Ehrlichiosis

Remember back in October when I was on a good ride when I started to feel terribly ill. Well I got really sick, the most sick I have ever been actually. I had a nasty fight for a few days with a rocketing fever and all the fun things involved with it. After a hospital visit and suspect of flu out of the picture, I became concerned about a case of Lyme or other tick borne illness. I was slow recovering so my Dr. put me on a round of Doxycycline to cure what might be Lyme. This was actually the reason why I was cut short on riding this fall, I had to remain off the bike for two months. For a few weeks after the sickness I was getting daily dull head aches and my head was foggy and I was short of breath. These were concerning side effects of my sickness that led me to really think something else was going on here. A blood test was ordered on a follow up visit and when I finally got the chance to get a blood test drawn I did. After weeks of no response the results did finally come in. I was slightly relieved when Ehrlichiosis a tick borne disease which was found in my bloodstream. I got sick to my stomach thinking of one of those horrid creatures actually got a taste of my blodd. I have always found them and peeled them off before they ever get a taste. Well apparently one at some point did get a taste and it was a lone star tick. They carry this disease and whether or not my sickness was 100% caused by the tick is not certain but all the clues and symptoms certainly point to it! A month after the ordeal I was slowly getting rid of the after symptoms and very thankful my Dr put me on antibiotics so I was able to rid the bacteria before it got more serious. I've said it once I will say it again, I wish we could move these awful creatures off our planet. I have six more months to go without getting a tick until I move to a tick free zone of Utah. Leggings, spray, frequent checks will be more of a routine since I want to nothing more to do with these creepy crawlers. In the mean time I will squash them with my fingers in joy when I come across their path. Tuesday the ground should be clear and a windy deep freeze should be in place calling for riding conditions, so close!