A hiker has recounted the moment she noticed a “strange splinter” in her stomach and later discovered it was actually a blood-sucking tick.
The 40-year-old woman was at a remote beach on the New South Wales south coast with a group of friends and family when she felt something strange in her stomach.
As she lifted the layers of clothing, she saw a small red lump between her waist and navel, but assumed it was a splinter.
“I realised when it started to hurt,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
“I felt a sharp pain there and the area was very red.”
Looking closer, he realized that the splinter was actually “jiggling and moving.”
“I saw the tick’s legs and I knew it was fat and full,” he said.
Fortunately, her friend Justine, a quick-thinking woman, CPR for children The educator knew what to do to safely remove the tick, which can be life-threatening and cause severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, and in rare cases, death.
A hiker has recounted the moment she noticed a “strange splinter” on her belly – only to discover it was actually a blood-sucking tick.
Justine used a spray containing ether on her friend’s belly to freeze the tick and after about 20 minutes, it fell off on its own.
Wearing multiple layers of clothing is a “fantastic tick prevention,” but in the unfortunate case of the hiker, she was wearing a T-shirt, a t-shirt, a sweater, a fleece and a padded jacket.
“Laying hens are not always a guarantee of being tick-free,” Justine said.
If you get bitten by a tick, the best thing to do is to freeze it with a spray containing ether, available in pharmacies.
“Always freeze the tick. Don’t pinch it with tweezers or squeeze it,” said Sarah Hunstead, an Australian nurse and founder of CPR Kids.
‘Why? There is a huge increase in the incidence of tick anaphylaxis and allergy to mammalian flesh, so we must remove ticks without squeezing or irritating them.
‘If you’re using tick tweezers, methotrexate, tea tree oil, or other tick removers that can pull the tick out, they can inject saliva that contains allergens when they’re removed that way; this is what we want to avoid.
‘If the tick does not fall off after freezing or if you cannot freeze it, leave it in place undisturbed and seek urgent medical attention to remove it safely.’
Looking closer, he realized the splinter was actually a tick.
For adult ticks, hold the spray just 1 cm from the tick and spray the area five times.
“If the tick is still alive (moving) after a few minutes, you can try spraying it again five times. The dead tick should fall off. If it doesn’t, seek medical attention,” she said.
If you are unable to remove the tick with a spray containing ether, seek medical attention so that it can be removed safely.
For small ticks use permethrin cream.
If you have been bitten by a tick, there will usually be redness and swelling around the bite.
“This will go away once the tick falls off,” he said.
After freezing the tick with a spray containing ether, it died and fell out of his stomach.
According to Health Direct, symptoms of tick paralysis include lethargy, loss of appetite, dilated pupils, weakness, poor balance and difficulty speaking.
Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction to tick bites include throat swelling, difficulty breathing, and collapse.
Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, is caused by proteins present in tick saliva and is only triggered by adult ticks. Tick anaphylaxis is more common in areas of Australia where ticks are prevalent and, importantly, only occurs when the tick is disturbed.
According to the Australian Government Department of Health, ticks are parasites that feed on human blood and can significantly affect human health.
In Australia, most tick bites do not cause any medical problems if they are removed safely. Tick bites can cause a variety of illnesses in patients, the most common being allergic reactions.
In some cases, people may experience severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) or allergy/anaphylaxis to mammalian meat.
In regions where tick bites are common, life-threatening allergic reactions to ticks are much more common than equally serious reactions to bees or wasps.
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