We’ve told you in the past that if you find a tick, you should save it for testing. However, that depends on it: In 2010 my husband found a nasty little tick that sucked the life force out of my lovable little son, and the pediatrician had us tested the tick at the district health department. We rushed to do so and the results were negative. Phew
But a few years later another of our children was bitten by a tick and the doctor shrugged and told us tests were no longer recommended. Tick bites are pretty common these days, the tick can have Lyme without giving it to you, and you can get Lyme disease even if that particular tick wasn’t the deed. Ask your doctor if he agrees with ours. This advice can vary.
A blood test for Lyme, by the way probably doesn’t help either. Instead, your provider will likely recommend looking for watching Symptoms of Lyme Disease– not only the famous rash, as it does not always appear, but also flu-like symptoms, tiredness and pain. If you have any of these, with or without noticing a tick bite, call the doctor. And if Lyme is common in your area, it is possible that your doctor may want to treat you with high-potency antibiotic treatment whether or not you show symptoms.
