens like above, then don't worry about it, its probably something harmless. may i suggest www.webmd.com you may find some useful things there (i am no doctor, i just do a lot of woods stuff)

Fibonacci

 

[Echo 6 Sierra]

At first I was going to say chiggers and recommend campho-phenique but Chroot bringing up spider bite made me lean more that way(and shudder). BTW, with ticks and chiggers campho-phenique is the best. Beats the heck out of a smoldering match-head or 'baccy juice like Mom used to suggest, PLUS you smell real cool after you use it.

 

[Huckleberry]

It could be chiggers. I've been fortunate enough to never have them myself, but others have claimed that finger nail polish applied on the bump kills them.

I've pulled ticks off of my uncles dog several times. I've never torn their heads off. (The ticks or the dogs.) If you pull slowly they shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Evo]

I got Rocky Mountain Spotted fever from a tick bite when I was 11, that was a bad 6 months.

 

[dduardo]

I got plenty of tick bites when I lived in Jersey. Tweezers always did the trick.