Tick bites are common and can lead to bacterial infections like Lyme disease. Pete Lerza, NP, is a family nurse practitioner in Cambridge, Maryland. He has extensive experience evaluating tick bites and ordering the proper lab work to confirm or rule out Lyme disease. Call the office today or schedule an appointment online to get help for your tick bites from an experienced provider. Telemedicine appointments are available.
Tick bites come from ticks, parasitic insects that feed off warm-blooded hosts like humans. Ticks carry diseases they can pass along to you when they bite you.
The illnesses tick bites cause include:
Lyme disease is a common bacterial tick bite infection that affects the heart, joints, skin, and nervous system. When left undiagnosed and untreated, Lyme disease can cause permanent damage.
Pete often sees Lyme disease and knows what lab tests to request and how to interpret the data, so patients get an early diagnosis.
Not all ticks carry disease, and it’s possible to have a tick bite and not know it. However, you should seek medical care for tick bites if you pull a tick from your body and then develop a rash around the bite.
You should also have your tick bite evaluated if you develop symptoms like fever, joint pain, fatigue, and muscle aches.
Lyme disease is common and might not always cause symptoms. If you have any concerns about ticks or a tick bite, schedule a consultation with Pete to discuss the available treatments.
Pete specializes in tick bites and asks detailed questions about your bite and symptoms. He’ll ask where you were when you were bitten so he can determine what kind of tick bite you have. This helps him narrow down the possible diseases the ticks can pass along.
If he suspects Lyme disease, Pete orders lab work to confirm or rule out the infection.
Treatment for tick bites depends on whether you have an infection. For bacterial infections like Lyme disease, Pete prescribes antibiotics.
He also talks to you about how to protect yourself from tick bites and what to do if you get another tick bite.
Lyme disease from tick bites is common. Call Pete Lerza, NP, today or schedule an appointment online if you have concerns about tick bites.