Tick Mania Part II

     How do I handle tick bites?  Thankfully, I haven’t had any recent bites but I can't seem to keep them away from my three-year-old daughter.  Perhaps they are on me as well and her pristine skin gives them away while mine just go unnoticed, but I have plucked four ticks off her in the past two years.  However, I can’t force her to stay inside and stare out the window like an indoor cat anxious to bust outdoors.  She needs a daily dose of nature.  At first that meant she would safely watch the trees from a Baby Bjorn and I didn’t have to worry.  However, even as she began to explore on her feet I never really thought about potentially dangerous insects, I was more concerned she would fall in a lake or tumble off a stone wall.  Basically I figured that if we steered clear from obvious tick habitats like unkempt grasses and deep woods then we would be relatively safe.

       

     No such luck.   At age two she got her first tick at my parent's house just playing in the yard.  Tick number two was acquired there as well just one month later.  At that point in my neurotic mind the peaceful woodland yard was forever rendered into a shadowy danger zone.  I got both of the ticks tested for Lyme and various coinfections.  Mercifully the ticks were negative for Lyme but the second tick was positive for Anaplasma, a bacterium that actually caused Dave Letterman to get sick after a day in his Connecticut backyard.  I took my daughter and the tick report from the lab to the doctor’s office.  The pediatrician scolded me for getting the tick tested and then gave us a prescription for doxycycline just in case she became symptomatic.  I told her that while I respected her opinion I personally prefer to know what to expect, and at least if I am aware Anaplasmosis is a possibility than I can get her treated in time if symptoms should arise.  No symptoms manifested so we were good, and to the best of my knowledge tick free, until the following May. This time the tick crawled onto her hip at my friend’s house.  We were in the garden trying to enjoy the beautiful spring flowers. The tick was sent to the lab and now gardens are suspect too, not that we are giving them up.  This time we rejoiced in a completely negative tick and I sent a silent prayer of thanks to St. Jude.   

     The latest tick finding was the one that really threw me. She seems to have caught it simply by being outside.  I never even noticed it, but thankfully my husband spotted it attached to her neck.  Once again we sent the tick off to be evaluated; once again the little beast was negative for Lyme and positive for Anaplasma.  So while I feel relieved that we caught it, we had to go get another supply of doxycycline and are currently watching for strange symptoms. 

I don’t mean to overreact with constant tick testing, but I figure if I find the tick then it makes sense to be diligent.  I guess I have heard too many tick horror stories, and even if some of the lore is legend I prefer to play it safe.  In the meantime, after every tick bite I give her an immune boosting protocol which includes echinacea, astragalus, and elderberry syrup three times a day for a month.  I also give her a bit of chopped garlic soaked in raw honey with each substantial meal (as long as she doesn’t exhibit stomach upset).  The tick bite itself is doused daily in an anti microbial solution of thyme, myrrh, comfrey, and calendula until it disappears.  Luckily her tick bites have not looked angry; inflammation around the bite, even if it isn’t in a bull’s eye pattern, can be an indicator of infection.
     And of course while we are probably more aware of ticks we are not going to let them limit our outside excursions. Daily tick checks, as tedious as they are, are an imperative. In addition, light colored clothing and white socks pulled up high over her pant legs are a part of her new eccentric outdoor look.  I also force a hat on her because hair tick checks always end up feeling futile.  And finally a healthy application of tick repelling essential oil formula is a must have for us.  We reserve the Deet for long hikes in the woods, which honestly we may avoid for awhile.

So I have a new healthy attitude about ticks in Maryland. I respect them but I am not going to fear them.  After four tick bites, I hope I am learning something. 

Tick Protocol:

1)    Don’t panic and carefully remove the tick with tweezers by grasping the tick as close to the skin as possible.  Do not apply anything to the bite before the tick is removed (including alcohol).  There are tick removing devices available but the one I tried was useless for the nymph deer tick I was trying to remove, I think it was geared toward the removal of larger ticks.

2)    Disinfect the bite with alcohol and disinfect your hands and the tweezers as well.

3)    Keep the tick!  Place the tick in a plastic baggie with a tiny bit of wet paper towel.

4)    Try to estimate how long the tick was attached and consider testing. Two labs I have used with quick turnaround times are Clongen in Germantown, MD and UMASS tick testing at University of Massachusetts Zoology Department.

5)    Watch the tick bite for inflammation and monitor symptoms for one month.

6)    Consider adjunct treatment with herbs to support your immune response. This could be similar to the elderberry-astragalus-echinacea blend I give to my daughter or you could try other herbs like andrographis, cat’s claw, or medicinal mushrooms.