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Tick on my 5 yr old’s scalp
My son was complaining about a “bump on his head” on Monday. He didn’t seem like he was in a lot of pain. I just brushed him off. Today is Thursday and I finally looked when he complained again and I noticed a tick! I freaked out. The first thing I think about is Lyme disease. I was able to get it out easily with tweezers and it was still moving. I don’t know what to do now. I’m really upset and wish I would have gotten it out sooner. I’m freaking out that it was in his scalp for 4 days!!! Plz help and let me know if there’s anything I can do at this point. He did wake up this morning with a little diarrhea and he vomited twice. But I don’t know if that a coincidence or not. Otherwise he’s been fine and hasn’t vomited or anything since. The spot is very tender and he screams every time I touch it. Is there anything I should/ can do at this point? Please advise. -
20 Replies
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– I’m sorry to hear this. Please don’t panic. Not all ticks are disease carrying so let’s hope for the best. You’ve already done a great thing by carefully removing it and placing it in a plastic bag. I would also add a small damp paper towel in there too.
Where do you live? I suggest testing the tick as soon as possible as the next step, and seeking medical care to start prophylactic support “just in case”.Here are 2 websites to consider mailing it to using a courier service:
• Tick Report
• Tick CheckFor acute tick bites, here’s my go-to homeopathy protocol:
Ledum 30c, 3 to 4 doses per day until the bite looks 90% better or until fully resolves. 1 dose is 2 pellets.
Regardless of tick results, I would still test for lyme & co-infections in 5-6 weeks because antibodies against tick-borne infections take 4-6 weeks to show up on labs. Again, depending on where you live, I can share resources.
I don’t want to scare you but I do want you to be armed with the right information, and aware of the signs and symptoms to be looking out for over the next few days and months.
Early signs & symptoms to keep an eye out for:
A small, red bump, similar to the bump of a mosquito bite, often appears at the site of a tick bite or tick removal and resolves over a few days. This normal occurrence doesn’t indicate Lyme disease. However, these signs and symptoms can occur within a month after one has been infected:
• Rash: from 3-30 days after an infected tick bite, forming a bulls-eye pattern. It’s typically not itchy or painful but might feel warm to the touch. It is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease, although not everyone with Lyme disease develops the rash. Some people develop this rash in more than one place on their bodies.
• Other symptoms: fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, headache, neck stiffness, and swollen lymph nodes can accompany the rash.
Later signs and symptoms:If untreated, new signs and symptoms of Lyme infection might appear in the following weeks to months. These include:
• Rash: may appear on other areas of the body.
• Joint pain: bouts of severe joint pain and swelling are especially likely to affect the knees, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
• Neurological problems: one might develop inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell’s palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement.Hope this helps give some next steps to consider and symptoms to be aware of. Awaiting your reply on where you live.
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I’m in Wisconsin. Brookfield Wisconsin. Due to time difference I just saw this and had put baggy wiyh tick in freezer. Hope that’s ok.
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I am planning to send tick to get tested today. I also plan on taking my son to urgent care or the ER as We just moved from dubai less than a year ago and don’t have a primary dr. Should he start on antibiotics as a precautionary thing awaiting tick results. That may take a few days and I don’t want the effectiveness of antibiotics to go. They said after tick removal within 72 hours
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I don’t have Ledum but I’ll try to find out who has it today and you said give him 2 pellets 3-4 times a day. Do i dissolve these in water or just give to him?
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Thank you for all the information. It’s greatly appreciated
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update:
I mailed the tick to be tested. The results should come out by early afternoon tomorrow. Will keep you posted.I took my son to urgent care to be assessed. The dr. Wrote a prescription for doxycline ( if it’s Rocky Mountain) or amoxicillin ( if it’s Lyme). He said to wait until the results come in. ( I’ve attached prescription for your reference).
He had diarrhea this morning ( sorry I’ve also attached images of this). Dr thinks is viral and unrelated but still said small
Chance it could be related to tick if it’s Rocky Mountain spotted fever. I took tick to drs office before mailing it and he said it looks like a wood tick not a deer tick.I only had ledum 200 so I gave my son 1 pellet thus far undiluted. Should I stick to one 1 a day since it’s higher dosage? Also was I right for not diluting it and just giving him one to crunch in his mouth?
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glad you’re taking action!
Please do let us know what the tick report says. Who did you go with?
Homeopathy can be taken directly melted in the mouth. Best if it’s away from food by at least 30 mins.
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I went with tickcheck.com
Good to know about the remedy. I will keep that in mind for future. Thank you. Is one dose of that sufficient? And for how many days should it I give it?
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yes, a single dose of a 200c is usually enough to trigger an immune response. If the symptoms are present then the remedy can be repeated.
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what symptoms? He only had some diarrhea in the morning that vomiting twice two days ago but not sure if that’s viral or related to tick.
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if my child, I would personally continue it daily for at least 7 days
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thank you! I will do the same.
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Update: it’s a female African dog tick. It’s currently under testing. Unfortunately I forgot about memorial weekend do lab was closed until today.
Will update once I receive results
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On a different note, my son seems to be suffering from recurrent croup. He’s had it 3 times now. Can you plz advise on treatment and also what tests yo run because this seems like a red flag
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Update: here is testing results. Negative. Should I still do blood test in 6 weeks?
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