I love Spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. ‘Tis really the season for beautiful color and the clean clear beauty of nature’s reawakening. Even the deer begin boasting their new babies. And I feel happy and productive and eager to think about planting more flowers. But thinking is not doing and since I am still a slow motion walker waiting for a hip replacement I have not injected myself into the wild.
Spring is is also a time of imminent threat from the wild. Whether you go outside to feel your toes in the grass or not.
Three days ago I felt an itchy place on my back just below the left shoulder. A hot shower helped and I thought nothing of it.
Two days ago, the itch was back so I took a look with the help of a hand mirror and saw a red place with a slightly dark center. I asked Bill to take a look with a magnifying glass and he did. He said, there was nothing there…. maybe a little raised mole. So I put some anti-itch gel on it and went to a peaceful slumber.
Yesterday the itch was back in full force and when I looked at it with the hand mirror there was a pronounced dark center, much larger. Bill took a look too and said “it” (the dark center) was kind of hanging loose so he removed it. In my opinion it was a well fed deer tick! And I was immediately off to the doctor.
Results:
- It was probably a tick. An adult deer tick is the size of a poppy seed. There are no charts or photos I know of that show a well fed deer tick as opposed to a hungry one.
- The doctor said if you check yourself all over each day and you happen to take off a tick, no medication is necessary.
- Because I came in early, I only had to have two antibiotics immediately… no more.
- Evidently, if you have a tick bite and remove it within 34 hours, you will not need meds.
I am still confused over all of this.
Seems to me, you should report a tick bite no matter what. My niece contracted Lyme and suffered with it for many years.
Anyway, in addition to gimpy walking I now have the remains of a bite on my back. The culprit escaped a plastic bag I swear I sealed. He was a major escape artist.
The doctor’s answer for this latter issue was to put a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover in the bag with the tick. He will then suffocate and die but his body will stay in tact for identification! More than I want to know.
I dislike ticks and other bugs, but do I hate them enough to become a wanton murderer?
‘Tis the season all right.
Spring has sprung in all its glory.
But there is a downside to living in paradise.
Virginia Views 
We have a lot of ticks around here but most are the bigger dog ticks. Good thing you got it checked out.
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I’d make you a list of the not-so-nices I’ve already bumped into this year, but you sure don’t want to read that. I’ll just send good wishes for not more itches, and certainly no more ticks!
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Tick bites are risky business these days with all the pathogens they can carry. Let’s hope your bite heals well, Dor. Ticks, black flies and mosquitoes make being out in nature a lot less fun!
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I’m glad y’all found the tick and got antibiotics for the bite.
Your redbud tree looks reddish, not lavender like ours. No matter what the shade is, I love redbud trees.
Please keep us posted about your hip replacement. Neighbor Shawn had one of hers replaced a year or so ago, and the process seemed much simpler than it used to be. She didn’t even have physical therapy after it! I hope yours will be easy for you.
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Beautiful pictures. I always get homesick for the South in the spring. Glad you caught that tick early!
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OMG ! so sorry you have had this mishap Dora and it was nice of you to put us all in the picture what to do I never would have known what to do never mind realizing it was a tik Thanks. Enjoy your week end and stay safe.
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Sorry to hear about this unfortunate experience, Dor. I’ve had my share of ticks but always caught them little buggers before they could do much feasting. I don’t get out much in fields and woods anymore and when I do it’s on well traveled paths. Glad you got to the doctor when you did. Are you giving Elsa tick preventive meds?
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Oh Dor. We don’t have tic problems here although of course we have tics. Take care and enjoy your corner of Paradise as I enjoy ours. Hugs from your sister of choice 😇😇
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As soon as I read your description, I thought TICK! Yikes! I can not stand those darn things! So many folks I know have had Lyme. Glad you figured it out early enough. You’re right, there is a downside to living in paradise especially when deer use our yards for a playground.
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So glad they gave you the pill it was on you way too long.
Watch that pup of yours as well JT always wore a Seresto Collar
Ron and I have about 40 a year of the lyme type on us joy of the forest which is why I welcome turkey whenever they show up. They are like having chickens.
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Lyme disease can be serious. You don’t need that to complicate your hip surgery – hope that goes well. Perhaps you will have to have your prince check you for ticks from now own! I am sure your paradise is still worth it.
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No one talks about ticks around here, yet we have deer that roam through back yards and gardens galore. Our challenge was finding plants they won’t eat – and through trial and error, you now see gardens, all differently designed, but the plants are all the same. We’re grateful for daffodils and rhododendrons that make our springs burst in color. Glad to hear you got the your tick resolved before it became anything worse.
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I don’t get out in the wild much anymore either Al. But my kids were here helping to weed and plant the garden. I think the tick could have come in on their shoes. Elsa does get tick and flea protection. So the origin of the nasty little tick remains a mystery.
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Your place in the world is sounding more and more enticing!
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I was pretty worried but my dr assured me I had received the right treatment. I had also had lab work done for the surgery and there would have been Lyme markers but there were none.
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Yes, we have lots of deer here too. The dr said this is a “hot spot” area for Lyme though. So we need to be careful and wear pants tucked into shoes and spray with Deet.
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