Critical Steps Following a Tick Bite
After the “ick” moment of finding and removing a tick, the panic is soon replaced by worrying and waiting. Oftentimes people look for a bullseye rash to develop before taking action.
Waiting for a single symptom, that doesn’t always appear, can cause people to miss the critical treatment window following a tick bite.
Here is why early detection and treatment of Lyme disease matters:
- Lyme disease is hard to detect and diagnose. There are over 300 symptoms associated with Lyme disease. Many people never get the classic bullseye rash. Other symptoms include joint swelling, certain psychiatric symptoms, fevers, muscle aches, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.
- The CDC recommends treatment within the first 72 hours of removing an infected tick. Because mail-in tick tests and Lyme disease blood tests are inaccurate or delay results, important information is not available during the time when treatment is most effective.
- Delayed medical treatment can lead to chronic Lyme disease symptoms which become more difficult to manage and treat.
New rapid results tools such as LymeAlert’s home tick test empowers people to test a tick at home (or even while on the trail or in the outdoors).
Testing the tick for the presence of the pathogen that causes Lyme disease gives you helpful information to share with your healthcare provider following a tick bite.
So remember, after a tick bite:
- Remove the tick safely
- Test the tick, don’t toss it
- Contact your healthcare provider