Back Scratches and Ticks

Little Buddy loves for his back to be scratched as he goes to sleep at night. He says it makes him relax and he rests better. There are some nights, I wish I could turn the tables and me be the one to get the back scratch at bedtime. I think it would relax me, too. And honestly, there are some nights when I beg off. Isn’t that horrible to say?

There are nights when I think I am just too tired, too busy, too this or too that to add another five minutes to the bedtime routine for a back scratch.

And then, I feel guilty.

Guilty that I didn’t. Guilty that I tried to get out of it. Wondering if when he grows up the one thing he’ll remember from his childhood are the nights his Mom begged off giving him a back scratch.

The other night was a night I tried to avoid it. I was tired. I had been packing and moving the lake house for three days, our home was a huge mess, laundry was piled up to my eyeballs, I had work to do for my business, and I just wanted to go to bed. A bath was even optional I was so tired.

Have you ever felt that tired? I’m sure you have. It’s miserable, isn’t it?

And then I remembered my guilty feelings the other million times I’d tried to avoid the back scratch. Of how awful I’d feel all night, the dreams I would most likely have about it, and of how it would only take five minutes. Five minutes.

With the lights still off, I quietly started the back scratch routine. Scratch at the top of the back, side, bottom, other side and then middle. When I reached the middle, I felt something that I had not felt before.

I stopped. I went back over it with my finger. Definitely something different.

I turned on the bedside lamp and saw it. A tiny brown tick.

To say I was horrified is an understatement. However, I am proud to say I was extremely cool, calm and collected.

Quickly, I got Little Buddy out of the bed, took him downstairs and my husband and I began the removal discussion.

“Get tweezers and a match.”

“Get the alcohol and peroxide.”

“Do you pull it from the back or the front?”

Luckily, within a few seconds, we had the nasty thing removed. And then I remembered what my mother had done when I was about ten and had a tick on me. We put it in a Ziploc bag, cleaned the area well with peroxide and alcohol and then I snuggled him all night long.

The next day, I spoke with the pediatrician’s office to find out exactly what to do and if Little Buddy needed a checkup. Here is what I learned:

1. Do not heat the tweezers or needle to get the tick to move. It can cause the tick to “spit” into the wound and leave behind even more disease causing bacteria and such.

2. With tweezers, flip the tick onto it’s back. Then gently, remove the tick pulling from the head. If you pull from the bottom, the tick can break apart and leave the barbed head in the host (my child!).

3. Immediately clean the area with peroxide, then alcohol, then with Neosporine.

4. Circle the spot with a Sharpie where the tick was attached and removed. Monitor the site for up to four weeks for any redness, swelling, circles, etc. Also monitor your child for fever, tiredness, joint pain, etc. If any, take your child to the doctor and tell them of the tick bite.

5. KEEP the tick in a Ziploc bag stored with a damp paper towel. This will help the doctor should the person bitten become ill or need any testing.

For information on tick bites, prevention, treatment, and symptoms, please visit WebMD.

I don’t believe I’ll ever try to get out of giving Little Buddy the back scratches he loves so much.

Disclosure: I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am simply sharing information I received when my child was bitten by a tick. You should seek medical advice and attention from your medical professional.