Josephine, Are Ticks A Threat?

[Jamie]

Josephine, there is so much talk about the risk of infection following a TKR and I'm wondering if tick bites pose a threat. I just pulled a tick off my leg this morning and it made me think about all the diseases that you can get from ticks. I wondered if this is one of those cases where antibiotics would be needed to prevent any infection. I don't think the particular tick I had was a deer tick, but I am not sure what kind it was. I think I was able to get all of it out, including the head.

 

[Doug]

Jamie, if it makes you feel any better, I've pulled about 10 ticks off my legs in the past six weeks or so. They and the mosquitoes are really out this year.
Usually I'll swab the area with alcohol and just check it for a day or two. In our area, I'm more concerned about the various illnesses from mosquitoes. I've started using repellent more than ever.

 

[Newwoman]

Ticks are scary things, my granddaughter who is 4 years old was at my house the other day and said Memaw I can't get this off my finger. Well, you guessed it.....it was a tick. I said where did that come from Abby, and she said I picked it out of my ear. I about fainted but mother mode kicked in and I killed it and put it in a zip lock bag and showed it to her father and he said oh yeah we get those all the time living in the country. Now if that isn't a good reason to be a city girl I don't know what is!!!
Then just yesterday my 2 year old granddaughter was bite by we think a spider on her forehead and it started to swell and the swelling over a couple of days spread to her eye and cheek so my daughter took her to urgent care and they said it had turned into cellulitis and gave her an antibiotic shot in both hips and took bloodwork and pricked her finger, by the time she was done she had been through the mill. Hopefully that is behind us and she will have clear sailing from here out.
Cathy

 

[Jamie]

Wow, Cathy.....you've certainly had an interesting visit with your granddaughters!

Doug, thanks for letting me know you've been tick-bit a bunch of times and have suffered no ill effects except for the mental illness that we all know and love about you (LOL). I feel better now.

I wasn't really worried...more just curious. This morning I went online and the tick I had could be a deer tick based on the photos. So I'll watch for any redness or that "bullseye." I'm sure that would be the only danger....which is the case even for a person with their own knees.

Thanks so much guys....guess I was just excited because it was the middle of the night.

 

[Rowdy66]

Jamie, I know how scary it must have been to have been bitten by a tick. We have so much to think about with out new Knees. I was filling out a form for something the other day and one of the questions was do you have any joints replaced and were it not for my husband catching it I would have put no. Don't ask my why I just forgot. As for the tick, I live in Southern AZ and while we have no ticks, the lady who lives next door has a problem. Can't explain why we don't and she does but there you go. Ticks are a worry regardless of where you live as they are disease carriers but unless you live in an area where deer ticks pose a threat it is pretty rare to have a problem. What I am wondering is does having our knees make us subject to special problems that we would not have otherwise? Rowdy

 

[Josephine]

Interesting question.

Some things come to mind ...
- the tick bite is fairly superficial so in theory shouldn't pose a problem
- but the tick sucks blood (naturally) and one would presume it to be bug ridden and that I would have thought would move it into the minimal risk category
- then there is the risk of cellulitis which isn't too huge but would move it up a notch again.

I really don't know - I'm just spiff balling here.

If anyone would like to get the official line from their OS when they see them next, I'd be as interested as anyone else.



But jeeze, guys - is there any limit to the kinds of questions you all will ask on here?!

 

[Jamie]

We're just keeping your life interesting, Josephine!!! My OS has an online service where I can email questions to my doctor and receive an answer without having to make an appointment or try and get to his nurse. I wrote and will let you know what the answer is. We do live in an area where deer ticks are found and, you're right....the fact that they access your blood seems to me to create a question. Hopefully he will answer fairly soon. This is the first time I've used this service, so I don't know what the response time will be.

 

[Josephine]

Coolios! .........

 

[Doug]

Just to let you know Jo, the tick like mosquito does suck the blood but it does do an injection of an anticoagulant so it can "eat to fill" at the site of the bite.. Their biggest threat in my area is Lyme Disease. I had a friend who is an avid outdoors man who ended up with Lyme and it is very bad.
You really find out who your friends are when you find one on the privates and can't get it off yourself......just sayin'

 

[Weezy]

But jeeze, guys - is there any limit to the kinds of questions you all will ask on here?!

Ummmm....yes.....there IS at least one topic that I haven't been able to find in the archives....and gotta admit that I'm too timid to ask about!

Weezy

 

[Jamie]

Just to let you know Jo, the tick like mosquito does suck the blood but it does do an injection of an anticoagulant so it can "eat to fill" at the site of the bite..

My tick must have had a heyday since I'm on blood thinners too.....tick heaven. Glad I interrupted his feast.

 

[Doug]

Well then you can only hope the tick gets diarrhea, just sayin'

 

[Jamie]

LOL He isn't gettin nothin' now.....he's seriously dead. But I'll keep that thought that he went out with an extreme tickbellyache.

 

[Josephine]

Just to let you know Jo, the tick like mosquito does suck the blood but it does do an injection of an anticoagulant so it can "eat to fill" at the site of the bite.. Their biggest threat in my area is Lyme Disease. I had a friend who is an avid outdoors man who ended up with Lyme and it is very bad.
You really find out who your friends are when you find one on the privates and can't get it off yourself......just sayin'

Yep, knew that. So do leeches and mosquitoes. Have a really gross greetings card I must scan and post for you.


But trust you to lower the tone of a discussion!

 

[Josephine]

Ummmm....yes.....there IS at least one topic that I haven't been able to find in the archives....and gotta admit that I'm too timid to ask about!

Weezy

Oh c'mon - ask, ask! You got me all curious now.

 

[Skeet]

If the question is about sex... we covered that, too.

 

[edk]

I think that what matters is what they infect you with. Most common tick
based infections are Rickettsial (lyme, rocky mountain spotted fever) which
won't do much around your new parts. Now I also think that every time you
get a hole in your skin you do run the risk of a staph infection and those
are the ones to worry about.

So the bottom line is I don't think ticks are any worse than any break in the
skin from the infection around your prosthesis.

 

[Jamie]

I finally got the official word this morning from my OS's office that tick bites are not a situation that results in a need to take antibiotics. In my mind, I knew that was probably the case, but just wanted to hear it from a medical person....since that nasty, dirty ol' tick was in there messin' with my blood. Of course, a person still needs to watch the bite site for the "target shape" or redness that doesn't heal, but EVERYONE needs to do that to be sure they don't get one of the tick-borne diseases. My thanks to all my forum friends who helped me keep the panic level way down. And, Josephine, I guess now we have the official word.

 

[Josephine]

 

[Rowdy66]

Weezy, Weezy, Weezy, I Never Thought Of You As Timid!!! You Are Woman, Hear You Roar! I Love Ya, Gal, You Are A Gas!!! Rowdy