Life is Dangerous Here on the Farm...

Note: this post contains some information that may be considered gross by some. Read at your own risk! :o)

So this morning as I went to take a shower, I noticed I had a tick on me. Yes, that's right. A TICK. I have never had a tick before, and I was pretty freaked out. And of course Lloyd is away on externship and no one else is home so I called my SIL Taryn and asked for her advice. She and Andy have dealt with ticks, so they gave me instructions on what I could try--rub it with mineral oil, cover it with nail polish (both of these techniques are supposed to suffocate the tick, and it will have to "back out." Didn't work. So next step was to get the tweezers and start pulling. I did successfully kill the tick, but I was unsuccessful in getting it out. All I did was rip off almost the entire body and make myself bleed. Grrrr. So, because you can't just walk around with a tick head stuck in you, we decided I should call the doctor. I don't actually have a doctor yet, but the practice where Lloyd's entire family goes offered to see me. Actually, they said "well, you can come here or you can go to the ER." And I REALLY didn't want to go to the ER, so I went to the Dr. But since I was a last minute appointment and they were booked, I had to wait over 2 hours there, too. But hey, I am unemployed, and where else did I have to be? I was just happy not to be in the ER. So when the Dr. came to see me, he took a magnifying glass and looked at the tick head, and said "yup, we're going to have to cut it out." WHAT?!? I was horrified, but then again I really didn't want a dead tick head stuck in me, so I said "whatever you have to do!" Dr. Bobeck was very nice, and even gave me a shot of Novocaine first, so I didn't have to feel anything (and considering my propensity to faint, that was probably a smart move). After several minutes of prying, digging, going for more tools, and announcing repeatedly "Boy, that thing is really down in there! It's burrowed really deep!" we had success. I no longer have a dead tick head living in me. Whew! Life is dangerous here on the farm! Since I caught the tick right away, there is a low chance of Lyme disease, but I will have to be careful and look for any rash or other symptoms. And I have a follow-up appointment in two weeks for "wound assessment" to see how my cut-out spot is healing. Crazy! Everyone at the doctor's office and the farm is puzzled by how I got a tick so early in the season--it is still freezing at night here. But no matter how I got it, the important thing is it's gone now! Hope I didn't overshare. :o)

In other unrelated and happier news, the contractor grouted the tile today! It has to set and then tomorrow we will spray grout sealant and then hopefully by this weekend we can move everything in! I may have my very own functional bathroom by this weekend! Of course, "may" is the important word there. Things always seem to take longer than anticipated. Hopefully I can post pictures of the new floor tomorrow. Also, Lloyd will be coming home this Friday, so that will be exciting. After two weeks of being gone, it will be good to see him. He has been having a great time on his externship, though. Tomorrow he is doing a rare rectal prolapse surgery, so he's happy.