Wednesday night I was laying on MiniWarriors bed, reading his encyclopedia of frogs to him, when I noticed him scratching at (what appeared to be) a dried up bug bite on his hand.
Stop scratching your bug bite.
It's not a bug bite, it's a tick bite.
Whatever. Stop scratching it.
Next day when I picked MiniWarrior up from school I noticed his hand and wrist was red by his bug bite.
Didn't I tell you to stop scratching your bug bite?
Yeah but it ITCHES!
Well stop scratching at it you're making your wrist all red.
I stopped at a store and bought MiniWarrior some large bandages and some medicine. Back at home I soothed his red wrist with medicine and gently covered it with the large bandage.
Keep the bandage on so you won't be tempted to scratch.
But it ITCHES!
Just tap it if it itches. Don't scratch!
Later that evening I took the bandage off his scratch/bug-bite and was relieved to see that his wrist looked much better. So, I slathered on more medicine and left the bandage off, sending him off to bed.
Don't scratch!
Okkkkkkkk, Mommmmm.
Next morning, MiniWarrior came to me and said his wrist really hurt. That there was a lot of "pus and blood" and that he tried not to scratch it and only tapped it, but it hadn't worked and now it hurt really badly.
I sat him down under a brighter kitchen light and took a good look at his wrist. I was alarmed to see that it was much redder!
What exactly bit you?
A tick.
How do you know it was a tick?
Ticks aren't common where we live and I was sure MiniWarrior hadn't ever seen one before.
'Cuz. It was stuck in my skin. I tried to pull it off me but it's head stuck and was really hard to get out. I took scissors and cut it off my hand.
Good Lord...
Why didn't you come tell me this?
I dunno. I took care of it.
Next time something weird like that happens you tell Momma so I can take a look at it, Ok?
I stared intently at his wrist. Those didn't look like scratches...it looked like red streaking under his skin. My heart started to pound in alarm.
I went to my laptop and looked up tick bites. I felt my heart stop when I read that most ticks are benign but that some will infest its host with Lyme disease or some other bacterial disease that will manifest itself within 24-36 hours with a red rash. Symptoms closely resembling tuberculosis and meningitis...that it affected the neurological system.
Oh my god.
I called the doctor and after hearing the facts told me to bring in MiniWarrior right away. I could hear the controlled alarm in the advise nurses voice.
Now, normally I'm a pretty even emotional person. I lost it. I hid in my walkin closet, because I didn't want to alarm Miniwarrior, and broke down crying. With MiniWarriors Autism, the thought of a bacteria affecting his neurological system had me in full Mom panic.
Lord V hugged me and tried to reassure me. I was not to be soothed. I called MiniWarriors StepMom and broke down telling her what was happening and to tell MiniWarriors father what happened.
She was very nice and was able to talk me out of my immediate panic so I could get a grip and control myself before facing MiniWarrior.
MiniWarriors Father spoke to me reassuring me and requesting to be informed as soon as possible to what the doctor said. He was alarmed as he knew I wasn't a person to easily panic over something.
I raced MiniWarrior over to get his insurance card from his stepmom, then raced him over to the clinic.
They moved us into the doctors office immediately. MiniWarriors doctor whisked in and grilled MiniWarrior as to what exactly happened, how he knew it was a tick, what the tick looked like...etc.
She reassured me that it wasn't Lyme disease as there were no cases of it in Washington. I felt my heart slow down...but then speed up again when I saw the concerned look flicker across her face when she took a look at the red streaks on MiniWarriors arm.
Lets get you over to the brighter light, MiniWarrior so I can get a good look at your arm.
MiniWarrior climbed onto the doctors table and she hunched over his arm studying it.
Well...I have your diagnosis.
Oh God. Oh God. Oh dear God.
What is it?
It's red marker.
...
What?!
I moved from my chair and walked over to the table.
Red Marker.
The doctor held up a alcohol wipe that was tinted red. I looked down at MiniWarriors arm. No red streaks.
MARKER??!!
Hehehe...That was a pretty good joke, huh Mom?
MiniWarrior grinned nervously up at me and the Doctor burst out laughing.
You just freakin' took 5 years from my life!!
The Doc left, chuckling, after asking if she could tell her co-workers about this.
MiniWarrior is grounded until he's 60 and has to pay his Dad and my doctors bill with his allowance...
Freakin' kid.
I don't think Oil of Olay has a product to remove wrinkles caused by freakin' lyme disease scaring-red marker drawing-kids!
