When I lived in Napa, CA I picked up a deer tick carrying Lyme disease too. I happened to spot the teeny, tiny little critter one morning when I got out of the shower (deer ticks are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence ... maybe a little bigger, but not much). At that time, I had no symptoms and didn't yet have that classic bull's eye rash, but I knew it was a deer tick, so I went immediately to my doctor. He pumped me up on antibiotics, just in case, and I was fine (a day later the rash started to appear, and disappeared quickly, so that tick had definitely been carrying the disease).

Fun stuff. <g>

~~Bonnie




>I know the feeling.
>
>I was working in my yard a few years ago when I noticed a blue bump on my arm that evening. The next day the area looked like the roundel used by the RAF in WW2. A friend of mine remarked that it might be a spider bite so I stopped by the emergency room on the way to work the next morning.
>
>Lo and behold it was a tick bite by a Lyme's Disease carrier. They immediately put me on a barrage of antibiotics and I managed to escape chronic infection.
>
>Oddly enough, Lyme's only affects an unlucky handful in Washington State each year. I should have played the lottery that week.
>
>But, if I had delayed treatment or had the signs been misdiagnosed (thank goodness Lyme's bites are unique looking) I would have been in for a world of hurt.
>
>
>>It was totally bizarre. I noticed a small red circle on my leg around Christmas of 2005. It started itching and swelling. Within a week the area had started to turn black and I couldn't walk. They misdiagnosed it - common with the brown recluse - and they gave me a moderate dose of antibiotics. Had to go back a day later because of the pain and it was, well, not looking good. They upped the antibiotics big time and the swelling started to subside to the point I could walk. It wasn't until 3 months later when I had a hole the size of a tennis ball in my calf that wouldn't heal that the decided it was the spider bite. Too late though. It is now the size of a golf ball and doesn't hurt as much, but from what I can tell online, I was extremely lucky not to have lost my leg. Anyone lurking with a strong stomach, just type "brown recluse bite" into Google images and you will have an idea. I have the most odd health things happen to me, but I've lived a hard health life (but really fun!) so
>>it doesn't surprise me a whole bunch.
>>
>>>A friend of mine got bit by a brown recluse on the back while he was sleeping. It was years ago and he still has a hole in his back where the tissue died.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>>"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fight Night at the UT! On the undercard, Jay vs. Peter, and in the main event, Kevin vs. John. Let's get ready to rummmmmmmble!"
>>>>
>>>><vbg>
>>>>
>>>>I'm old, have diabetes, have nerve pain in my legs most of the time, can't see well anymore, can't breathe normally because of heart issues, have two arterial stents, lost a portion of my leg to a brown recluse spider almost two years ago that still hasn't healed, and nerve damage in my face. I can't beat-up a sick 7 year-old school girl!
>>>>
>>>>UPDATE: Um, if anyone from my health care provider is reading this... Just kidding! Ha ha...