Went metal detecting with my son Easter morning. In the afternoon went to take a shower and saw a black thing on my stomache. Thought it was fuzz from my sweatshirt. Went to wipe it off and and didn't come off. Realized it was a tick. Threw my clothes back on ran into the living room and asked what the heck do I do. Tried a lit cig near it didn't work. Tried applying vaseline nope. So my son took a couple credit cards and after probably 10 tries got the little sucker out. Will admit felt somewhat queazy as it was halfway in and didn't want to come out.

Did a google search and lots of conflicting ideas on how to remove a tick. Some said not to use vaseline or a match or cig or alchohol as this get the tick nervous and it regurgitates its stomach contents into the person or animal. Too late  

Anyways looks ok today a little red.

There are several types of tick removal tools on the market that make the job easier.  Some look like a spoon with a notch in it, others look like a mini pry bar, but they all use a narrow notch to slide along the ticks body, then SLOWLY lift them out.

lissa Kaplan's
Lyme Disease
Part of the Anapsid.org Chronic Neuroimmune Diseases Information Resources for CFS, FM, MCS, Lyme Disease, Thyroid, and more...
Last updated December 18, 2009

How To Remove Ticks

Melissa Kaplan

Ticks, including tick larvae and nymphs (the two life stages that precede the metamorphosis into the adult tick form) favor a moist, shaded environment, especially areas with leaf litter and low-lying vegetation in wooded, brushy or overgrown grassy habitat. You do not need to be an avid outdoorsperson to come into contact with infected ticks. Since many mammals other than deer and dogs are hosts to the Ixodes ticks that carry Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella and Ehrlichia, infected ticks may be brought into suburban and urban settings by wildlife moving through the areas during the day and night. Your dog or cat can bring them into the house, or you may get them sitting out in your yard. Other types of animals are hosts to ticks carrying these organisms, including other mammals and other mammals. Other arthropods, such as mosquitoes, may turn out to successfully carry tickborne organisms.

In fact, one of the biggest sources of ticks isn't wild animals, but your pet dogs and cats. The other major source of ticks is just being outdoors in areas where ticks are likely to be. Borrelia, and possibly other parasitic organisms living in the ticks, drives the ticks to climb up weeds and grasses and remain there during the day, waiting for a warm-blooded host to walk by close enough to grab onto their clothing or skin. When you are walking on hillside paths, the ticks will be congregated on plants on the uphill side of the path. So, the very ground on which you walk, the grasses you brush by or picnic on, and the fallen log you rest on are the most likely places humans will come into contact with Ixodes pacificus in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Thus, one must become familiar with all the signs of these tickborne diseases in order to seek appropriate testing and proactive, preventive treatment. Since only 50 percent or less of people finding ticks actually get the bull's-eye rash (erythema migrans)--or any rash--from a tick bite, one cannot rely on the presence or absence of such a rash to determine likelihood of infection.
Remove the tick properly. Using sharp pointed tweezers, or specially made tick tweezers, grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible, as close to its embedded mouthparts as you can. If you squeeze the body or head, you risk compressing the guts and salivary glands and expelling even more organisms through their mouth into your body.      
Photo of one type of tick tweezers

Do not twist the tick or turn the tweezers as you pull out the tick. Pull out straight with a slow, steady motion. Twisting may force more organisms into your body, and may result in the head or more of the mouthparts being left in your body.

Do not apply any substances to the tick before removing it - no alcohol or nail polish, no petroleum jelly or other ointments, and do not try to burn it out or otherwise convince to let go of you. It won't let go. It will just happily keep on sucking your blood and pumping pathogens into you.


Save the tick or any nymphs or larvae that you find on you. Store them in a clean glass jar or film container, tightly lidded and labeled with the date you pulled the tick off you and the location you were when you acquired the tick.

Ideally, you should have the tick tested right away to see what it contains. Ixodes pacificus is currently the only western tick associated with Babesia, Bartonella, Borrelia and Ehrlichia, but other ticks, such as the Dermacentor variabilis (American Dog tick) can carry pathogenic organisms causing diseases in humans and domestic pets (in this case, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia); Dermacentor andersonii is also a vector for RMSF.

A good rule of thumb: have all ticks tested regardless of species. There is a fee associated with tick testing.

Thanks for all the info and the pics of Tick removers, think I will invest in one.
The one pulled out of me looked exaclty like the on in the third picture down.
i called my dr.s office just to let them know to put it in my chart incase something does develop, Nurse said as long as I got it out so quickly very small chance of Lyme etc.  But by using the cigarette and vaseline just know I terrified it and it "emptied it contents"

Was telling my brother about it, he lives in Guilderland and did have lyme disease. They have occasional deer and other animals show up in their yard, and they used to have to remove ticks from their dog every so often. My brother must of picked one up mowing the lawn and didn't see it right away. he too found his one day in the shower near his ankle and had allready developed a nasty rash, he was put on heavy duty antiobiotics for weeks and is doing great : )

I picked mine up in the brushy wooded area behind Woodlawn school behind the broken wooden fence area. Stayed on the trail but guess it didn't matter.

I had on long tight pants, a sweatshirt and coat. Guess somehow it crawled up my leg.

rpforpres

Be on the lookout for a rash, especially a 'bulls eye' rash in the area of the bite.  If you develop a rash see your Dr.

We use a tweezers dipped in alcohol. Make sure you pull it 'straight out'.

I'll keep an eye out for the rash or other symptoms, some would be like my MS stuff so it might be hard to tell

I think my son was pulling it straight out, don't know if he twisted it, just remember saying get the darn thing out : )

the only ticks seen lately are the lunatics like MC

I would keep a close watch of the area and also check the rest of your body for more.  Just in case.  

I have a friend who also had a tick Easter Sunday. She used tweezers to get it out and saved the tick. In an envelop. By Tuesday morn she had a bulls eye around the bite she went to the doc. Have knot heard anymore. She also has lupus.  Hope you are ok.  

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

the only ticks seen lately are the lunatics like MC

Wow, instead of contributing something productive to the conversation, you come out blasting another.

Glad to see you're keeping to your Christian values and making your 130+ year history in Rotterdam something to be proud of.

Happy Easter Ron - nice job.

Quoted from 147

Wow, instead of contributing something productive to the conversation, you come out blasting another.

Glad to see you're keeping to your Christian values and making your 130+ year history in Rotterdam something to be proud of.

Happy Easter Ron - nice job.

I see you are still pretending to be a Knight of Columbus ..

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I see you are still pretending to be a Knight of Columbus ..

A fact that has been proven, in person, to the administrator of this forum.

Quoted from 147

A fact that has been proven, in person, to the administrator of this forum.

I have known many wonderful members of that fine organization -- so I guess you are the "one bad apple"

Gemini-I checked the rest of my bod as much as possible and dont see anymore, the only place I can't see is where I was sitting on the grass : )
Alleycat-glad your friend treated right away!

Quoted Text

the only ticks seen lately are the lunatics like MC

DVOR - why can't you be serious as I was asking a serious question?  I am still somewhat worried as my brother had Lyme, he didnt know he had the tick until he developed the rash , he went to the dr and tested postitive and they started the antiobiotics but he was allready feeling pretty ill and he never complains when he is sick. He had a severe headache and joint pain etc. Thankfully the antiobiotics worked and he is doing fine.