During the warmer spring and summer months, bug bites are just a small price to pay to enjoy the weather. Ticks in particular, however, can cause serious illness, and it is important to take steps to prevent contact and especially bites caused by ticks. The most commonly known tick-borne illness is Lyme disease, although ticks can carry a plethora of additional illnesses that pose similar health risks.

If you’re bitten by a tick, it is important to seek medical care for treatment. At AFC Urgent Care Bound Brook, our walk-in urgent care center offers patients near Bound Brook and Bridgewater, NJ with rapid same-day tick bite diagnosis and treatment. Our clinic is open 7 days a week, just walk in when it’s convenient or save your spot online in advance below.

How to Identify a Tick Bite

Tick bites are very common during the summer months. The combination of warmer weather bringing out more ticks and us being outside with less layers of clothing on makes summer the perfect time for a tick to latch onto an unsuspecting passerby. Because of this, it is important to take measures to check yourself for ticks and tick bites regularly.

Tick bites can be tricky to identify. If the tick is not actively biting you, a tick bite may be impossible to see or look similar to any other bug bite. Tick bites typically are less itchy than other bug bites and don’t get as red and swollen. Symptoms of a tick bite can take weeks to appear, which is why checking yourself for ticks crawling on your legs is always a good idea to prevent bites from occurring.

Signs that You Have Lyme Disease

Because you may not notice that you’re bitten by a tick, if you live somewhere where Lyme disease is prevalent, you should know the warning signs associated with Lyme disease. The most common and distinctive way to identify a tick bite from a tick that is carrying Lyme is to look for a bullseye circle around the bite. These red circles are a tell-tale sign that you were exposed to Lyme disease, however, they sometimes don’t appear until weeks after the bite. Other symptoms of Lyme include fever, chills, and extreme fatigue. However, they often do not appear until weeks after the bite as well. That is why taking preventive measures to prevent tick bites is still essential.

When to Seek Medical Care for a Tick Bite

Tick bites have the potential to spread diseases to humans. Because of this, you should always seek medical care if you’re bitten by a tick. Your medical provider will be able to identify the kind of tick that bit you and perform diagnostic testing to check whether it transmitted any tick-borne illnesses to you. If Lyme or another tick-borne illness is suspected, antibiotics and other medications are available to treat the infections. However, delaying care can result in Lyme disease causing long-term chronic symptoms.

Visit AFC Urgent Care Bound Brook for Tick Bite Treatment

If you find a tick biting you, or suspect you were bitten by a tick, it is crucial that you seek immediate medical care. A medical professional will be able to perform diagnostic testing and start treatment for tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease. At AFC Urgent Care Bound Brook, our walk-in clinic offers same-day Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment on a walk-in basis!

Our clinic is open 7 days a week to provide prompt and affordable tick bite care to patients near Bound Brook, NJ. We have a laboratory on-site for diagnostic testing services. Our clinic works with most medical insurance providers and offers competitive rates for patients paying out of pocket for their care. For more information, walk into the clinic or give our team a call at (732) 469-3627.