After Tick Bites

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and Cowleys wants to educate our New Jersey neighbors to keep you safe from ticks and Lyme disease.  “After a Tick Bites” is the second in a three-part series during the month of May. 

Lyme disease is gaining much national attention these days as we learn more about the disease itself and more and more people are affected by it.  Just living in the state of New Jersey puts us at high risk since according to the CDC’s 2011 statistics, 96% of Lyme disease cases were reported from 13 states which includes New Jersey. 

Our previous post on Understanding Ticks to Protect You and Your Family addressed ways in which you could protect yourself from tick bites.  Now let’s take a closer look at what happens after the bite from a tick and the steps you can take to best protect yourself from Lyme disease. 

Did you know there is a right way and a wrong way to remove a tick to reduce your risk of Lyme disease?  Some old wive’s tales called for oils and soaps to be poured over the tick while it is attached to the skin to make it back out.  But these types of remedies can actually increase your risk of that tick transmitting disease.  Don’t wait until that dreaded moment when a tick is engorged in the skin of you or a member of your family. Read over the Lyme Disease Associations Proper Tick Removal steps here and be well-prepared to remove that tick properly.  Being prepared for when a tick bite happens can make a difference in whether or not you contract the disease. 

After you have been bitten by a tick there is no need to just wait and see if symptoms appear.  After all, symptoms from Lyme disease may take a full month to begin and that’s an entire month before you can treat for the disease!  There are labs in which you can send the tick you removed to be tested for Borrelia Burgdorferi bacteria, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.  We like to recommend NJ Labs since testing there takes just a few days versus weeks to months in some other labs.  In order to have a tick tested simply place it in a small ziplock sandwich bag with a cotton ball moistened with water.  Complete directions for testing along with their address can be found here. 

 Many people diagnosed with Lyme disease don’t even recall being bit by a tick!  As we mentioned in our previous post ticks in the nymph stage are most active in the springtime and are only the size of a poppy seed making them very difficult to see on a person.  Symptoms can be evasive and can fool patients and doctors alike by having them test and treat for other illnesses.  Understanding the symptoms that Lyme disease causes can help you to catch this potentially deadly disease before it causes long-term effects and turns into Chronic Lyme disease.   The following are signs and symptoms from the Lyme Disease Association that you should visit a doctor and be tested for Lyme disease (a complete list of these symptoms in more detail can be found here):

• A small red bite indicating a bug bite followed by a bull’s-eye pattern rash
• Flu-like symptoms include fever, aches and pains, headache
• Severe fatigue
• Joint pain and swelling
• Neurological problem

Not all doctors are well-versed on Lyme disease and seeking the help of a Lyme Literate Doctor, particularly when the disease has entered the chronic stages, can make a difference in successful treatment.  The Lyme Disease Association has created a doctor referral system to help you locate a doctor who understands and is experienced in treating Lyme disease.  You can access the database here. 

We hope this article full of Lyme disease resources protects you and your families this year.  Tick bites can be serious and can often go undetected causing serious health problems up to and including death.  Remember that during the month of May, 2013 in honor of Lyme Disease Awareness month Cowleys is offering $40 off on our Tick Reduction Program.  Click here for a free estimate. We service all of Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, Middlesex, and Mercer Counties.