My tick experience. No pictures but not for the squeamish.

[Kattt]

I am not going to address Lyme's disease or other tick born diseases with this post. I am relatively well read on that but probably would not add much to what people have already discussed here before. I would rather not discuss the time it takes to transmit the disease, the products to keep ticks off of you, the controversy over the testing, false negatives etc.
I try to protect myself in a number of ways, but given the speed at which I react it is not easy. I will not wear permethrin treated clothes 24/7. I spray my rubber boots and pants and take a shower as soon as I get home but that often is not quick enough.
This is just my story and some advice on tick removal for those that have a similar problem to mine.

I have been bit, as in having a tick embedded in me, so many times that I now react immediately and strongly to the enzymes in the tick's saliva. Within minutes of one having numbed me and having injected me with "tenderizer" I develop a large sore, my muscle hurts as if I had fallen and caused some injury. This will get better if I get it all out immediately, but the pain and swelling will last a good week and I will have subcutaneous scarring even if I successfully pull it out right away. I know not to squeeze the tick and inject myself with the content.
I have been to the emergency room with allergic reactions when the tick was in my back and someone in my family did not remove it entirely. I have been given antibiotics too many times before finding out the tick tested negative.

If I have not been bitten by a tick in a few weeks or months ( that would be nice) the first one will cause less of a reaction. The second and third in a row will get increasingly more severe.
Forward to last Sunday. Out on a mushroom foraging/ puma tracking hike ( both successful :) I got my third tick in two weeks. It was on my back, by my scapula. It could not have been in me for more than half an hour but the pain gave it away. I will spare you the pictures, but this would be the time to leave the post if you are already getting squeamish…

My daughter got the tweezers and tried to get it out carefully but the head got left in as it was well attached. The surrounding tissue swelled more immediately and that thing was now buried deep and surrounded by enzyme injected flesh = pulp. She tried a little more but we did not have the right tools nor did she have the experience to deal with it. No one else in the family was willing to delve deeper into this problem.
I knew from past experiences that going to the ER at this point, besides the drive, the wait, the money…meant another round of antibiotics, pain and a large hole in my back with subsequent scarring on and below the skin. I am not trained in medicine what so ever, so my terminology is going to make some professionals cringe here.
I remembered that my 88 year old landlord and I had talked quite a bit about ticks in the past, and he had shown me a piece of cardboard full of taped tini ticks, with dates ( in case they needed testing) that he had removed over 62 years of being married to his legendary trail blazing wife….all the ticks on that piece of cardboard had been embedded into her. He had told me he had the tools and the experience if I ever needed help. So I took him up on it late Sunday night. I drove up the hill and he had already started to get his kit out. He is blind on one eye, and I repeat, 88 years old. He laid out his tools, which included a scalpel (!) tweezers, headlight, magnifier, Betadyne, Anbesol etc. half an hour later he had removed the head and allowed the area to drain the enzymes out. We discussed what was happening and what I was reacting to and why. By the following morning the swelling was nearly gone, the red ring around it was gone, the hardened tissue spanning several inches was no longer inflamed.
This was the first time that I healed up this fast.
This is different than removing a tick from someone that is not allergic to the saliva. I needed the offending enzymes out of me quickly. The allergic reaction caused the surrounding tissue to be inflamed and harden, making the removal more difficult than usual. Tweezers will not work! I have tried ether in the past, to freeze it before it releases more enzymes, but it did not work for me.

More graphic stuff, beware.

The old man's advice is to either carefully lift the skin with the tick and cut under the head, or to push a needle through your skin, under the head , lift it up and make the cut there. This after 62 years experience. He kept all the ticks and dated them in case one needed to be tested.
Since this was on my back I did not see how he did it; he numbed me a bit with anbesol and apologized for going slow, saying that a doctor would probably cut more and faster and get it over with quickly. The pain was very bearable. I will not even have a scar from it, looks like.

I will continue to look for better ways to prevent tick bites, but I will not stay inside..
I have learned a few things that no online article, and no doctor had explained to me. I wanted to pass it on to those that have a similar problem to mine.

Edited for spelling, even though I did check…

Also to add that I am not recommending people not see a doctor, nor am I saying doctors are bad; but once you know the problem you can try and deal with it before it becomes a bigger problem.

[Valerie E]

Wow — how lucky that you could call on this man for help! Good tip about the Anbesol — I often have to remove locust thorns from my bushwhacking husband's legs/hands (and sometimes from his buddies' legs/hands, too). I never thought about Anbesol as a numbing agent — I'll try it. And I'd never heard about removing ticks with anything but tweezers, so this could be really helpful.

Glad you are doing better. :^)

[Daryl and Daryl]

Thanks for the info. Your experience may come in handy some time if I'm in a similar circumstance.

What a story!

How can you distinguish between allergic reaction and quick spreading infection? With my recent cat bite the redness started spreading right after the bite so I figured it might be an allergic reaction. I took an antihistamine but it didn't help. Dr. told me it was just infection not allergic reaction.

I've only had two ticks in my life but was able to remove one with a hot match head. I've been told this will rarely work but it did work for me once.

Tick was easily accessible on back of one hand. I lit, then blew out, a match and carefully placed the hot end of the match very close to the tick's butt. He/she backed up and pulled its head from my skin.

Kept the tick in a jar for a couple of weeks. Took pity on it and fed it some raw hamburger. Grease from hamburger killed it. No credit for trying to help it.

[Ian]

If there is a devil, ticks are his spawn. I don't care what it would do to the ecosystem, if I could push a button and exterminate every last one of them, I would.

Glad you're ok and that's quite a story.

[Christopher *]

Wow. Crazy story!

I'm curious … do some people have a natural resistance to ticks?

I live on the East coast and have had many a tick on me … I do seem to attract them because they find me when they don't find others. Last year along the Georgia coast I pulled more than a dozen off me in just one three day trip. But I have never been careful or precise. I just pinch deep and yank (exactly what Im told you ARE NOT supposed to do) and I have never had a problem … even the time I had one strike in a very private place. (Please note I am not advocating what I do. Every time I do it, I say out loud "I shouldn't do this".)

Are some people resistant to them sinking their heads or am I just unnaturally lucky? I used to get a whole mess of ticks as a kid every summer, that my mom would remove properly … could that play a role in some sort of adult resistance?

(PS: "Grease from hamburger killed it. No credit for trying to help it." LOL. I just wanted to give you the shout-out Daryl. I get it! Credit or Criticism!)

[Kattt]

Daryl,
Over the last year I had been noticing faster and more severe reactions to tick bites than before. I read up on them and found that some people have/ develop an allergy to the saliva of the little bastards ( I am with you Ian!!!) . I get a reaction even when just a few layers of skin are affected.
I suppose infections are possible, but probably either post the breaking of skin to remove them, or if the tick harbors yet another little jerk ( bacterium most likely).
I know ticks are infested with mites…

Thanks for the letting me vent my frustration here folks.

[Kattt]

Christopher,
Are the ticks you are referring to, what we commonly call dog ticks? Do they just hold on to one single flake of skin and come off easily? Because I don't even count those anymore. I have been talking about deer ticks. As far as people having resistance to them, I don't know. I think repeated exposure tends to eventually cause a reaction, may be similar to poison Oak in that respect.

[terry tiedeman]

Thanks for sharing your neighbors tricks. Very interesting. I backpack in Big Sur where depending on the time of season the ticks can be either non existent or so bad on certain trails I brush many hundreds per day off my clothing. I wear the light colored untreated pants (not very breathable) made by the original bug shirt company and something slick on top like my montbell windshirt or the original bug shirt top. Amazingly I almost never get bitten. In heavy tick areas I stop about every 10 minutes or so and just brush my pants a bit and they all fall off. A good friend who grew up with horses taught me how to remove successfully ever time. Basically, grab the tick close to the head and start by pulling VERY gently. Slowly and steadily increase the strength of the pull until the tick lets go. Must be slow and steady and can take a couple minutes of gradually increasing the pull strength. Works every time with full removal.

[Christopher *]

Hey Kat … I honestly wasn't aware there was a variety of ticks.

I have a pup, but she is a recent family addition and doesn't come hiking yet. I have always gotten my ticks deep in the backcountry so I assume deer ticks but I cannot say for certain. They are grey with lighter stripes running lengthwise.

BTW I forgot to say in my original post that I'm glad you are okay.

[Kattt]

Hi Christopher,
What you describe are the ones that my dog gets and they have not been a problem for me….the problem are the small red ones or even worse, the tiny black ones. I have tock card somewhere, with names, but can't find it at the moment.

@Terry, thanks. The problem with removal arises when surrounding tissue hardens. If I can get to it within fifteen or twenty minutes it is usually not a problem to get it out, but I still have a week of pain and reddening. The ones that make it past the half hour are much more difficult to remove from my experience, they are also very tiny…unless you have long nails they are almost too small to get a good grip with your fingers, even with my tiny hands.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Terry,

That slow and steady pulling seems similar to my one successful "hot match head" removal.

Both methods require sensitivity to the tick. Encourage it leave. Convince it that staying will continue to be uncomfortable. Assure it that it won't be hurt if it cooperates (a lie). Don't hurt it until it is out because it needs its strength to pull out on its own. Don't scare it because you don't want it to freeze up in terror or panic.

It seems similar to the approach a good hostage negotiator might use…..or perhaps a tick whisperer.

[Mobile Calculator]

…

[Todd T]

Sounds like a good landlord to have around!

I must say, though, I find it curious that someone as sensitive to the little demons as you would eschew Permethrin treated clothing. I'm not sensitive at all to their bites, but the downsides of Lyme's and all the other tick-borne diseases are far more worrisome to me than any speculative downsides of treated clothing.

Mind you, I avoid slathering DEET or sunblock or anything else directly on my skin, so I'm not (just) a dumb redneck :-) , but the Permethrin-tick tradeoff seems to tip heavily away from the ticks. Thoughts?

[Roger Caffin]

> How can you distinguish between allergic reaction and quick spreading infection?
In my experience, an allergic reaction can happen 10x faster than any infection. I suspect your doctor may have been wrong. Shock horror maybe, but …

We routinely check for ticks, even after working at home in the garden. Not uncommon to have a couple after a few hours. The main vector is always local dogs.

Cheers

[BlackHatGuy]

"Please note I am not advocating what I do. Every time I do it, I say out loud "I shouldn't do this"."

Sounds like most of my life….

Glad you're okay Kat! Your neighbor seems like a great guy to live near! :-)

[Stuart R]

Tweezers are not the tool to remove ticks (or matches, alcohol etc).

The best I have found is the Tick Twister: http://www.otom.com
Apparently available in only a few pet shops in USA.

[Michael Gunderloy]

Amazon carries the Tick Twister, as well as many other variants on the same general idea.

[Kattt]

Tick removal for people without allergies is different than for someone else because if how fast the tissue around the "port of entry" changes…

@Todd, you make a valid point about Permethrin. The problem I have with that is that I would have to wear it every single day and since skin will absorb small amounts I don't want to be the guinea pig for that. When I know I am going to hike through grasses infested with ticks, I will use permethrin. On a daily basis, between working outside, my pets and the hours I hike around after work, I can't. I may revisit the idea at some point though, we'll see.

Also, not trying to control this thread, but it was meant for people that have had repeated exposure and either have a full blown allergy, or risk getting there soon.
Methods like tick twisters, matches etc, are not really the way to go in this case.

Ps. I do carry an Epi pen with me at this point .

[Nico .]

It's helpful to get some additional tips from others on the removal of particularly embedded tick.

We get them pretty bad in certain areas of the central CA coast and interior, but only for a few months out of the year. Some areas like Big Sur (already mentioned) can be downright awful, in which case I take basic precautions throughout the day (e.g., long pants, long sleeves, gators, etc., stop regularly to brush them off me or my dogs while hiking and do a more thorough check once at camp) to avoid a bite.

It's been years since I've missed one long enough to allow it to get fully embedded on myself or one of my dogs. We've been successfully using a tick key for the last couple of years to remove any that do start to attach themselves though. So far, so good. I keep one in my first aid kit, one at home in the medicine cabinet and attach one to either of the dog's collars.

Couple of other thoughts-
As I understand it, ticks don't jump, they simply hang on the end of brush/grass and wait for someone to pass by and brush up against them to hitch a ride on, so if you can avoid/minimize brushing up against vegetation while hiking, your exposure should be decreased (obviously this depends on where you're hiking).
Ticks ability to hang on to clothing seems to vary quite a bit. Some of the synthetic materials that are more "slick" will more easily brush off ticks.
Not sure this is true, but I'd read or been told that ticks will only climb "up." So, if you tuck your pants into your gaiters and your shirt into your pants, you theoretically have more time before they will reach exposed skin, assuming most catch a ride on your pants legs.

[Greg Mihalik]

Kat,
You've been dealing with this. I have not…. but …

Permethrin is effective.
Could you significantly reduce you risk by using tall, easy-on-easy-off, treated gaiters? If worn over pants, it would reduce skin exposure. If shoes were also treated, you would have a pretty good barrier to upward progress.

[Kattt]

Here is what can happen in less than half an hour. My daughter had already pulled the body out with tweezers.

Here is that tiny head, with tissue around it swelling rapidly

Ps. I wear rubber boots with my pants in them. Hiking around for me involves a lot of bush whacking and crawling over and under trees.
The above tick had been in me just about 30 minutes. I know because I got home, jumped in the shower, checked for ticks and half an hour later there it is.

Like I said, maybe I should and will reconsider permethrin as a way of life for me. I would rather not, but it might get to that. So thanks for the nudge.

[Greg Mihalik]

You are aware of being bitten. After that, time is of the essence.

Removal of a tick still accessible on the surface.

You'll just have to train your daughter, and be prepared to train your hiking partners, to apply some Lidocane, and then ruthlessly dig it out. Screams and gasps to be ignored.

Add some alcohol wipes, a scalpel, and antibiotic to your FAK.

I don't suggest this casually. But it is obvious that immediate and effective care is needed.

Edit: And a tick removing tool/technique on the hope that it will come out intact on the first attempt.

[Kattt]

Thanks for the link Greg.
I made myself a kit just over the last couple of days.
I think what made this last bite heal so fast and without usual post removal pain and swelling that would last a week, was that I kept the little wound open, with antibiotic cream, letting my body drain the stuff .
I appreciate the suggestions and the tips.

Edited to add what else happened during the hike, which was great.

Found a new waterfall

chanterelles

And lots of mountain lion poop, but I will spare you that, at least ;)

[Anonymous]

"chanterelles"

Do you ever find Boletus in your area? We used to gather them up in Mendocino, but I've never heard anyone mention them down your way. Somehow, the thick stem on the top Chanterelle in your picture reminded me of a Boletus.

[Kattt]

I find some Boletus, but none that I am 100% sure of. I grew up with Porcini, the king Boletus, and have not found any of those yet. I doubted that they even grew here, but just recently saw what some people have been finding, on the road to our house no less, and they are the real deal!

[Author]

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