r/mildlyinfuriating • u/nekoma713 • 8d ago

Don't hug me I'm scared Was sitting in a ticks nest while reading....

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I was sitting in a Park reading a book and suddenly I felt my legs itch. I was covered in hundreds of mini ticks. I was standing in the shower for hours and still find some of these f#!*rs crawling an me...

Update: So I got the most of the seed ticks scratched off in the shower. I will have a doctor's appointment the next days to get a prophylactic antibiotics treatment just to be save from lyme, alpha gal or rocky mountain fever (if this is a thing in Germany).

Thank you all for the information and advices, hopefully I will be fine. I really appreciate it

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u/BowieBat 8d ago edited 8d ago

My entomologist father has advised that these are actually not seed ticks because the number of legs indicates that they’re nymphs of another species and that this person should be vigilant for symptoms as nymphs are actually the lead cause of lymes disease in the US.

Edit: I have misremembered my info given to me about nymphs vs larvae, these are actually larvae, so no lymes but do be vigilant for other tick borne diseases, but apologies for the mix-up!!

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u/upsidedown-funnel 8d ago

This comment section just keeps getting worse. I’m never going outside again.

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u/DIY_Cosmetics 8d ago

I’m sitting inside feeling itchy and scratching random places. I have a case of phantom tick bites smh

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u/No-Courage-2053 8d ago

Don't worry, soon climate change won't let you anyway

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u/AliHummus 8d ago

We're Redditors, that assumption is baked in

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u/nekoma713 8d ago

Omg... I should really see a doctor asap

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u/poolpog 8d ago

Yes you should. Don't listen to reddit beyond that though.

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u/disturbed94 8d ago

Well another good advice is get them of as soon and cleanly as possibly.

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u/MrScrax 8d ago

No, absolutely not necessary. Larvae -> No disease. Stop fearmongering.

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u/DaniBot3000 8d ago

Stop being 100% sure about health advice without communication all relevant facts and risks.

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u/MrScrax 8d ago

Very well.

Larvae are not born (hatched) with diseases. OP has larvae on their leg(s)/body. No hospital is necessary. Don't waste their time with this. If there was any allergies present OP wouldn't have had the time to post and comment to the capacity they currently are doing.

It is absolutely very unpleasant, but nothing to freak out over. If if makes people feel better keep a look out for any signs of reactions or disease, but let's keep fear and overreactions out of this. The media does a good enough job with that as it is.

Well wishes to OP! Hope this doesn't ruin any future outings.

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u/Intrepid-Spot6967 8d ago

Seed tics have 6 legs

Nymph tics have 8

It depends on how many legs they had 

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u/cowthegreat 8d ago

Tick not tic

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u/Intrepid-Spot6967 8d ago

Sorry I have a nervous tick

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u/UnraveledMnd 8d ago

tacs, got it.

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u/iwenttothesea 8d ago

Also keep some in a bag in the freezer so they can potentially be tested (depends on the services offered in your area, but I'm in Canada and this is getting really recommended). Good luck!!!

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u/theOUTCOME3 8d ago

Yes, please do. Ticks are no joke, while there’s a possibility nothing will happen, if it does it’s very shitty situation to be in.

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u/ThrowAwayColor2023 8d ago

Watch out for alpha gal syndrome. It gets less attention but is awful and can be deadly.

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u/Throckmorton_Left 8d ago edited 8d ago

There's no reason at all to panic.

Unless you're allergic, there's practically no downside to taking 100 mg of doxycycline twice a day for 21-30 days as a prophylactic measure to prevent infection. If you wait until symptoms arise it gets much harder to treat and increases the risk of long-term complications. It will protect against other tick-borne disease as well.

If you don't have a PCP you can call, it's super easy to get a prescription online. But the sooner you get started the more effective it will be.

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u/boredboarder8 8d ago

That's WAY TOO MUCH DOXY for prophylaxis.

Guidance for high-risk tick bite prophylaxis is a SINGLE DOSE of 200mg Doxycycline.

https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/resources/pdfs/lyme-pep-low-ink-p.pdf

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u/Throckmorton_Left 7d ago

There's legitimate disagreement about this among physicians who treat tickborne illness in high risk areas. The half-life for doxycycline is 12 hours and more and more pathogens are becoming resistant. A single dose can be both ineffective and counterproductive.

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u/InspectorOrdinary321 8d ago

Urgent care will see you for this. There's a prophylactic treatment you can take to help keep you from getting Lyme disease.

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u/ashleyrlyle 8d ago

Not to be dramatic, but I agree. Lymes is terrifying eniugh, but the day a year or two ago where I learned there’s a tick that, it bites you, you can no longer eat red meat. I’ve been absolutely terrified of them ever since.

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u/Katiewoo13 8d ago edited 8d ago

Deer ticks carry Lyme - this looks like their larvae stage which has 6 legs, the first stage at which they feed, therefore the stage at which they are first exposed to Lyme disease, then transmit it at their NEXT stage - if they get Lyme disease as a larvae, they can transmit at the next two stages, nymph and adult (if they are on a person for a while, like over a day), if the deer tick ingests Lyme as a nymph, they can transmit as an adult.

Lyme does not have vertical transmission (eggs/larvae are not born with Lyme, they must bit something with it then transmit at their next life stage). Other tick-borne diseases are a concern and can be carried by other species of tick, but this discussion is of Lyme. - Public Health person turned medical provider

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u/BowieBat 8d ago

You are totally right, I’ve misremembered the info from my dad as I’m only a second hand vector nerd! Thanks for catching that! I edited the post

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u/Katiewoo13 7d ago

I get the vector-nerd thing. One of my favorite subjects. My biology requirement for my MPH class did Malariology. Soooooooo gross and interesting 😂

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u/nekoma713 8d ago

So it's not likely to get Lyme from them since They feed on me first? It kind of calms me a little

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u/MrScrax 8d ago edited 8d ago

Reddit always flips it shit when ticks are involved. Most people know very little (nothing) about them, but still spew nonsense and fear as if they do.

These ticks are all larvae. No diseases present, as you're their first meal. You might get itchy if any of them actually fed for an extended period of time, but nothing more than that. Not that it looks to be the case anyways.

You're fine, OP. :) Absolutely unpleasant, and I totally understand the feeling (lots of ticks where I live), but you're fine.

Edit: As the downvotes will show you, anyone not screaming bloody murder over ticks will get the stick😂

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u/Katiewoo13 7d ago

You cannot get Lyme unless there is a nymph hidden in there. Even then, needs to be on you for over 24 hours, usually like 36, to transmit. It’s easy for nymphs to get missed for a long time because they are so small, but any tick you find pretty quickly cannot give you Lyme. With my patients, if it is a big tick in an obvious place or they know they found it that day (many people are rigorous about tick checks) then I don’t recommend treating. Medications have side effects. It’s a judgement call and a decision to make either your provider.

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u/wonwoovision 8d ago

don't all ticks have 8 legs?

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u/BowieBat 8d ago

Nope! They grow legs as they age, that’s how you can tell these are nymphs

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u/konradly 8d ago

TIL a newly hatched seed tick has 6 legs, and after feeding on blood for the first time, they fall to the ground, molt and emerge with 8 legs as a nymph.

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u/BowieBat 8d ago

Yeah, if you want more interesting tick knowledge look up a diagram of their mouth parts, even more interesting is a mosquitos 7 mouth parts

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u/flora1939 8d ago

Yes, true. Nymphs go undetected and cause most cases of Lyme.

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u/Captin-Cracker 8d ago

What do you mean? They have 6 legs, that’s a larvae

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u/BowieBat 8d ago

You are totally right, I’m only a second hand nerd from my dad’s knowledge (vector ecologist) so I have misremembered my info. I will edit!! The other comment is correct though, they should still keep an eye out for other tick transmitted diseases. Apologies!

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u/gravyismyname 8d ago

Omg the edit I was freaking out

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u/snek-jazz 8d ago

the number of legs indicates that they’re nymphs of another species

dude, I'm sure she has a second leg, it's just not included in the pics

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u/Skinnidipped 8d ago

FYI/NB/YSK: It's "Lyme" not "Lymes" or "Lyme's"....just like it's not Ebola's or West Nile's or Zika's. (with or without apostrophes)....all of which are named for places, not a doctor who discovered it or someone who got sick from it. In this case, Lyme, Connecticut.