It seems as soon as I finished doing a Periscope about how to protect yourself from a tick bite then we found ticks on us. It was bound to happen! Ticks are everywhere and especially around our new home because we’re now in the country.
We’ve been here since October and I’ve been pretty nervous about the possibilities of anyone in my family or anyone who comes to visit getting a tick bite. We’ve been treating our yard but the treatment we chose to use needs to be reapplied every 3 months. My husband was planning to treat the yard just after he and my son mowed. That morning my son mowed the front and my husband mowed the back.
I was in the backyard watering my garden and didn’t apply my essential oils repellent because I was only planning on watering and then heading back inside. I also didn’t think to remind my son and husband to apply repellent on themselves.
While I was watering the garden I saw a patch of weeds that were growing quite tall only they were on the other side of the flower bed just outside of my yard. I love being outdoors, I love listening to the birds and enjoying the sunshine.
I walked over to the bushes, reached down and pulled the weeds up. I continued working around the yard for awhile so I wasn’t quite ready to do a tick check.
A few hours later, my son came inside and said that he thought something bit him. Sure enough, there was a very small tick attached to the back of his shoulder.
My first reaction was to scream and totally freak out. I chose instead to stay calm for the sake of my son and we went upstairs to get our tick kit.
I carefully removed the tick by grabbing it as close to the skin as I could, pulling it straight up and out. I checked and made sure the head was removed and then applied Young Living Thieves to the site of the bite.
I wet a small paper towel and placed it along with the tick inside a small plastic storage bag.
I took pictures of the bite mark and the tick and enlarged it so I could see what it was. It was definitely a tick!
My son was so upset and decided he was finished with the great outdoors for the day so we scoured him for other ticks and then he showered.
Once I was all finished with him, hugged him and told him everything would be OK, I decided to go ahead with my own tick check.
Right away I found something on my shoulder. I repeated the same removal method and enclosed the disgusting creature in a separate bag.
On each bag, I wrote our names and the date and time of discovery.
I also made a note in my Medical Notebook. If you don’t have a medical notebook, you really need to read about it here; The Most Important Notebook You’ll Ever Keep
When I took a picture of my bug I noticed that it didn’t look like a tick, it was longer and had little wings. I’m not really sure what it is but it was attached to me the way a tick would be.
This turned out to not be a tick.
The very next morning I mailed our ticks to the Bay Area Lyme Foundation for identification not only of the type of tick or insect that it is but also if they are filled with Lyme or any of the many co-infections.
I’m not rushing to get us on antibiotics because we’ve been using homeopathy for the past 2 years and I know that they will keep us from getting ill if we get bit again.
We will continue to be under the care of our doctor who has done a fabulous job of helping us to regain our health and has helped us to be able to live life fully again.
If you’re not under a doctors care already and being treated for Lyme, my first recommendation would be to find a doctor who can help treat the infection while also supporting your immune system. Usually, alternative care or naturopathic physicians do a much better job at this but they don’t typically take insurance.
If this is not an option you should get to an urgent care or doctor right away for antibiotics. Antibiotics are helpful to eradicate Lyme and co-infections but only if you get on treatment right away and get a long enough dose. Print this chart to take with you, Tick Treatment Guidelines.
What’s your plan if you find a tick on you or your loved one? Do you have a tick kit? I put mine together myself and you can too. Ticks are out everywhere and are looking for a blood meal.
Be diligent to protect yourself. I know I’m going to be even more careful than I have been.
I won’t let my guard down again but I have a plan if for some reason we do find another tick.
Hi Sandra, thank you! I looked at your blog and I'd be happy to link back. Would you please add "with Lyme" to your link for my site. There is an Abounding in Hope blog that is not related.
Hi! I have added your blog link to my website at http://www.imticked.com. If you could link back it would be greatly appreciated!