Two days after working in the garden, I was taking a shower, and on my shoulder I found a dark raised lump that looked like an apple seed. Of course I panicked, took a nail clipper, grasped the bottom of the “seed,” and then pulled it off. It was a tick! I put it down next to the sink and it started to walk. Again I panicked, crushed it, and flushed it down the toilet.
Next, the ever-calm OB/GYN doctor quietly called his wife to let her know what happened and to check the rest of my body for ticks. Surely you know that is not the tranquil manner in which I spoke. Thank God I was smart enough many years ago to have found a calm and cool wife who then helped me check for any other ticks, and none were found.
The next morning, again while taking a shower, on my abdomen I found another dark spot. This time it was much smaller, black, and I did not notice it the morning before. It was another tick.
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Later that day, I went to see my personal physician, who happens to be one of my dearest friends. He is an expert on Lyme disease and took care of me. This story has prompted me to write about this problem and get some basic information to my friends.
Over 30,000 new cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed each summer, and 90% occur in 10 states. New York is one of those states. This disease is an infection caused by the bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which enters the body from a bite of an infected deer tick.
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While the tick is attached to us, it begins to suck blood from the victim, and at this time, it regurgitates the bacteria into the person’s system. Most of the infections in humans are caused from the bites of immature ticks called nymphs, which are the size of poppy seeds. The disease can also be transmitted from the bite of an adult deer tick, but because they are larger they are more likely to be discovered before having time to transmit the disease.
-Dr. P
