The FREAK I am

If you know me at all, you know I DO NOT LIKE bugs.... in fact, I am a TOTAL and complete FREAK when it comes to a bug.  I have embarrassed myself on NUMEROUS occasions because a bug surprised me or something and I screamed.  

One quick story...  

In 1996 I went on a mission trip to Honduras with my church.  On this trip it soon became apparent that I did not like the rather LARGE beetles that were there.  A friend of mine... DAN ... found my fear of this beetle quite funny and taught the little Honduran kids to scare me with them.  One night at a church service, Dan or one of the kids... but I am SURE Dan was the master mind... was playing with my braided hair.  The next thing I felt was this tickle... I reached behind my neck to scratch it and it was a BEETLE.  Who ever it was, placed a BEETLE underneath my braid.  I SCREAMED and ran like the wind.... 

I still have nightmares to this day... 

Just kidding... but even telling the story makes me squirm.

So This morning, Jim wakes me up asking me to come into the bathroom for a minute... First off I am NOT a morning person and to call me up out of bed means something is up.  Jim knows better not to wake this beast earlier then needed... :)  I walk into the bathroom to see this beetle like bug in our sink... Jim tells me he found it in his arm pit... ARM PIT... (I also have issues with arm pits but that can be another post)  It was this big ol' nastiness... It woke me up!  

I took a shower, got dressed and instantly got on here to try and prove to Jim that what he found wasn't a tick.  It was too big.  

This is what I found (along with a million other pictures).  Now looking at the photo, I am THINKING and HOPING that what Jim had in his pit was a beetle and not a tick... but we will see.... the bug he showed me was as big as the dime... (it was big.. and I know I can tend to exaggerate when it comes to a bug and its size... but it was closer to the size of the dime itself HONEST)

How to avoid ticks .

..

• Wear light coloured clothing, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and shoes. Tuck your pants into your socks.

• Avoid walking in the long grass.

• Use an insect repellent with DEET.

• Check yourself each day for ticks (include armpits, groin, scalp and the back of your body).

• Protect your pet with a flea/tick collar and check them for ticks.

  
  

  If you spot a tick ...

  • Don’t squeeze the tick or try to burn it off or put anything on it.

  • Grasp the tick by the head as close to your skin as possible.

  • Pull it straight out, gently but firmly. Use tweezers if possible.

  • Disinfect the bite with rubbing alcohol.

  • Save the tick in a jar and contact the Health Unit to have it identified and tested.

    
    

    Lyme Disease and Ticks ...

    • Lyme disease is caused by the bite of a black legged tick infected with the bacteria.

    • A red rash may appear within 3 days to several weeks following the bite, a bulls-eye rash may be present in the area of the bite. You may also have a fever with the rash.

    • Symptoms of the disease may include fever, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain. These may disappear within 10 days. But if left untreated, Lyme disease can progress and affect the nervous system, joints and the heart.

    • Consult your doctor if you have been bitten by a tick. Keep the tick for identification and testing.

    The tick responsible for the spread of Lyme disease is now found in some locations of the 1000 Islands region of Eastern Ontario and in the Eastern seaboard of the USA and New York State as well as Long Point and Point Pelee areas of Ontario.