I just spent the last 7 hours in the ER. Confirmation test will take a few days, but probable diagnosis...Ehrlichiosis it's caused by a tick borne parasite and seems to have a bit more potential for severe consequence than Lyme disease. I've spent the last 2 days feeling like I've been run over by a series of trucks and those damn soaked in sweat one minute/ shivering uncontrollably the next, episodes that come with a 102 temp.
I did feel a tick crawling up my leg one day last week.He was just climbing the jungle gym of hairs on my leg and I remember smugly thinking that i got the little sh*t before he got me, as he sizzled under the flame of my lighter. Not another thought was given.
Tuesday, giving platelets at the Red Cross, they detect slight elevation in temp. Not enough to be called a fever and disqualify me. Other than being just a little tired, I felt fine. Spend a couple hours doing donation, go home for lunch and a hour later, feel like someone made a mistake and accidentally sucked the life out of me instead of those little golden platelets.
Over the next 24 hours... queue the fatigue, muscle and joint ache and low grade fever. Still wasn't really concerned, as a couple of Aleve seemed to bring a little relief anyway. I even made my way to the local park to get a little more time in with my machine. 45 minutes and 21 clad, 8 pull tabs and 2 screw caps later, was getting too dizzy from constant bending and packed it in.
Once I got home and stopped moving, that's when that convoy must have made their move on me! I never heard them coming. Awakened @ 3:30 this morn by pounding headache, I proceed to do what turned out to be very feeble attempts at research and gratuitous browsing to bide time til the Drs office opens @9. YUP...on vacation!
OK, couple more Aleve and a little sleep was needed to help me figure the best plan B. Got up an hour or so later and head to the bathroom to try and rinse off some of this 1000lbs of toxic sludge that seemed to be encasing my body. Hmmm, how the heck did I get that scrape on my stomach? I don't remember doing anything. Oh well, not a big deal it's only a little scrape. Truth is, if Sam Adams didn't brew such tasty products, I'd have probably been able to view it more closely and with a LOT less effort.
Grab the toothbrush, start the process, look up and realize...there is someone else in my house!His presence wasn't intimidating, in fact it was warm and welcoming. He was a fairly handsome guy, but with the disheveled look that a couple of weeks in the woods will bring. Why is he brushing his teeth in front of me and why with the feebleness of a man who has seen an entire century instead of just a half?? When he spoke,the air of wisdom that enveloped his words was hypnotic and not to be ignored. Off I went.
Bank#1, then Bank#2, then Western Union to send Charlie the $$'s for that sweet little DFX that has only been out on 3 little play dates, then Hospital.
park/register/wait<20 minutes
queue Triage nurse... CHOICES! put my man armor on and feign that this tough, macho, perfectly manly man is only here because someone else was concerned OR admit that this melting cone of humanity just couldn't find the strength for that and just be as absolutely accurate as I could in answering questions.
Her: height,weight, allergies,blah,blah,blah,blah, any rashes?
ME: blah,blah,blah, well no, but I did notice a scratch this morning and it's a little tender
Her: Well, that looks a lot more like an infected insect bite to me
ME: cant draw a picture here, but I'm sure my face looked like AhhhHA and Ohhh boy at the same time.
draw blood, IV, chest xrays, draw blood again,Tylenol,request for blanket to quell shivering is DENIED (they are heated and we don't want to cook you here's a sheet ME: can I have 2?) Respiratory therapy breathing treatment,another IV, Motrin, request for blanket is ACCEPTED YEAAAH!! PCA brings not 1 but 2 glorious blankets with the intoxicating aroma of blankie cooker announcing their arrival from across the room. I'm not gonna lie, don't know if they heard it or not but I was groaning with pleasure.PCA starts unfurling blanket(MUCH more slowly than I wanted)...
Nurse: did you get a temp?
PCA: no, I'll get one now
PCA: oh sorry, 101.8, we can't give you a blanket yet and he snatched those blankets away with the speed and agility of an Olympian.
Sorrow, pity, disgust and fatigue, assault me and render me unconscious(actually, just sleeping) for a couple of hours.
Doc says: tests need to be confirmed at outside lab it could be lyme disease or ehrlichiosis. I'm more inclined to believe its the latter as we also found low platelet count and increased liver enzyme. Initial treatment would be the same, 3 week regime of doxycycline (with considerable warnings about sun exposure) re-check liver and platelet labs in a week. Re-test for lyme and ehrlichosa(sp?) in 2 weeks.
So anybody know a park I can hunt for the next few weeks where I wont get laughed at or arrested for showing up in my sombrero,facemask,dark glasses,and gloves?
For what it's worth, my experience (minus whatever amount of sh*tty luck was involved) drives home the point to me that "tick prevention" is much closer to a way of life as opposed to just something you do when your headed out
