Blarg! Tick Bite!

[AmbrosiaWriter]

This has just been frustrating me for a while now, so I wanna unload it.

Back in March of this year - so four months ago - I got bitten by a tick while walking my dogs in a local campground/forest park/natural reserve. I didn't discover it until the head got buried, but we got it, and the head out.

No lime disease, no infection (hooray!) but it still hasn't healed! Four months later and I still have a scab that occasionally oozes on the side of my knee. I occasionally use an anti-itch medication on the skin around the bite, but make sure to never cover it up.

I've gone to two different doctors.

Doctor Apotamus (random name): Don't use oil based disinfectants on it, then it can't weep.
Me: I haven't been.
DA: And don't scratch it!
Me: ...I haven't been.
DA: So yeah, just don't do those things and it should heal up fine.
Me: It's been two months and I haven't done either of those things. It hasn't healed.
DA: *scribble scribble scribble* Have band-aid bye.
Me: .....


Doctor LaDos (also random name): So no bullseye.
Me: Right. Just itches sometimes, oozes sometimes, and the knee gets a bit sore.
DL: Any swelling?
Me: Nope.
DL: Okay I'm going to pull the scab head off and swab it and then take blood for tests.
Me: *Hoping this means something* Okay.
~Dododo. No lime disease, I can stop taking those super-powered antibiotics that made me vomit - yeah! Also no infections... yeah?~

And still no one knows why the tick bite has yet to heal! I was told it should only take a week or two at max, but it's been four months, and nothing doing from anyone really. I'm not really angry at the doctors (Well, at least not doctor lados) but it's just frustrating that I have this gigantic hole on the side of my leg (ok, not gigantic, but really noticeable.)

At least I don't have lime disease.

[telecom_goddess]

Hmmmm that is odd. I love how the doctors have been so helpful too

[Kittish]

I think at this point I'd start looking for other, non-tick related reasons why this wound isn'g healing. Have you had other minor wounds since then that have healed properly?

[AmbrosiaWriter]

I think at this point I'd start looking for other, non-tick related reasons why this wound isn'g healing. Have you had other minor wounds since then that have healed properly?

Yeah. I have a puppy pittie that likes to rough house, so I occasionally get claw wounds that bleed on my arms and legs. All those have healed fine. I've also had a really deep one from the puppy accidentally standing on my toe that was pretty bad, but that one healed just fine and way faster than the tick bite.

It's just very confusing all around.

[crazyofficeclerk]

This may sound stupid, but are you scratching it while you sleep? I have a horrible skin allergy to mosquitoes and when I get bit I swell up. I'm really careful to not scratch while I am awake, but when I get up in the morning I have scratched myself raw.

[Bright_Star]

You need to be checked for MRSA. A wound that doesn't heal or takes longer than it should to heal is cause for concern. & I'd go to a doctor who specializes in cases such as yours. You don't need some half assed doctor who just wants you out of there.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

This may sound stupid, but are you scratching it while you sleep? I have a horrible skin allergy to mosquitoes and when I get bit I swell up. I'm really careful to not scratch while I am awake, but when I get up in the morning I have scratched myself raw.

I make sure to cover it with a bandage at night just to be sure I don't, and I haven't noticed that the scab has been gone in the morning (hinting that I scratched it off.)

You need to be checked for MRSA. A wound that doesn't heal or takes longer than it should to heal is cause for concern. & I'd go to a doctor who specializes in cases such as yours. You don't need some half assed doctor who just wants you out of there.

Wouldn't that be one of the things that the doctor ordered when she took a sample from the open sore? Actually, probably not, she was probably so focused on just general infection and lime disease.

I do have a standard physical appointment already made that's coming up really soon, so I'll bring it up then and ask about it. I was going to anyway, along with some other questions, I'll just have to make sure to push the issue some more.

[BlaqueKatt]

And still no one knows why the tick bite has yet to heal!

try and see a dermatologist, the wound can be excised*, also only a dermatologist would know about tick bite granulomas.....just sayin'


*cut around the non-healing wound, removing the non-healing tissue.

[lilnizzie]

i know it's also a long shot, but are you a diabetic? Sometimes wounds don't always heal the best on a diabetic, even if other wounds have healed.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

i know it's also a long shot, but are you a diabetic? Sometimes wounds don't always heal the best on a diabetic, even if other wounds have healed.

I am not diabetic, though the last time I was tested I was anemic. I wonder if that might have an impact on it.

[Not Lillith]

I'm thinking that not all of the tick was removed. BlaqueKatt has some pretty sound advice. Get thee to a dermatologist.

Now that Lyme disease has been ruled out, you may want your doctor to check for other tick related diseases.

Here's the link to the CDC http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/

[Kristev]

No doubt it would.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

I've got a picture of what the tick bite looks like now, but I'm not sure I should share it. Might be too gross. I've set up an appointment with the dermatologist already.

Doctor LaDos did examine the bite thoroughly and dug around a bit, so we know there is nothing of the remains of the tick still lodged in me.

[Der Cute]

I hope you're not too ticked off about this infection thing.

[Teefies2]

I'm voting for the MRSA diagnosis as well. If you're not diabetic and you're *sure* there is no more of the tick in there, then it might be that the tick passed MRSA on to you. My DH has it, with no idea where he got it from, but it can flare up from something as simple as a scratch. MRSA sucks the big one, but it is treatable, not curable (as of now, but you never know what further research will discover!).