Check Your Kids for Ticks
June 19, 2009
See the photo on this page of the giant red bullseye. That’s my six year old son’s back. Imagine my horror when he asked me what it was.
My rough and tumble gang of sons have done weird things like drawing on each other and cutting their own hair. So my instinct was this was brother inflicted. My first reaction was to quiz his brothers on what they did to him. But that was a wrong assumption.
It was 7:45am on a Sunday morning. Needless to say by 8:15am we had him at a pediatrician. He started a 21-day antibiotic for this Lyme disease rash. Within three days those scary looking red rings had faded.
Several weeks before we pulled two ticks off his head and one off my leg.
As your family spends more time outdoors this summer, remember to check them not only for bugs, but unusual rashes.
Wear light clothing to make it easier to see unwanted hitchhikers on your body.
Long pants are advisable if planning to trek through the woods.
Mow the lawn regularly to keep the tall grass to a minimum.
Resources:
- WebMd: Identifying bugs and bug bites / Lyme Disease
- Wikipedia: Ticks / Lyme Disease
Hi Pete, The medicine we received cleared it up very quickly — less than a week. My son didn't seem phased at all by the experience. Thanks for asking. -R