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Last week, Coraline and I drove to Ulster Park for a long-awaited playdate with some new friends. We weren’t there for five minutes before I made an unsettling discovery: As I lifted Coraline out of the kiddie pool, I spotted a tick on her lower back. The little bugger was super tiny, and unfortunately had already bitten her. My friend — a self-professed tickaphob — tried her best to remove it with a pair of tweezers, but only got the body. Since I grew up in Dutchess County (the Tick Capital of the World), you’d think I’d know just what to do. But I was stumped — and freaked out. I called Coraline’s doctor for guidance and he instructed me to bring her in right away so that they could extract it. We were off once again, with Coraline in her carseat yelling “ick bite back” over and over.
An hour later, we were on our way home with the tick head still embedded and a tube of foul-smelling ichthammol ointment to coax it out. Because the tick had only been on her for a few minutes at best, the head was on the surface and the doctor didn’t feel it necessary to upset Coraline by digging it out. He also assured me that there had not been adequate time for the transmission of Lyme Disease — it usually takes 24 hours to three days. Of course, I would’ve known this already had I read this little article from BabyCenter.com. Better safe than sorry I suppose, especially when it comes to ticks!
Got a tick (or other buggy) story for us? Let us know in the comments below!
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