Aussie woman issues urgent warning after finding a ‘weird splinter’ on her stomach: ‘It was throbbing… please be aware’

A hiker told of the moment she saw a “strange splinter” on her stomach, but it was actually a blood-sucking tick.

The 40-year-old was with a group of friends and family on a remote beach on the New South Wales south coast when she felt something strange in her stomach.

When she lifted the layers of clothing, she saw a small red lump between her navel and her waist. She assumed it was a splinter.

“I didn’t notice until it started to hurt,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

“It was a throbbing pain at the spot. It was very red around the spot.”

When she looked closer, she saw that the “splinter” was actually “moving and wobbling.”

“I saw the tick’s legs, that’s how I knew. It was fat and full,” she said.

Luckily, her quick-thinking friend Justine, a Resuscitation of children The teacher knew what to do to safely remove the potentially life-threatening tick, which can cause severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, and in rare cases can even be fatal.

Justine sprayed the tick on her friend’s belly with ether to freeze the tick. After about 20 minutes the tick fell off by itself.

Wearing multiple layers of clothing is a ‘fantastic protection against ticks’ – but in the hiker’s unfortunate case, she was wearing a singlet, T-shirt, sweater, fleece and a padded jacket.

‘Lawn mats are not always a guarantee for tick-free behavior,’ says Justine.

If you have been bitten by a tick, the best thing to do is to freeze it with a spray containing ether. This is available at the pharmacy.

“Always freeze. Don’t pull or squeeze the tick,” said Australian nurse and founder of CPR Kids Sarah Hunstead.

‘Why? There has been a large increase in the number of cases of tick anaphylaxis and meat allergy in mammals. We need to remove ticks without squeezing or irritating them.

‘If you use tick tweezers, tick removers, tea tree oil, or other tick removers that can remove the tick, they can inject saliva with allergens when they are removed that way. That is what we want to avoid.⁠⁠

‘If the tick does not fall off after freezing or if you are unable to freeze the tick, leave the tick in place without touching it and seek immediate medical attention to safely remove the tick.’

On closer inspection she saw that the ‘splinter’ was actually a tick

For adult ticks, hold the spray just 1 cm away from the tick and spray the area five times.

“If the tick is still alive (moving) after a few minutes, try spraying it another five times. The dead tick should fall off. If it doesn’t, seek medical attention,” she said.

If you are unable to remove the tick with a spray containing ether, consult a doctor so that he or she can safely remove the tick.

For small ticks use permethrin cream.

If you have been bitten by a tick, you will usually see red and swollen skin around the bite.

“This goes away once the tick falls off,” she said.

After the tick was frozen with a spray containing ether, it died and fell off her abdomen

According to Health Direct, symptoms of tick paralysis include lethargy, loss of appetite, dilated pupils, weakness, poor balance and slurred speech.

Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction to tick bites include swollen throat, difficulty breathing, and fainting.

Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, is caused by proteins in the tick’s saliva and is only caused by adult ticks. Tick anaphylaxis is more common in areas of Australia where ticks are common and, importantly, only occurs if the tick is disturbed.

According to the Australian Department of Health, ticks are parasites that feed on human blood and can have a significant impact on human health.

In Australia, most tick bites do not cause medical problems if the tick is removed safely. Tick bites can cause a variety of illnesses in patients, the most common being allergic reactions.

In some cases, people may experience severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) or an allergy/anaphylaxis to mammalian meat.

In areas where tick bites are common, life-threatening allergic reactions to ticks are much more common than similarly severe reactions to bees or wasps.