Contributors to this thread:
It's that time of year when ticks are out in full force. I was in S Dakota turkey hunting a couple weeks ago and have never seen so many ticks. I pulled a couple off me that took off skin. None of them left their heads intact or caused bleeding when I removed them.
My question is: Is it possible to get tick fever if I pulled a couple ticks off that removed a little skin when I pulled them off? The reason I ask is because I've been super tired and achey muscles since I returned....with 0 energy. I'm trying to figure out if I may have gotten tick fever or if I'm just getting old and it's taking longer to recover! I don't have a rash, ring around a bite mark, or anything else. Curious what you guys think?
Not to be rude, but instead of asking bowsite, I would recommend going to the doctor ASAP. With those symptoms, the quicker you get treatment the better.
Jim-go to the DR ASAP. I've had multiple friends contract everything from Lyme's to Rocky Mountain Fever, and even had a good friend get Ehrlichiosis last year in MN. Early treatment is key to getting this handled.
Get to the Dr. I had 4 ticks embedded and had to have them removed at the doctors office. I got them while shed hunting. After removal, they took blood and gave me an antibiotic, and had a follow up blood test a month later. Better to be safe than sorry.
Rare to contract anything from ticks if they were not attached very long. Normally more than several hrs. By all means get checked out but again most likely something besides tick induced illness. SHAWN
go to the doctor. Dad had those symptoms and it was 3 months before he was tested for any type of tick induced disease. in those 3 months he lost about 50# and went from a fine Christen speaking man to a cussing sailor. and he didn't remember any of it after he recovered. go to the doctor.
Usually a tick needs to be on you for 24hrs to get sick. Not always a bullseye rash. Look up ALDS website ( American Lyme Disease Society) as most doctors don't have a clue to test or treat.
"Many infections from ticks don't result in a bullseye rash"
Conversely, I had a "bullseye ring" many years ago after removing a tick, and never got any symptoms. I know a few people with full-blown Lyme Disease, and it's no picnic. I agree, see an MD.
Just about every Doctor will give you a round of anti biotics if you just report a tick bite nowadays. They are pretty proactive these days.
I got Lyme's disease in 2002. I did have the bullseye rash. I caught it early but, It has changed my life for the worse. So, if you have contracted something from a tick, your best chance to come out well is to catch it quickly. Get your butt to the Doctor. End of discussion brother.
Did you shoot a turkey?
Maybe its withdrawal symptoms
I shot several toms and definitely going through withdrawals! I hate going to the doctor but it would be a smart thing to do!
Also, lymes screen panels are only about 50% accurate, so insist on getting some doxycycline or other antibiotic.
I hope ya made it to the Dr. Jim
Better Safe than sorry for sure
Keep us posted
Good luck, Robb
Education is not treatment......go to the Doctor
They said I had all the symptoms of Rocky Mtn Fever so it's good I went in. They didn't say there was any way to verify that's what I had but gave me medication. Hopefully I feel better soon! For those out in the hills....use precaution with ticks!
Thanks for closing the loop on this thread.
I had Rocky Mt Spotted fever and ended up in the hospital years ago. My guess is your immune system is kicking in but you are definitely symptomatic. I would call your doctor and get on some doxycycline. Infected ticks are rare and need to be stuck on you 48-72 hours to even transmit
I'm not entirely sure if the doctor I visited had any experience with tick fevers. I spoke to my daughter (that's a nurse) after going to the doctor and she said they can do blood tests for Rocky Mtn fever. My daughter also mentioned that lymes disease has more neuro symptoms....and that's closer to what I have. Luckily the doxyclyine prescription she gave me works on both. Hopefully I don't have lymes because I think it is tougher to get rid of!
I probably had 50 ticks on me in around 2 1/2 days of hunting. 2 of them inbedded into my skin but I don't think they were attached for long. The nurse told me it wouldn't take long for them to inject the bad stuff? Some guys above mentioned that the tick would have to be in place for an extended period of time so I'm not exactly sure what is true?
Yes, pretty much all of the tick diseases luckily respond to doxycycline. Lucky for you the price of that has come down. As I vet I use it all the time and for awhile it got extremely expensive. A bottle that was costing me $30 went up to $1200! But it is down to a reasonable price again. Good stuff for some of the bad bugs. Don't stop taking it until you finish the full course even if you feel better.
I am not sure why we don't all get tick related diseases from time to time. Went to a seminar one time where they reported that they had done studies of ticks in various areas of the US and in some areas 80% of the ticks harbored some kind of transmisable disease! Good luck!
I got Rocky Mt. spotted fever about 8 yrs ago. But I had never heard of getting anything from a tick. So I just thought I was coming down with something that would get better in a a week or so. I waited till it was so bad that I had to have help walking into the Dr office. Probably took around 4-5months until I got back to feeling normal. Don't remember what meds I got, but I do remember the Dr saying that it would make me awful sensitive to the sun. So that might be something to ask about. Hope you get to feeling better.
Dang, Jim! Glad you got in and got started on some meds!
Probably pulled a million ticks off myself over the years and luckily never got sick from the (that I know about). As I’ve gotten older I realize how bad some of those diseases can be!
Genisis's link above is a good one for the different ticks and tick diseases. It has distribution maps and info of each. I think the doctor was mostly going off location for figuring out which disease I may have. Lymes disease is generally found from the Midwest eastward and along the west coast but there are lots of other tick diseases elsewhere.
I'm glad several of you guys talked me into going to the doc because I really hate going to doctors! Like everything else it's likely good to be safe than sorry. The doctor warned me about the sun and doxyclyine . I work in the sun just about every day so that ought to be a challenge.
For those of you that are hiking the hills this spring and early summer be super observant of ticks! Tick fever isn't fun or anything to screw around with!
I hope you are noticing an improvement Jim
Keep the Faith man
Good luck, Robb
Myth:Ticks need to be embedded for 24 hours or more to transmit Lymes.Cases have been verified after only 6 hours. Other diseases sooner.
Long sleeves, broad brimmed hat, and sunscreen! I forgot once while on Doxy and ended up with a good burn.
Interesting read: Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) would like to remind Texas veterinarians to be vigilant and proactive as they observe and collect ticks on small and large animals.
The Haemaphysalis longicornis (longhorned tick), an exotic East Asian tick, has been confirmed in four states (Arkansas, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia). The tick is known to carry a wide variety of pathogens and has many hosts.
The tick has not been found in Texas, but it is of the upmost importance that veterinarians are aware and continue to collect and submit tick samples to the Texas State-Federal Laboratory for identification. For information about submitting tick to the Texas State-Federal Laboratory, visit the Fever Tick and Fly Larvae Submission Guide.
The current host list from this introduction includes: dog, cow, goat, sheep, white-tailed deer, opossum, raccoon and horse. No longhorned ticks have been recorded feeding on people in the United States.
H. longicornis background: Haemaphysalis longicornis, an exotic East Asian tick, has never previously established a population in the U.S. In late 2017, this exotic tick was initially identified in New Jersey and believed to be present as far back as 5 years ago. There are no known direct links between New Jersey and recent cases in other states. It is an aggressive biter and frequently builds intense infestations on domestic hosts causing great stress, reduced growth and production, and exsanguination. As the tick can reproduce parthenogenetically (without a male), a single fed female tick can create a population. It is also a known/suspected vector of several viral, bacterial and protozoan agents of livestock and human diseases. Being a three host tick, this tick has the ability to spread pathogens among a diverse host range, on which it feeds side-by-side with other tick species. The establishment of this tick species is unprecedented in recent United States history in regards to its geographic scope and might only be compared back to the spread of cattle fever ticks in the late 1800s.
