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-   -   HELP!!! Ticks on the Nads (No Joke) (http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6808)

Archangel 05-08-2005 23:13

HELP!!! Ticks on the Nads (No Joke)
 
Ok I did a search on here & also on Google on how to remove ticks, but could not find anything about how to remove ticks that have embedded themselves under the scrotum skin.

Yes, after this drill weekend, I found two of those bastards on my nads. I've tried using several tweezers, but since they have buried themselves underneath the skin, I don't want to mess up & really mess up.

Please help. :(

Roguish Lawyer 05-08-2005 23:31

1 Attachment(s)
Have you tried this?

NousDefionsDoc 05-08-2005 23:35

Put a little nail polish or Vaseline on the little bastard (the tick), then about 15 minutes later, pull him off (the tick) with a slow steady pull. Don't break the head or mouth (of the tick) off.

NousDefionsDoc 05-08-2005 23:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roguish Lawyer
Have you tried this?

You're not helping...

NousDefionsDoc 05-08-2005 23:43

I almost forgot - make sure you wash the area and your hands when you get through and apply an antibiotic creme to the area. Watch for S/S of infection.

You don't need to rub the creme in, just put it on there and leave it alone.

Huey14 05-09-2005 00:39

Will putting it on top of the skin above where the bastards are work also?

I don't have them, BTW.

SwedeGlocker 05-09-2005 06:58

DO NOT cover ticks with nail polish or Vaseline. It increses the risk for diesese to be transfered. The only safe way to remove them is straight pull. Observe so that you got the hole tick.

The Reaper 05-09-2005 08:01

Defoliate half of the affected area by shaving.

Liberally apply military issue Insect Repellent to the other half.

Ignite the bug juice.

Stab the little pests with a bayonet as they attempt to escape to sanctuary.

TR

Kyobanim 05-09-2005 08:03

ROTFLMMFAO!!

Are they male or female?

Archangel 05-09-2005 08:05

I pulled off 4 from other parts of my body pretty easily & disinfected the area with Neosporin. However, I'm still have problems with the ones down below.

There are a lot of articles from my Google search that advised not to use Vasaline, rubbing alcohol or anything like that (makes them throw up on you). The problem is that those damn ticks are underneath the skin (their whole body, not just the head & the tweezers can't grab them). I might have to go in with an Exacto knife, to cut the skin so I can get the tweezers in to grab them. I was hoping for other options before I have to do this.

BTW, it's not just me. Our whole unit got owned by ticks this weekend. :mad:

The Reaper 05-09-2005 08:18

On a serious note, this is why you apply a lot of insect repellent to your boots and other low areas (NOT sensitive areas), avoid lying in bedding areas, like pine straw, and do buddy checks frequently.

With the diseases ticks transmit, your CoC should understand and have no problems letting you and your buds strip down and check one another's inaccessible areas periodically.

Those ticks didn't dig in in a few minutes, they were left unmolested for quite a while.

I picked off 83 in the team room one morning after just a couple of hours doing team IADs in the area. Hurts a lot less if you get them off before they set up housekeeping.

Do not use an X-Acto knife, leave surgery to the surgeons, or GOOD 18Ds, unless you are planning on getting a vasectomy and an infection at the same time anyway.

Wait till chigger season. :D

TR

Archangel 05-09-2005 08:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Wait till chigger season. :D

TR

I thought that was this w/e!

Anyway, I found this article & hope that it will help other people with this problem.

Quote:

Tick Removal

Many methods of tick removal that have been reported in the literature have proved to be unsatisfactory in controlled studies. Some methods may even cause harm by inducing the tick to salivate and regurgitate into the host. Ticks are best removed as soon as possible, because the risk of disease transmission increases significantly after 24 hours of attachment. The use of a blunt, medium-tipped, angled forceps offers the best results. Following tick removal, the bite area should be inspected carefully for any retained mouthparts, which should be excised. The area is then cleaned with antiseptic solution, and the patient is instructed to monitor for signs of local or systemic illness. Routine antibiotic prophylaxis following tick removal generally is not indicated but may be considered in pregnant patients or in areas endemic to tick-borne disease.

Because tick bites are nearly painless, a tick may not be noticed until after it is attached. It is important to remove the tick from the host as soon as possible after it is discovered. Animal and human studies have shown that the risk of Lyme disease transmission increases significantly after 24 hours of attachment and is even higher after more than 48 hours.

In addition to timely removal, it is important to remove the tick completely, including the mouthpart and the cement the tick has secreted to secure attachment. Improper tick removal may cause mouthparts to break off in the skin, possibly leading to infection or granuloma formation.7 Twisting off the head should be avoided, because this may cause the tick's potentially infectious body fluids to escape.

Ticks should never be handled with bare hands and should be disposed of with hazardous waste or preserved in alcohol if identification is needed.

Few methods for tick removal that have been reported in the literature have scientific support. Some methods that are not recommended (Table 1) include applying a hot match or nail to the tick body; covering the tick with petroleum jelly, nail polish, alcohol or gasoline; using injected or topical lidocaine (Xylocaine); or passing a suture needle through the tick.8-15 Although there is conflicting evidence as to whether the removal technique influences infection rates,6,10,16 these methods may induce the tick to salivate and regurgitate into the attachment site, theoretically increasing the risk of infection.8,11

Commercially available tick-removal devices include the Sawyer Tick Pliers (B&A Products, Bunch, Okla.), Pro-Tick Remedy (SCS Limited, Stony Point, N.Y.) and Ticked Off (Ticked Off Inc., Dover, N.H.). Although one study17 found that the Pro-Tick Remedy and Ticked Off devices left mouthparts in the skin less often, all three devices listed above were recommended over tweezers for tick removal. Another study2 recommended the Ticked Off device but did not compare it with other devices. There are other commercially available tick-removal devices, but no studies have evaluated their usefulness.

The most commonly recommended and successful tick-removal method is manual extraction of the tick.7,8,10,11,16,18-21 [Reference 16--Evidence level B, nonrandomized study] A blunt, medium-tipped, angled forceps offers the best results, using the method shown in Figure 1

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20020815/643_f1a.jpg

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20020815/643_f1b.jpg

After a tick is removed, an antiseptic solution is applied to the attachment site, and patients should be educated about the signs and symptoms of local and systemic illness. There is conflicting evidence as to the need for routine antibiotic prophylaxis.22-24 Although a discussion of evidence is beyond the scope of this article, most experts, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, do not recommend routine antibiotic prophylaxis.25,26 [Reference 26--Evidence level C, expert opinion] However, antibiotic use may be considered in patients who are deemed high-risk, in pregnant patients, and in patients living in areas endemic to tick-borne disease.

QRQ 30 05-09-2005 08:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper
Defoliate half of the affected area by shaving.

Liberally apply military issue Insect Repellent to the other half.

Ignite the bug juice.

Stab the little pests with a bayonet as they attempt to escape to sanctuary.

TR

Whew!! I am so glad to see some of y'all still have a sense of humor. :D

The deed being done, you have some good advice. Personally, clear fingernail polish has worked in the past.

The next step is prevention (should have been the first step). Panty hose and flea collars have been effective. We always used the buddy system to check for ticks, chiggers, leeches (yeccchhh) and other critters,

As for military repellent, is it still as it was 30 years ago. If so you won't need a match. One of my men was shot in the leg and he was screaming bloody murder. From the stain on his pants leg and his screaming we thought he took a pretty good shot. I ripped open his pants leg and found a scratch. The round had gone through his insect repellant and mearly scratched his leg. :D

JPH 05-09-2005 09:44

Sulfur to keep the bastards off
 
I will add this, as something I learned form a National Park Ranger. Use sulfur to keep the bastards from ever getting on you. The bottle that I have says “Sulfur Sublimed” on it and is a 16 ounce bottle of dry yellow powder sulfur. I dust both layers of socks with it then roll the top edge of them down after have them on and pour in a bit more then roll them back up, I also dust the opening around my boots and dust all waistbands and other places where the skin stays soft wet and warm (which is what the bastards like).

It sounds crazy but it works for me, they still get me under my arms, and behind my knees, and a few other places but I’ll be dammed if I haven’t had one where I still had sulfur… :D

Only bummer is you can end up smelling like bad eggs. :confused:

Well worth it in my book. :munchin

JPH

NousDefionsDoc 05-09-2005 10:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwedeGlocker
DO NOT cover ticks with nail polish or Vaseline. It increses the risk for diesese to be transfered. The only safe way to remove them is straight pull. Observe so that you got the hole tick.

Yes, it does, as they will puke. But it is not nearly as bad as leaving pieces inside and they will probably puke anyway because you are squeezing them with the forceps. I will take A over B any day.


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