Parasites SUCK.

Soooo…Yesterday morning started like every other. I get up, go to the bathroom – but I notice as I lift my shirt that I have this little black speck on my belly. It looks like a tiny seed bead. My daughters and I had spent the better part of the previous afternoon making jewelry on my bed, so you KNOW there were beads scattered everywhere. I pick the little sucker off my stomach and P-TOING! flick it away. I’m still kinda half asleep, and when I look again, I notice there’s a purplish mark where it’d been. DAMN cheap beads. So I lick my finger to wipe away the stain. Lick, wipe, lick, wipe. But it doesn’t go away.

Hmm. I look more closely – and am jolted awake by the realization that THAT tain’t no cheap bead, that mustabeen…. a BUG. Oh MY GOODNESSS. I peer around me on the floor, looking for the tiny black speck, and there, lo and behold, it is. I press it to my fingertip, raise it to my eyes. It looks like a teesy tiny seed, but when I look reeeeeaaaaaaaaallllly close, I can indeed see. it’s got LEGS.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

My husband comes running. He isolates the thing in a small lidded jar. I then place the jar into a ziplock bag. B/c YOU CANNOT BE TOO CAREFUL. I call the doctor, they are about to put me on hold, when I announce “I have just been bitten by a deer tick.” They patch me right through. And so the ladies & spent the better part of yesterday rectifying my “little problem.”

You can see from the above photo how a sleep-ridden mind could indeed mistake this tiny bullseye mark for say… a freckle. or Cheap bead stain. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I found the tick on me, so there was no mistaking it. After a few minutes, anyway.

Here he is in the babyfood jar. I was feeling brave – this was taken w/out the additional plastic sheathing.

Now, here he is this morning. I am thinking he is dead. GOOD. He was waaaay bigger when I plucked him off my stomach. [Yes, I did have to tell you that.] That is a pencil point next to him. YES he is UNBELIEVABLY TINY. So WATCH OUT.

I did some online research and have concluded it was a nymph (juvenile) which bit me. The adults are quite a bit larger and more leggy. The nurse practitioner shone a light on him yesterday to establish his identity and color. Although he looks black to me, in the light he was indeed a reddish-brown. Perhaps from the blood he had stolen. Bastard. The nurse asked us what we were going to name him, so I chose Evil. which seems to fit him nicely. She gave me a prescription for a one-time mega-dose of Doxycycline (which I took last night) and said that I should be fine.

So, yesterday – b/c we have instituted this NO DRIVING DURING THE WEEK rule at our house – the ladies & I had to walk into town & back to get to the doctor’s office. Over 10 miles. As a treat, we meandered back via the Reading Terminal Market, and then South Street, of course treating ourselves to some TREATS. When you get bit by a damn deer tick, you milk it for All it’s Worth. Needless to say, everywhere we went, my younger daughter would reach her hand right into my purse, pull out that crazy ass bagged jar and announce to all & sundry MY MOMMY WAS BITTEN BY A TICK and HERE HE ISSSSSSSSSS. After the first couple times, I knew the routine & would head her off @ the pass. Somehow, I didn’t really want to share the whole story (along w/ specimen) w/ the girl at the cheap earrings shoppe. I am sure she was grateful.

15 thoughts on “Parasites SUCK.

  1. Too funny! I was hard pushed to rid my brain of a rather sexy image of a ‘leggy bug’ hehe!
    You poor thing! Was it just munching on you or was it trying to burrow it’s way inside of you…. oh my goodness! :o)

  2. Dishy, you slay me…I am laughing at this however am totally sympathetic…I loathe, loathe ticks or any bloodsucking critters. I think since this was a medical emergency I would have nixed the no drive rule. It has been so hot here I don’t think I could walk a mile much less 10. You, my friend, are amazing. Of course if you are OCD you will vacuum everything in site and seek out any other possible invaders…oh that’s me! Have a great weekend. Scarf will be enroute shortly!

  3. that is HORRIFYING! eww! i’m scared for you. are your joints aching? are you lethargic? lol.

    seriously, i hope you are feeling better…now get some screens on those south philly windows. 🙂

  4. Wow, that’s an ugly little bite and tick, but a very cute bellybutton. 🙂 If I were you I’d be looking into betting the house sprayed for bugs. That little sucker (HA! Sucker, I kill me) is bound to have siblings, not the mention parents. But hey, that’s me. I’m an undercover wussy when it comes to bugs in my house. SPRAY! Please, for the love of all that is cute and navelly. 😛

  5. duh…i thought that was your finger next to the spot. you should get a big belly button ring. 🙂 at the dollywood water park (splashtown) we saw a nice, religious girl with a GIANT dangling belly-button cross. it was charming.

  6. Daff, trust me, If you are looking to rid yourself of sexy thoughts for all eternity, just keep a couple of these lil suckers in a jar right by the bed. I am not sure exactly what Evil had planned, but I am glad he & I have parted ways. AND if any of his relatives out there are thinking of getting involved w/ me — just remember THERE’S PLEEEENTY OF ROOM LEFT IN THAT JAR.

    Hayden, the Doxycycline did the same thing to me. I took it just before i started making dinner and felt truly wretched until we sat down and ate. After that I felt fine. WOOHOO.

    Connie, you are too sweet. We’re so used to walking everywhere, it’s really no big deal. And the weather here in Philly has taken a wonderful turn. 80s, gorgeous blue skies. Makes you feel ALIVE. I cannot wait to get the scarf, it looks amazing — you really are too tooo kind.. PS: Could you pls bring your OCD self over here immediately for some vacuuming?? I have never ever had a compulsion to clean. EVER.

    Curly me love, I have not developed Lyme Disease – hopefully the meds will take care o that. But if I start feeling listless and falling asl……………..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz – WAHhhhhh. wahat! Oh there you are dear, thanks for your email. tkae care, byebye.

    Hey Spidey! Thanks for the navel compliment. My husband had to refrain from breaking his computer when he read that. We’ve pretty much concluded the tick came NOT FROM PHILLY, but from the Pine Barrens in NEW JERSEY (where Curly lives). We spent all day there Sunday, canoeing and swimming w/ friends and the lil sucker musta hitched a ride back on one of us, the dog or a towel/blanket. Of course, you know who does the laundry… My older daughter was VERY interested in confirming that all laundry from the PINE BARRENS was indeed taken care of. Ah, I’m sure she was just concerned for MY SAFETY, right? Mmm-hmm.

    Curl, I am just not a piercings kind of gal. I have my ears pierced, but the rest – not for me. BUT If you would like me to send you a dangling bejeweled doo-da for your nipple ring, just let me know! Love ya! xo

  7. Lil’s had 2 deer ticks on her this year. Her doctor said not to worry– just look out for the bullseye rash, which did not appear, thank goodness.
    1 tick came from Delaware, when we went to Bombay Hook, the other came from Schuylkill Center.

  8. I can sympathize! When I was young we had to “de-tick” ourselves every time we came inside when we were at our grandparent’s farm. I kinda liked it when I found one, because I got to put it in an ashtray and BURN it with a lit match! They sizzle! But that’s before anybody knew about Lyme disease so we didn’t know to get too freaked out about it.

  9. oh friend! I’m so sorry to hear about your run-in with the little bugger – thanks for reminding me to THOROUGHLY check myself every couple of days…it’s definitely high season for those critters. I must echo your friend Connie…the 10 mile walk with your daughters…really, just WOW! And the tags for this post literally made me Laugh Out Loud. Hope you’re well! 🙂

  10. Laura, that is VERRRRy good information to know. So glad to hear that Lil is fine. These little suckers are EVERYWHERE. Watch out!

    Tracie, we have done that burning thing too. I have to say YES it is satisfying, though gruesome. We have to pull ticks off our dog Max every time we go hiking anywhere. The grossest thing is when you don’t find them for a couple days — you run your hand down the length of his back to pet him, and UGH there’s a lump the size of a stone. Nothing grosser than a fat bloated tick.

    Lovely Pamela! I missed seeing you Thurs – though I must admit I am LOVING the break. So great to hear from you. Hope all is well!! xo

  11. If you keep your body well-marinated by a steady intake of alcohol, you never have to worry about ticks.

    That’sh my theory, at leasht. An’ I’m shticking to it!

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