Tick? What tick?!?!?!?!?

A tick? On me? Please tell me the world could not be so cruel! As a self-proclaimed "bug-a-phobe", any bug on me is never a good thing. Especially not in abundance!!

Michelle, my most wonderfulous neighbor, asked to borrow my lawnmower so that she could attempt to get the tropical jungle called her backyard under control. Her having a gazillion kids at her house and knowing how busy she's been only led me to want to help. So I did. I loaned her the lawnmower and my services. (Meaning I weed-eated....)

I was about ten minutes into the job when my left foot began to burn. I ignored it thinking that I had just gotten some grass in my shoe and went on about my business. An hour later, the jungle gone, I returned home and immediately stripped down to get into the shower. That was when I discovered them. The nasty little buggers that completely covered my left foot and toes and went up my left leg to just below the knee. Seed ticks....... ugh!

Too small to grasp with tweezers and far too many to want to, I attempted to get them off by vigorous scrubbing. Obviously it didn't work. So my husband set to scrubbing my foot and leg with a pumice stone until every last tick was gone. I then finished showering in normal fashion and upon being done, doused my legs and feet in rubbing alcohol. (As I'm sure you can imagine, what followed was a very elaborate "burn dance" and a lot of expletives.) I towel dried, got dressed, and went on about my business.

The next day, I could see where I had been bitten and I was a little uncomfortable, but all in all, it wasn't too bad. Two days afterward, however, I wanted to saw my leg off at the knee for all of the insatiable itching and burning that I was experiencing. I had a perfect little red dot in every spot I had been bitten, some of them like welts where I had more than one in a given area, and was really just utterly miserable. By the third day, they had turned to little red blisters and that was it. I went to the Doctor. He laughed, but felt my pain and seemed to be impressed at the size of the nest I had found, evident by the vast number of bites I had. (Over a hundred easy.)

I left his office having received a VERY painful shot in my ass, a hefty prescription of antibiotics and anti-itch meds, a topical anti-itch cream, and the news that I could not continue to breastfeed my ten month old while on my meds. To top it all off (or to dissuade me from not taking the meds so I could breastfeed), I was informed of the couple of deaths and case of one man being admitted to the ICU for tick fever. Hmmmmm... breastfeed? Or die from tick fever? I think I'll see how my kid likes the sippy cup!

I was upset at first at not being able to nurse, but have discovered that maybe my son is ready to move on and be weaned. He doesn't seem overly (if any at all) upset at not being able to nurse and goes on about his business as if nothing has changed. Of course I'm happy that he's not heartbroken or really struggling, but I know I'm going to miss it!

So four days after the whole incident, I'm still alive. (Though I have had moments where I thought I wouldn't be for all of the horrible discomfort I was in.) Michelle feels bad (which is absolutely ridiculous since she had no control over my finding their nest. It's not like she sent them after me to try to do me in... or... I don't think she did... Michelle?) The meds are working and everyone is happy.... except the ticks. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't believe any of them made it safely through this whole ordeal. May we bow our heads in silence at the loss of so many little lives...

Or not.