So I got a Tick

[ZRH]

I got a tick today. Noticed it while taking a shower after coming in from outside. No idea how it got on me, I was wearing a lot of bug spray. Of course I remember to take pics though.

We first tried drowning it. No go or it was taking way too long. Then with the tweezers which HURT LIKE A BITCH. It got torn though, oh shits. So you got to get the head out. Well luckily we have some nice cutlery (SOG Seal Pup) freshly sharpened. After applying a local anaesthetic (better known as ice), and a general one (hard cider). I proceeded to cut the little bastard out. Observation, skin is way tougher than it looks, really have to get a sawing motion to start, thankfully the knife is serrated a bit. We marked with sharpie and cut a 1/2"x1/2" flap of skin out, about 1/4" deep.

It REALLY FUCKING HURTS NOW and I'm bleeding profusely. Oh and the location of the tick, upper thigh, about 3" right of what makes me a man.

Before pic:

 

[JAXvillain]

did you heat the tweezers? I've never had a problem getting them off me or a dog of mine that way

 

[sarelement]

That sucks, but that picture is so cool. I've always wondered what a tick looked like buried in somebody's skin.

 

[ZRH]

That sucks, but that picture is so cool. I've always wondered what a tick looked like buried in somebody's skin.

The picture is awesome. Or I wouldnt even have made a thread. They hurt way more than I thought, never had one before.

 

[JAXvillain]

The picture is awesome. Or I wouldnt even have made a thread. They hurt way more than I thought, never had one before.

next time heat the tweezers with a lighter...the heat makes them let go and they come right out

 

[Galen]

You cut it out with a serrated knife? Jesus

Should have used a heated boxcutter or tweezers, heating the dull side. It would have also been advisable to have stemmed the blood for a while (using a makeshift tourniquet) if you're bleeding badly. Put a wad of cotton on it and tape it down.

 

[ZRH]

next time heat the tweezers with a lighter...the heat makes them let go and they come right out

Bleh. Usually drowning work for my dogs. The little fucker ket going deeper each time someone got ahold of it and of course they ripped it in half

After pic, same scale, stopped bleedin' it's mostly filled with antibiotics but eh:

Spoiler

 

[ZRH]

You cut it out with a serrated knife? Jesus

Should have used a heated boxcutter or tweezers, heating the dull side. It would have also been advisable to have stemmed the blood for a while (using a makeshift tourniquet) if you're bleeding badly. Put a wad of cotton on it and tape it down.

Putting a tourniquet on that part of my leg would be... Well, ice and blotting was working way better. I only used the serrated bit to get it started We had an exacto knife but skin is way tough, kept getting stuck.

 

[Galen]

Putting a tourniquet on that part of my leg would be... Well, ice and blotting was working way better. I only used the serrated bit to get it started We had an exacto knife but skin is way tough, kept getting stuck.

I'll get you some sterile scalpels then, incase this ever happens again. I use them for parcels and packages

Touriquet would have caused vasodilation, muscle relaxation etc, should make it easier to cut. Skin isn't that tough, and anything that requires sawing can't be good

 

[ZRH]

I'll get you some sterile scalpels then, incase this ever happens again. I use them for parcels and packages

Touriquet would have caused vasodilation, muscle relaxation etc, should make it easier to cut. Skin isn't that tough, and anything that requires sawing can't be good

Awesome. I have no medical insurance so any kind of stuff you normally go to a so called professional for gets done by me. At home, with the kitchen utensils.

I did not know about the muscle relaxation from tourniquets. Thought they were mostly for major bleeding, i.e. arterial tears etc. Everything else gets packed.

Leeches are way easier to get off, for the record, and they dont hurt.

 

[Sarcasmo]

Damn you have a hairy ass.

 

[ZRH]

Damn you have a hairy ass.

Not my ass. Do you want a diagram?

 

[Galen]

Awesome. I have no medical insurance so any kind of stuff you normally go to a so called professional for gets done by me. At home, with the kitchen utensils.

I did not know about the muscle relaxation from tourniquets. Thought they were mostly for major bleeding, i.e. arterial tears etc. Everything else gets packed.

Leeches are way easier to get off, for the record, and they dont hurt.

That reminds me, I have to get medical insurance.

Great that you're being proactive about the home surgery, just make sure you get that prostate checked frequent, can never be too sure these days. I don't want to know if you can do that at home with a kitchen utensil...

Touriquets encourage vasodilation (widening of blood vessels), which is why they're used for injections (easier to hit the vein) For the veins to widen, the muscles relax, decreasing the pressure exerts on the vessels, this allows them to widen, blood pressure to decrease etc.

A hot shower will also encourage vasodilation, so it probably would have been best to try it after that

I've never seen a leech, though I'd like to. I somehow don't see my girlfriend allowing me to collect various bugs, even though it's been a lifelong dream.

 

[Exodus]

Not my ass. Do you want a diagram?

I sure would

No, just kidding. Jesus though that is disgusting. Enough so to make me actually post .

*shudder* You wouldn't happen to know how to avoid such things would you?

 

[ERage]

Geez, all this fuss for a tick??? I pull one of those off at least once a year. More if I am camping or hiking. Heated tweasers and a nimble hand works, a glob of petolium jelly will cut off it's air and make it let go in about 5 minutes or so, clear nail enamel works the same as vaseline but you have to cover their whole body, hell even burning it off with a cigarette would seem to be less painful and bloody as this method.

 

[ERage]

I sure would

No, just kidding. Jesus though that is disgusting. Enough so to make me actually post .

*shudder* You wouldn't happen to know how to avoid such things would you?

If you tuck your pant legs into your socks that pretty much prevents the problem. Occasionally you'll get one on your head or neck if you are brushing past trees a lot. Cant do much about that except check for them and pull them off as soon as you find them. They are harder to remove after they've been there a while.

 

[Exodus]

I must be very lucky then. I'm out hiking/camping every summer if I can be and I spend a lot of my time outside. I've never gotten one before. Likely just because I said that I will now get one iwthin the week. Heh.

But aye, I will take the advice to mind.

 

[ZRH]

I sure would

No, just kidding. Jesus though that is disgusting. Enough so to make me actually post .

*shudder* You wouldn't happen to know how to avoid such things would you?

I am shocked, shocked and appalled that you actually posted.

Bug spray normally works for me. Today is the first time I've been in the woods with shorts on all year though. Normally pants in boots.

 

[ZRH]

Geez, all this fuss for a tick??? I pull one of those off at least once a year. More if I am camping or hiking. Heated tweasers and a nimble hand works, a glob of petolium jelly will cut off it's air and make it let go in about 5 minutes or so, clear nail enamel works the same as vaseline but you have to cover their whole body, hell even burning it off with a cigarette would seem to be less painful and bloody as this method.

I've never gotten one before! Creepy crawlies in my skin man, SUCKING MY BLOOD MAN.

 

[eileenbunny]

Once I was walking through some tall grass with a friend and when we got back to his car, our pants legs were covered in ticks. We probably pulled 200 of the icky things off of our clothes. Fortunately, none of them got embedded in us.

I do get a tick about once a year and I'm really glad I've never had to cut one out of me. I'm not sure I'm that brave anyway. Thank god for a hubby with great medical insurance.