After a mom found a tick embedded in her son’s head while he was in bed, she did the worst thing anyone could do: she asked the internet for advice.
Ticks are disgusting, like any kind of blood sucking parasite. In some cases, they can be known to carry diseases. The horrible little bugs can latch onto animals and humans when they play in long grass. Often, they will attach themselves to pets and livestock.
Usually, it’s simply a case of removing the tick and getting on with life, a little grossed out. However, it’s possible they carry a disease that can be passed on to their host. At present, there is a risk of Lyme disease. Various fevers can also be transmitted by the horrible mites.
So, when Stephanie Gorecki ran her hands through her son’s hair at night and found a tick, she was worried. She grabbed a pair of tweezers and removed it quickly, popping it into a plastic food bag. Then, asking the worst people she could, she posted it on TikTok.
@firstthymemom Luckily, we found this one fast. I was running my hand through my son’s hair before bed saying goodnight and BOOM, tick. #ticktok #tiktok #deertiktok #dogticktok #outdoors #fypシ #viral
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The Kids Gonna Die (Not Seriously)
The comments section quickly filled with people giving advice and wading in with their opinions. Hundreds of people identified it, all of them claiming to know exactly what tick it is, but all giving different answers.
“All of a sudden, I’m hearing from all these ‘TikTok doctors’ saying, ‘He needs antibiotics now,’ ” Gorecki told People. “But antibiotics aren’t just handed out for every tick bite. You actually need a compelling reason. Otherwise, we risk resistance issues.”
Of course, she didn’t need to lose her mind, and she kept a level head. Instead of listening to the doomsayers, she spoke to a professional friend. “That helped calm my nerves. Once you start gathering reliable information, your panic eases. You go from ‘Oh no’ to ‘Okay, I think we’re going to be fine.”
The tick hadn’t been on her son for all that long. For Lyme disease to be transmitted, it usually takes a few days for it to be on the body. However, this mother had seen it within a few hours of it being on her son’s skin.