Worried-tick embedded in skin

[Laurienna]

Last week my 14 yo went on a field trip to Yosemite. He wore pants the whole time but tonight he showed me something on the upper part of his calf. It looks like an embedded tick to me. He first noticed it on Sunday but didn't say anything thinking it was just a bug bite. It is not itchy but it is red around it and hurts when pressed. I'm taking him to the doctor tomorrow. I'm not sure I'm going to sleep tonight, I mean the thing will have been in him for days at this point. More than enough time to give him a disease. Shoot.
Anybody knows the likelihood of him getting something and what should we be looking for? Can the tick itself be tested for disease?
Any advice would be appreciated.

[Asparagus78]

I've had quite a few tick bites as we live in an area that's full of them. There is also a lot of Lyme disease here, so most are pretty educated about them.

First, you'll have to pull that little bugger off. There's a technique to it; you want to make sure you don't leave anything embedded. A tick is usually large enough to grasp easily with tweezers. Pull it out slowly, without turning or twisting. If it's been in there for awhile, it will be full, and easy to remove. Or it may actually fall out by itself once it has gorged.

I'm assuming your main concern is Lyme? There are quite a few different types of ticks and not all of them will transmit diseases. Try to identify the tick. It could be a deer tick (carrier of Lyme) or a dog tick (usually disease-free), or a different kind depending on where you live. Google pics to see what your little friend is.

If you're still concerned, see a doctor. They can test the tick (provided you've kept it) and see if it has any diseases. They can also treat for Lyme as soon as the tests come back, even if you are symptom-free.

But don't worry too much unless the area is known for Lyme; I get bites almost every summer and have yet to get Lyme, although my dog did get it a few years ago. Perhaps I'm just lucky... Gotta love the great outdoors!

[mama1803]

Dr. Burrascano

When we were dealing with this very issue, this was the most concise and helpful information we found. Our doctor was more than happy to follow the protocol outlined here:

http://betterhealthguy.com/joomla/im...08-october.pdf

[SleeplessMommy]

lyme is not the only tick-disease risk. you can have the dr. remove it AND prescribe antibiotics.

[Laurienna]

Thank you all. I've got an appointment for him for today. The tick is too far down and I can't remove it. It looks like it has a hard shell. I've removed ticks before from the dogs but they were soft and big.
The thing is, my son is already on antibiotics for his very severe acne ( Doryx). I don't know if that is good or bad regarding the possible diseases carried by ticks. Darn it. When they were little I would check them for ticks after going into the woods and mountains, this time it did not even occur to me to do it.

Thank you though for the links and telling me that it's not because he has been bitten that he'll get a disease. I'm going to check the protocol... and try to find out what other disease they carry. My DH's uncle has a debilitating case of Lyme which is why I'm worried about it.