[MR] Small bloodsuckers

[Gina Shelley]

Easter weekend both my Dad and my sister got one each. I swear they are getting more plentiful. 

I had to use tweezers to get the one off my sister because it was too small to grab firmly. I don't like using tweezers because you run the risk of squeezing the tick hard enough to force it to regurgitate into the wound, so be careful of that. I personally prefer to use my fingers if I can. 

I will re-iterate that chickening around with matchheads and vaseline is not the way to go. That is just asking for a nice dose of tick juice. Plus, I don't believe that it works anyways. Man up, grab the tick, and give it a nice, firm pull. It helps to hold the skin down so you don't stretch it out when you are pulling, if it's in a soft spot. 

If you get a tick, it's pretty likely to be in a "soft" spot. I'm just sayin.'

You just want to avoid snapping off the head, so no twisting or jerking. If you pull out a chunk of meat with it, so much the better. 

And from personal experience, you can get sick from a tick bite without contracting anything dreadful like Lyme. You probably won't get Lyme.  You probably won't get sick. What you probably will get is an itchy spot you should treat with Neosporin several times a day. Be aware that you might develop muscle aches, fatigue, fever, etc, in the next week or two. If you do, go get checked out, you might have some nasty tick-borne illness and need a round of antibiotics. Happened to me twice. 

However, I have been bitten by so many ticks I've lost count. Two while I was pregnant. Most times, it's just annoying more than anything else. Check your body over if you go outside, especially your head if you don't wear a hat (ya'll notice I always wear a hat.) No call to freak out if one gets on you. Just be aware of it. 

Dulcy
 		 	   		  
_________________________________________________________________
The New Busy think 9 to 5 is a cute idea. Combine multiple calendars with Hotmail. 
http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multicalendar&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_5