Another tick bite, ugh.

June 26, 2019/0/0
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Another tick bite, ugh. My medical response experience has been stellar here in CT, no complaints. But not everyone is so lucky. I’ve been bitten by ticks 4 times in the last two years (I live in New Haven, not far from Lyme, CT, where Lyme disease took its name.) One of them was a deer tick NYMPH! (Very small.) Fortunately, I had good experiences with my medical response – we have an “agricultural experiment station” right in New Haven that tests ticks for free (I saved the ticks). Each time it was “deer tick” (Ixodes scapularis), I also got a prophylactic single-dose of doxycycline, even when the tick itself tested negative. There’s no guarantee that I’ll be fine (and the tick test might be inaccurate, there’s always a small chance) but this should improve my chances, greatly – I’m not worried. However, some people have very frustrating experiences trying to get their concerns taken seriously, only to eventually get a Lyme Disease diagnosis, too late! Like this family.

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