Tick season brings painful lesson in Lyme disease awareness

In my last column, I wished everyone a happy America 250, but this time it’s happy Lyme Disease Awareness Month.

Obviously, I missed National Tick Awareness Month in March. I wish I had paid more attention last year because maybe I would have been more on the lookout for ticks and saved myself a world of hurt.

Only about half of ticks carry disease, but wouldn’t you know it, I hit the jackpot.

Last spring, I spotted a tick crawling along my arm. I grabbed it with a tissue, sealed it in a zip-top bag and tossed it in the trash. Wow, I felt lucky. I thought I had dodged a bullet by finding that tick. But in my relief, I never checked for more. That was a big mistake.

A short time later, I became very sick. At the time, it was blamed on an illness going around, but now I know it was tick-related.

Fast forward four months and I was exhausted, dealing with painful arthritis from head to toe and strange Pac-Man-like figures crossing my vision. The doctor eventually delivered the bad news along with a boatload of medications over the next several months.

This year, I’m feeling better overall, but one leg still doesn’t work quite the same. Will it fully recover? I don’t really want to know because as long as I don’t know, I can still hope. I really can’t complain too much though. After doing some research, I’ve learned many people have it far worse.

Recently, I saw information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggesting ticks could be at their worst levels ever this year. The CDC tracks emergency room visits related to tick bites, and those visits are reportedly at historic highs across much of the United States. We all need to be careful.

I’ve learned the best way to avoid tick-borne illness is to avoid ticks in the first place and take precautions to keep them from attaching.

It’s not just people either. Pets need protection too because they can get tick-borne illnesses or carry ticks into the house. Flea and tick prevention is important, but experts also recommend checking pets daily, especially after they’ve been in tall grass or brush.

Ticks can be difficult to spot, and even worse, they can remain active year-round anytime temperatures are above 39 degrees. Ticks are evil.

If you do find an attached tick, save it if possible because it can be tested for diseases.

So here are a few precautions I’ll definitely be taking from now on. Use insect repellent when working outdoors. Keep your grass cut short because ticks love tall grass and brush where they wait for something to walk by.

If you’re hiking, stay on the trail. Wear long, light-colored pants tucked into your socks. You won’t win any fashion awards, but if it helps you avoid a tick, it’s worth it. Avoid wooded or brushy areas with high grass whenever possible.

And after spending time outdoors in tick-prone areas, bathe or shower as soon as you come inside. You may be able to wash ticks off before they attach.

While you’re taking precautions, maybe you can sing along to Brad Paisley’s 2007 country song “Ticks.” It’s about a man in a bar trying to flirt with a woman by offering to “check you for ticks.”

When I first heard that song years ago, I thought it was hilarious. Now? Honestly, it sounds like a thoughtful gesture.