I got up and headed for work about 5:45 this morning. Just as I was getting ready to leave I started sneezing. I sneezed all the way to work. Then at work I was sneezing. I sometimes have allergies, so I take a form of Zertec every morning as my doctor instructed. On ocassion I run into something that sets off my allergies. Sneezing, runny nose (very), watery eyes, the whole bit. So I take an antihistamine or two in addition to the generic Zyrtec. I did this as soon as I got to work. After about an hour the runny nose and all slowed down and I was able to function better. About noon, it all just started up again. So I took a couple more antihistamines.
Well driving home, for some reason I felt a tiny bump under my shirt. It was attached to my chest, just under my right nipple. It didn’t take long to figure out that it was probably a tick that had attached itself to my body. I couldn’t really see for sure as I was driving down the interstate. So, as soon as I got home I took a look at it in the mirror… and sure enough it was a tick. So I immediately Googled tick removal and found the proper way to remove a tick:
Remove a tick from your skin as soon as you notice it. Use fine-tipped tweezers to firmly grasp the tick very close to your skin. With a steady motion, pull the tick’s body away from your skin. Then clean your skin with soap and warm water. Throw the dead tick away with your household trash.
Avoid crushing the tick’s body. Do not be alarmed if the tick’s mouthparts remain in the skin. Once the mouthparts are removed from the rest of the tick, it can no longer transmit the Lyme disease bacteria. If you accidentally crush the tick, clean your skin with soap and warm water or alcohol.
Don’t use petroleum jelly, a hot match, nail polish, or other products to remove a tick.
I did just that. It came out in two pieces, but that’s his problem, not mine. It was a stubborn little thing.
I learned this about my tick:
- Are there white markings on the rear margin of the tick’s back OR a single white spot in the center of the back?
YES: This is the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) . These ticks are common in the midwest. They have long, narrow mouthparts (as in the illustration above) and their bodies are somewhat round in shape rather than oval-shaped like other ticks. Lone star ticks can transmit tularemia and other diseases including one similar to Lyme disease but milder.
I also learned this about ticks in general:
A tick needs a blood meal from a host in order to molt (progress to the next stage of its life cycle), and to reproduce (lay eggs). This feeding process continues for several days to a week until the tick is fully engorged with blood. It then releases its hold on the host, drops off, and subsequently molts or lays eggs.
I’m assuming my body was reacting to the tick by presenting the allegy symptoms. I already feel better now that that varmint is dead.