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Quick Tick Tips from Galbraith Family Medicine, LLC

Posted on by Galbraith Family Medicine
  • Tick season is May through September.  Most ticks are harmless, but deer ticks (about the size of a sesame seed) are a source of worry for people because of the possibility of getting Lyme disease from them. Don’t worry, though; Lyme disease is eminently treatable!
  • The risk for getting Lyme disease is not high.  In Maine in 2022, there were only 2,617 cases of the disease, which means that there were only 188.9 cases of Lyme disease for every 100,000 Mainers! However, this is up 73% from 2021.
  • It is extremely unlikely to get Lyme disease from a tick that has been attached to the skin for less than 48 hours.
  • If you get a tick bite…
    • Remove the tick with a pair of fine-pointed tweezers by grasping the tick as close to the skin as possible and pulling steadily upward until the tick is out.  If a “part” of the tick is left behind, you can either leave it there (the body will push it out) or try to remove it as you would a splinter.  DO NOT DIG!
    • DO NOT use Vaseline, nail polish, kerosene or matches to remove a tick.
    • Clean the bite area with warm water and soap then apply a topical antibiotic.
    • Watch the area for the next month for a red rash that gets bigger in size and begins to clear in the center, looking like a “bulls-eye,” especially if you also have flu-like symptoms like fever and body aches with it.  Let your medical provider know if these occur. It is NORMAL to have some redness and irritation immediately around the bite for several days to weeks.
  • Blood tests for Lyme disease are NOT recommended routinely because if everyone bitten by a tick were tested, most of the positive results would be in people who did not actually have Lyme disease (this is called a “false positive” result).  Testing is done in certain specific circumstances when the suspicion for Lyme disease is high based on the clinical history and physical exam.
  • Antibiotics are NOT recommended “as a precaution” because of the low risk of disease and the high risk of problems from the antibiotics themselves, especially because treating actual Lyme disease requires 14-21 days of treatment. There is a small subset of people who should receive a single dose of doxycycline as a precaution and these would be someone with (1) a proven deer tick species in a highly endemic area of the state, (2) known to have been embedded in the skin for more than 36 hours, AND (3) only if the patient presents for care within 72 hours of removal of the tick.
  • PREVENTION is everything; keep the ticks away…
    • Wear long sleeves and long pants outdoors in areas where ticks may be found. 
    • Tuck your pants into your socks.
    • Wear light colored clothing to more easily see a tick on you.
    • Use DEET or other insect repellent.
    • Inspect yourself daily for ticks and remove them promptly.

COVID-19 Vaccine Access

Posted on by Galbraith Family Medicine

We are proud of the work we did during the COVID-19 pandemic to reach out to our entire adult patient population to ensure that they were aware of the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. We were able to provide over 100 doses of vaccine ourselves and connect many patients to resources to get successfully vaccinated elsewhere. We no longer carry COVID-19 vaccine, but if you have not yet been vaccinated or boosted and desire to do so, we want our patients to know about where to sign up to get the vaccine. Most of the listed sites are offering the newest version that was released in the fall of 2023, and require making an appointment online. There is a 2024-2025 version that will be available soon for the fall and winter season. Children aged 6 months–4 years may need multiple doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be up to date, depending on the number of doses they’ve previously received and their age, and sites vary on what they have available for the pediatric population. The Maine CDC is taking part in The Bridge Access Program that helps people who are under served get the vaccine without charge and expires on December 31, 2024; visit https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/immunization/bridge-access-program.shtml for more information.

The best resource is the Maine CDC website at http://www.maine.gov/covid19/vaccines/vaccination-sites.

As of July 16, 2024, the most local options are:

COVID-19 Prescription Treatment Access

According to the Maine CDC website, COVID-19 treatment is highly effective at preventing a mild or moderate illness from progressing to becoming severe and life-threatening. Treatment is available for unvaccinated individuals, adults age 50 and older and for other people at high risk of getting very sick from COVID-19, such as those who are immunocompromised, have chronic lung or kidney disease, have diabetes, or who smoke (For full list, see https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html ). It does not replace vaccination.

COVID-19 treatment works best if started within the first 5–7 days after symptoms begin. Treatment is only available for people with COVID-19 symptoms and a positive COVID-19 test, which can include an at-home test. A doctor needs to determine if you are eligible for treatment, and while Drs. David and Kathryn are qualified to prescribe medication, testing cannot be done at our facility, some of the medications require additional lab testing or pharmacy oversight that we cannot provide, and we cannot guarantee that you will be able to get a prescribed medication filled as the number of pharmacies who carry the medications are limited. We highly recommend going to a state designated “Test-to-Treat” location where anyone can go to get tested, be seen by a medical provider, and get treated, with access to medication guaranteed, if deemed appropriate. Some sites offer telehealth options so consider calling ahead.

Visit https://www.maine.gov/covid19/treatment/where-to-get-treated or https://covid-19-test-to-treat-locator-dhhs.hub.arcgis.com or call 1-800-232-0233 to find a provider nearest you and to contact that location for more information before going. As of July 16, 2024, the closest area Test-to-Treat locations are:

  • Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Gorham at 535-1400 or Windham at 400-8618
  • Convenient MD Urgent Care in Saco at 751-7991
  • Convenient MD Urgent Care in Sanford at 850-5744
  • York Hospital Walk-in campus in York at 363-4321

In addition, telehealth treatment services may be available through ConvenientMD (https://convenientmd.com/virtual-care/), CVS Pharmacies (https://www.cvs.com/content/coronavirus?icid=coronavirus-lp-treatment-services#services), Northern Light Health (https://northernlighthealth.org/Resources/COVID-19/Get-Treatment), York Hospital Walk-in Care (https://www.yorkhospital.com/telemedicine/) and some Walgreen’s Pharmacies https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/covid19/testing). Certain Walgreen’s Pharmacies and Walmart Pharmacies also have pharmacists who are prescribing treatment directly; call or visit the websites for store locations.