I'll take a nice staph infection any day!

Lyme Spirochetes? Nah, not for me! Courtesey of lymedisease.org

​So after yanking a nasty tick out from between my toes, I wound up going to the doctor ASAP and she looked at my feet and put me on antibiotics for Lyme Disease and ran a bunch of blood tests to confirm.  Since there was a red expanding rash and a bunch of vasculitis it seemed like the logical move.  After all, what could go wrong?

Okay so it turns out more can go wrong in an immunocompromised individual like Road Pixie.  After all, I've saved myself from infections by steadfastly avoiding children for years.  But man, did this tick get me in a major way.

IronK says it isn't the most pathetic I have ever looked

​I did everything right, but the night after starting the antibiotics I felt terrible, didn't sleep a wink and I woke up to my foot swelling quickly.  Never had something get worse after starting antibiotics.  Now I was starting to run a fever, I took a horde of Tylenol.  It both was agonizingly painful and itchy too.  Back to the doctor, only now I couldn't walk. IronK had to take me and wheel me around in a wheelchair.  

She was kind of alarmed too.  Big red lines radiated out with blisters forming that leaked, well something.  Clearly, any Lyme disease was not the biggest problem here (google cellulitis but don't do it if you are squeamish or about to eat).  After much discussion, change antibiotics and a big shot in the backside.  The nurse told me not to look at the needle.  Fortunately, my months on the bike have led to my left butt cheek being completely numb anyway - who cares, I said, shoot away.  My acupuncturist has WAY bigger needles than that.

Fortunately, the really big shot had the intended effect along with a mass of new antibiotics.  I also started soaking my foot in a solution of epsom salt, garlic and ginger (a little oil and it is a salad dressing for your worst enemy!)

Off work for 3 days, most of it spent not sleeping due to itching and pain.  But finally the tide has turned.  When antibiotics work, they really work.  And I'm going to take ALL of them.  No way to I want this thing coming back or to breed a better bug.  Back to the bike ASAP, well as soon as probable!

As for the tick, he died a HORRIBLE death.  I'm not normally inclined to sadism, just masochism, but I made sure his death was slow and painful and ended with a big fire and some stabbing and suffocation too.

So beware cyclist friends, if you are in the woods, check EVERYWHERE.  Every crack (really) can harbor vicious evil!