Posted on May 3, 2017 in Blog |

A few weeks ago, Jeff and I were at our cabin in southwestern Virginia. We were lying in bed. Jeff scratched his head, and he realized that he had pulled out an engorged tick. Luckily, we knew what to do. Our physician prescribed 30 days’ worth of Doxycycline and Clarithromycin. We are hoping this combination will kill any infection deposited into Jeff’s bloodstream. I read on a Facebook group page yesterday that a child had been given a single dose of Doxycycline by the pediatrician (as a prophylactic) because the tick had only been embedded in her for 24 hours. Please, please, please . . . understand that from the moment the tick embeds itself into your skin, you are at risk of becoming infected with Lyme disease or other infections related to Lyme disease. There is no minimum amount of time required before the infection passes from the tick to the person. If you find a tick embedded in your skin, go to the doctor IMMEDIATELY and demand 30 days of antibiotic treatment. It is your right. A few notes here for you to remember: 1.Ticks do not come out only in the spring and summer. Numerous tick drags have been performed throughout the United States while snow was on the ground and thousands of ticks were collected during those drags. Do not assume that cold weather forces ticks into the ground. Always protect yourself. 2.If you find a tick, remove it correctly. Here is a link to correct tick removal. I also sell tick removers at our office. The link for the description is here. If you wish to purchase one, please email me and I will send you a Paypal invoice and ship it to you or you can drop by our office and purchase one instantly. Cost is $10 plus shipping. We keep one in the glove compartments of our cars and in our first aid kit. 3.If you wish to have the tick analyzed, put it in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer. Links to various tick testing sites are here. If you are trying to identify the type of tick...

Read More