You Did What To Yourself?!

[Moirae]

Not too bright.

You know how to get a tick off yourself? Light a match, hold it close to the tick, and it will release itself to run away from the flame. Thats when you grab it. Friend of mine had one once when I was a kid.

[ShadowBall]

I always thought it was light a match, blow it out, and push the still-hot match tip against the tick to make it let go. For the longest time, that's how my mother and her moron removed ticks from the dog. But they've found that using tweezers alone works just fine...the ticks are usually as big as unshelled sunflower seeds by the time they find them on the dog anyway (due to her long fur), so it's not like they're hard to get a hold of.

But blah, I realize removing a tick from a human and removing one from a dog are two different things. In any case, it really amazes me to read about how some people will treat any health concern themselves just to avoid going to the hospital. Then, more often than not, they do even more damage to themselves and end up with an even larger medical bill.

[BeeMused]

It's better to use a pair of tweezers and GENTLY pull so you don't separate the head.

I've used vaseline with mixed results. Tweezers have never failed me.

Vaseline, or glue, or vinegar are bad ideas. The tick will die and while at it *puke* the content of it's stomach into you. If the tick was infected with anything this is a sure way for you to get infected with one of those nasties.

Tweezers are the best and safest way to remove a tick, be it from human or other animal.

[Sapphire Silk]

My boyfriend's mom told me yesterday that one of her 4-year old nieces had her first x-rays at the dentist and they showed...a ring with a butterfly shape on it stuck in her nose! Apparently, she'd shoved the jewelery up there at least 2-years ago, because when they performed surgery to remove it, skin was starting to grow over it.

Wow. She must really have been afraid of getting in trouble to not tell Mom all these years. That had to be uncomfortable.

Years ago, a dad brought his 4 year old son to the ER with a Matchbox car stuck in his nasal sinus. It was quite the sight. We asked dad how son possibly could have done this; poor dad threw up his hands and said he had no idea. We got it out without too much difficulty (rather the doctor did), packed his nose and sent him home.

A couple of hours later dad was back . . . with a matchbox car stuck in HIS nose. He'd been trying to figure out how his kid did this, and managed to repeat the stunt.

Not too bright.

You know how to get a tick off yourself? Light a match, hold it close to the tick, and it will release itself to run away from the flame. Thats when you grab it. Friend of mine had one once when I was a kid.

Not recommended, nor is the method Shadowball suggested. You are more likely to burn yourself than convince a tick to let go.

Vaseline, or glue, or vinegar are bad ideas. The tick will die and while at it *puke* the content of it's stomach into you. If the tick was infected with anything this is a sure way for you to get infected with one of those nasties.

Tweezers are the best and safest way to remove a tick, be it from human or other animal.

Didn't know that about vaseline. Good to know.

[BeeMused]

Basically, you don't want to kill the tick while its mouth is still sticking in your skin. You want to avoid anything that seals the tick's tracheae, it suffocates.

[Mishi]

When I remove ticks, I first find where the head is and then gently use my nails and a 'pull and scrape' technique. I then drop the tick into a small container of oil. The trick is being careful enough that you don't lose its head. Most of the time, a small piece of skin comes away in the ticks mouthparts, which makes it easier to keep the bites clean. Learnt how to do it when I was a kid and where they like to hide, luckily my current dog has only had one (paralysis) tick with no ill effects.

Not an intentional injury, but my dear husband once came home after work with his arm swathed in clean-ish rags, ice packs and race tape. Turns out that his forearm was in the way of a coolant leak and he'd just kept working despite the burns all the way up the inside of his arm to his lower bicep. I initially refused to clean them and tried to make him go to the hospital. I ended up gently cleaning them and bandaging them three times over the weekend. I finally got him to go to the doctors by explaining (for the thousandth time, it felt) that his workplace was dirty, the burns would get infected AND that I don't have the skills or equipment to debride them. We finally went to our normal doctor on Monday, who was happy with my efforts but told Rugz off quite soundly. Rugz ended up with almost 2 weeks off work and had to go back everyday for a new dressing and extra care. Turns out that he had severe 2nd degree burns, and should have gone straight to the hospital instead of trying to wait it out. He's a manly man!

[blas]

I light them on fire after I pull them off the dog.

What I really hate is because my dog has such long, black fur, sometimes those fuckers are on her for a day or two or three before we get to finding them, and they get all big and juicy.

The worst part is when they get so fat they fall off, and then go dragging their obese little bodies around the house, waiting to thin out and find another host.

Why God created these disgusting, disease ridden bastards, I wish I knew.

[Dragon_Dreamer]

I used to flush ticks... until I went to the bathroom one day and noticed one crawling up the inside of the bowl... AFTER it had been flushed about 15 minutes before.

Suckers BURN, now.

[blas]

I flush them when I don't have my lighter handy. You take that wad of TP and squash it until that bastard is nothing but a splotch of guts.

[Argus]

When I had a tick on my foot a few years back, I found a website (either the FDA or the CDC) that suggested saving it so that it could be identified in case problems develop later. I labelled a small plastic mailing bag (2in x 3in) with the date and stuck the bag in the freezer with the tick inside. A month later, no illness had developed, so I got rid of it without opening the bag.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I echo the idea that you don't want to fool around with vaseline, hot matches, or anything else that might make the tick vomit back into your skin. In fact, I would only use tweezers as a last resort becuase you want to avoid putting pressure on the tick if you can help it. Use your fingers if you can.

Grasp it just behind the head, trying not to squeeze it any more than you have to to maintain a grip on it. Pull straight out, firmly but not with a jerk. Hold your skin in place so it does not stretch out and snap. You want to make sure you get the head. If it's still wiggling, great. Probably still has its head. Even better, it might pull a chunk of your skin off with it. No doubt you got the head then, and even the bite point is out of your skin. Wash with soap and water, then put an antibiotic on it till it heals.

It will probably itch like a sonofabitch. Try not to scratch, and watch closely for infection.

I don't know much about RMSF, but Lyme is in my area. However, it's not as easy to get Lyme as you might think. One tick bite does not automatically sentence you to Lyme. Only a fraction of a certain type of tick (deer ticks, the tiny ones) have Lyme, and even then, only a fraction of bites from those ticks will infect you.

Now, granted, you do have to worry about other nasty infections. I've been bitten by countless ticks over the course of my life. I've gotten bacterial infections (not Lyme) twice that required a round of antibiotics. So pay attention to your health after a tick bite. Muscle aches (especially at the bite site), fever, fatigue, you need to go on to the doc.

Also, saving the tick in case you get sick later is wise. I do that, too.

[Dragon_Dreamer]

I detach them as you've all described, always getting the head, then wrap em in a tissue, take it outside to the cinderblock steps, and then set the tissues on fire. One of the biggest Lyme hotspots in my county is literally the intersection right beyond our property. We're VERY careful about it here.

... And it gives me an excuse to indulge a lil pyromania.

As a side note, I once actually felt a tick bite me. I was half asleep, and felt something crawl on my leg. As I was reaching down to brush it off, I felt a sharp stabby pain. Turned on the light, looked down, and there was this tick embedding itself in my leg.

Had to pull down as well as outwards and felt the jaws detach. Ended up with two tiny but visible fang marks on that spot. I swear it must have been a dog tick. >.< Pics exist, I just have NO clue where they've gone.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I've reached the point I can tell one is on me good by the feeling of the itch. I don't know about you, but they cause me to itch like a mother. Of course, by the time they've injected enough of their nasty little spit into my hide that it itches, the damage is done.

I've also felt them while they're scrambling around on my skin, before they bite.

I think every tick that has ever been on me has been a deer tick. I don't think I've ever been bitten by a dog tick.

I woke up one morning with one on my stuff. Can you imagine? I was laying in bed, woke up, considered the day as I lay there, and just went, "Oh, fuck, I have one on my JUNK."

Nice thought to start your day with.

[Miss Maple Leaf]

A couple of hours later dad was back . . . with a matchbox car stuck in HIS nose. He'd been trying to figure out how his kid did this, and managed to repeat the stunt.

That's priceless! I probably shouldn't be laughing at it, but

When the dad came in for himself, did he tell you how he pulled it off? I must admit that I'm rather curious as to how one could fit a matchbox car up a nostril (though not curious enough to try it out myself, of course. )

[Kara]

Like the time I ignored crippling abdominal pain for 12 hours thinking it was probably indigestion? And when I did finally break down and go to the ER I found my intestine had ruptured due to a condition I didn't even know I had? And if I had waited much longer, my body would have gone toxic and I'd have died? Yeah.

You don't even want to know what I've witnessed at the prison. We have a lot of cutters and self-mutilators. I think Ghostbusters said it best: "I have seen shit that would turn you white!"