Deer Tick Bite in Pregnancy

some people i talked to last week(my 4 yr.old had a tick on the back of her ear)said that its a little early for deer ticks....not saying that it definately isnt, but i do pet grooming and so far all i've seen are dog ticks(i think thats what they are called anyway). I have also been on atibiotics when i was pregnant.

Hi K.,
I dont have tick or lyme disease experiance but when I was 12 wks pregnant I had a UTI and had to have a round of anti-biotics. I had a normal pregnancy and my son is 1yr old and is healthy and wreaking havic on my life as any 1yr old should. Good luck I hope everything workd out for the best:)
K.

Save the tick, it can be tested. No need to panic, though. But be aware if you have any symptoms such as fever, joint pain, or skin symptoms over the next few weeks and let your doctor know. (Not everyone gets the standard "bull's eye" rash with Lyme disease) There's no need to take antibiotics unless you have signs of infection. Even on the possibility that the tick carries a disease, it would have needed to be attached for close to 24 hrs before having the possibility of transmitting it to you.

As an aside, I was trying to find info a while back about Lyme infection during pregnancy, and there are very few documented cases of any complications related to it- that's when someone didn't even get treatment for it. And if you do need antibiotics, your doctor will be able to guide you there, but there does not seem to be any complications with pregnancy in that case, either. Just take some sort of a probiotic or plenty of yogurt rich in probiotic cultures to re-establish your intestines.

My son also had a tick on him this weekend...our pediatrician sent us to the ER. I think that was a bit hasty. The doc said that they actually don't test the ticks (not conclusive enough). And they did not even put him on antibiotics (even thought the head is still stuck.) And generally you can have antibiotics during pregnancy. I am sure that your doc can help you a lot more...good luck!

Goodmorning K.
Why not talk you doctor and see what he has to say about that he might had to keep a closer look on your pregancy to be sure the baby will be all right, I wouldn't take a chance,to hav eand handicap child I have one and she's 48 and it's a concern every day and it's hard for the other member of the family,
GOOD LUCCK AND MAY GOD BLESS

Did you save the tick? Deer ticks are small and red. Wood ticks are larger and are brown with some black. I would definately call your doctor to alleviate any fears.
Good Luck,
M.

Don't panic yet! Do you know how long the tick was attached? If the tick was infected it would have to have been attached for an entire day before the spirochetes that spread the infection would have made it to the mouth of the tick.

About 30% of positive infections come back with negative test results. Not everyone that gets lyme will have the bullseye, but everyone with the bullseye can get lyme. Take extra care of yourself in the meantime (drinking plenty of water and vitamin rich foods). A healthy immune system can fight an infection off if exposed.

You can take antibiotics during pregnancy. I tested positive for Strep B during my pregnancy and had to take antibiotics. Now they made me sick to my tummy, but so did everything else I ate...Also you can have lyme disease for a long time and never even know it. That happened to my brother. He never showed any symptoms and then just took a random test and found out he had it. It happens that way with dogs, too.

I had the exact same experience, so I know how you feel! If you keep the tick they can test it. As long as you found the tick before 24 hours, chances of you getting Lyme disease even if the tick was infected are very small. As long as you don't have/get the bullseye mark you are probably fine. They didn't even test my tick (actually that annoyed me, but they said it had been in there such a short time that I probably wouldn't have Lyme's disease even if the tick was infected). There are antibiotics that can be taken safely during pregnancy.

HI,

I also found a tick in my thigh during a pregnancy. Luckily. it had not gotten in deep and we were not in an area where Lyme diasese was prevelant at the time. I did, however, save the tick in a tupperware container to ask my doctor when I saw her. Although I thankfully had nothing, I learned that if there is a red circle around the bite area, there is cause for concern.

Also, if you are really worried, you could probably call the local emergency room to double check, though I see I'm writing a few days after your post. Hope everything's been all cleared up.

If there is no circle around the bite and it is not swelling, you are fine. Do not panic. You are probably fine.

A safe solution for dealing with ticks is using Melaleuca oil (tea tree oil)on the bite. It's a natural antiseptic & healer so it has wonderful benefits without being harmful. I've used it on my daughter after she had a tick on her for many hours without us realizing it. I was terrified when I realized, but used the oil after having a friend tell me about it. She had no side affects, no mark, no problems! I'm sure you would find the same results! You can read more on saferforyourhome.com to see other safe alternatives. I've been thrilled with everything! Hope this helps!

Yes, the tick can be tested, and yes, you can take antibiotics. If you can see it, it may not be a deer tick. Regular dog ticks are pretty small especially early in the spring. Not all deer ticks carry Lyme disease - try to stay calm but definitely take action. I would call the doctor prior to your appointment - just get in touch by phone and get advice. Good luck!

Hi. It is early in the season for the ticks to have been "infected" yet, but definitely, speak with your doctor as soon as possible. Was the tick engorged? It takes a while (I think about 24 hours) for the tick to have been attached for you to be at risk (and it has to be thr right type of tick). If you were not pregnant, they would probably have you just wait and see.... Try not to worry because I am sure that you will do the right thing by speaking with the doctor and taking the antibiotics if you need to.

I got lyme disease while early pregnant. Don't worry. All you need to do is get pregnant friendly antibiotics. They exist and it is no big deal. I wouldn't wait for signs of lyme disease though which is a 5" diameter red welt at the site of the spot. Also hot flashes, random pains around your body that come and go, tiredness, forgetfullness, a "hung over" hazy feeling, and even quarter sized red circles randomly over your body. If you take the antibiotics before you get tested for lyme disease the lyme test will come up negative. But I would call the doctor on call if you can to get them right away. I didn't know I got bit so I went into the full early stages of lyme disease then took the anitibiotics a week after gettting bit. I saw two specialists for disease control out of UMASS Worcester and they couldn't find any evidence of lyme disease effecting a fetus. Most likely you don't have lyme disease anyway. Good luck.

Hi,

I am the mom of a 6 and 7 year old and we have found ticks on the kids lots and lots of times this is what I have learned after many conversations with the pediatrician. The tick (generally) needs to be on the child or adult 48 hours to transmit lyme. Wash effected area well and use triple antibiotic cream. Save the tick and the lab at your md can test it, it takes several days to find out whether the tick tests positive for Lyme, then your doctor can proceed with treating you or your children with oral antibiotics. We have found the ticks quickly and even though one tick (on my son a year ago) did test positive, they did not choose to treat him with the antibiotics. I found the tick quickly. His Titer test for Lyme has been negative three times now and he is perfectly fine. I do believe you can take antibiotics while pregnant. I think if you caught the tick quickly (less than 48 hours) you will be perfectly fine! good luck

K.,
As I'm sure you know, lyme disease is very serious and it can cause a lot of other problems if not treated early. Probably antibiotics, yes, but sometimes that doesn't take care of it completely, and I have some friends who have done other protocols (herbs, etc) when they didn't want to be on long-term antibiotics or wanted more complete healing. There is a lyme support group in Danvers, nearest "lyme-literate" MD, as they are called (an expert in it) is in CT, from what I've heard. Email me off group if you want more info!
M.