Ticks are tiny little bugs that can carry a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi and this can develop into a REALLY nasty illness called Lyme Disease. They can also potentially carry a cocktail of other infections that can trigger different symptoms – that’s why Lyme Disease can present in so many different ways.
My daughter suffered from Lyme when she was 8 years old and it was certainly the most challenging time in my life getting her back to her old vibrant self – that’s why I’m so passionate about protecting others from being bitten.
Ticks tend to lurk in long grass & woodlands where deer live, but they can be present almost anywhere green. The ones that latch onto you are absolutely tiny at the beginning – the size of a tiny freckle, so they are tricky to spot – the difference is that you can usually see a tiny red mark around it and when you get up close with a magnifying glass you can see it wriggle! My daughter’s tick was in her hair, so I only spotted it when I was brushing her hair. It’s not itchy, so you will not know it is there unless you look.
They tend not do any harm if they are removed safely with a specialist tick remover within 24 hours & if the red rash is smaller than a 2-pence piece. I keep a credit card shaped tick remover in my wallet at all times.
If the tick remains engorged for longer, then that’s when the havoc can begin – some people get a bulls eye rash around the tick quite quickly, but many don’t and can develop symptoms over time including fatigue, joint pains, lock jaw, brain fog, anxiety, poor temperature regulation & light sensitivity. If you don’t catch it quickly, Lyme can become very debilitating, and increasingly hard to recover from.
Tips to prevent getting bitten in the first place are to wear long trousers & t-shirts when out walking – ideally light-coloured clothes as the ticks are easier to spot. You can wear deet insect repellent too. Check yourself & your kids every evening from top to toe (behind the ears/in the hair/between the toes) & remove safely with a tick remover. If it’s been there longer, there’s a rash or you feel unwell see your GP immediately who will prescribe antibiotics. If antibiotics are needed this is usually quite a long course which lasts several weeks, so is a good idea to take probiotics during the course (timing-wise as far away from the antibiotics) and for at least 6 weeks afterwards and ideally 3 months after.
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I am terrified of my child getting this. Having nits in her hair her entire school life so far is bad enough.
Nits are awful and are a pain to get rid of, but ticks take things to another level – keep checking!
Would you recommend a specific tick remover? Thank you x
There are many good ones sold online – I like the Lifesystems one as it is credit card shaped and lives in my wallet
My daughter recently had a tick in her eye after taking herself off to sleep at school as she was poorly with a UTI. We ended up in A&E but they weren’t interested in the tick at all and only wanted to get her temp under control and diagnosed the UTI. It took me ages to convince them to look into her eye and it was only then that they said ‘oh yes, it’s got arms and legs’ and they still tried to send me home to book into the eye clinic another day!
My daughter had a tick a few weeks ago on her neck. She was less than 2 weeks old. It was no bigger than a freckle (that’s why I noticed it) and we managed to get it all out but I still worry about it. I’m fairly sure because of its size that it hadn’t been there long but how long would it take to notice symptoms or a rash? She is now 9 weeks.
Hi Laura – if it was the size of a freckle and you removed it within 24 hours then she should be OK. If a rash remains or if she develops any symptoms ranging from joint pain/stiffness, sensitivity to light, lethargy etc then please see a paediatrician as soon as you can.
Hi Lucinda,
My 7 year old daughter is currently on a 3 week course of antibiotics for Lyme Disease (she had a tick bite which was subsequently a bit sore and red so she had a blood test which came up positive).
I was planning on giving her probiotics after she had finished, but had assumed if I gave them to her during the course the antibiotics would just wipe them out. But if you recommend that it will be beneficial to her to be taking probiotics whilst still on the antibiotics I will do that,
There are so many probiotics out there, it is hard to know what is best – are there any you’d recommend?
And any other tips on maintaining her health after she has finished the antibiotics based on your personal experience of this?
Hi Corrie – gosh I am so sorry to hear this – Bio-Kult is a brilliant probiotic that is very hardy and can be taken alongside the antibiotics as well as afterwards. Ideally give at a different time of the day the the antibiotics for full effect. I would give daily for 3 months after completing the course of antibiotics. Good luck!
Do you treat chronic Lyme or can you recommend a practitioner who has experience with treating chronic Lyme?
Hi Liz – this is not one of our specialisms and we do not “treat” any specific conditions either – there are usually a couple of clinics in the UK that support adults with chronic lyme but these tend to change quite frequently so best not to leave the names here