Dorothy Sparks doesn’t remember being bitten by a tick.
Sure, she brushed a few off when outdoors earlier this spring. But it would be weeks before she realized she had contracted not just one but two tick-borne illnesses.
Gene Myrick didn’t remember a tick bite until it was almost too late.
He was in critical condition at a Wichita hospital when his doctor, desperate for answers, called Myrick’s fiance to see if she could think of anything that might help. She recalled he had been bitten by a tick while working in his garden.
Sparks and Myrick are among several area residents who have been diagnosed with a tick-borne illness this year.
Erin Splechter, a physician assistant at the Allen County Regional Hospital Clinic, said she diagnosed four patients with tick-borne illness before March. At one point this spring and summer, she was testing about one patient each week for tick-related diseases.
She hopes to provide a greater understanding of the harm ticks can cause.
Splechter encourages anyone who was bitten by a tick and has symptoms such as fever, aches and pains or rash to talk to their physician about a test to see if they might have one of many tick-borne illnesses.
Tick-related illnesses can cause a variety of symptoms. Patients — and even physicians – may not think about ticks as the cause. A simple blood test can find out if ticks are to blame.
“Sometimes when I can’t figure anything else out, I ask, ‘Have you had a tick bite?’” Splechter said.
“Advancements in lab testing and greater awareness have made it easier for us to find out. Unless you completely live in a bubble, it’s hard to avoid ticks, but they can cause life-changing illnesses.”
MYRICK enjoys working in his garden. Each year, he and his family and friends harvest a bounty of crops.
In April, Myrick had to rely on others to plant his garden because he had back surgery.
He was on the road to recovery in June and felt good enough to get back out in the garden.
One morning after pulling weeds, he showered and found a tick attached to his leg. He mentioned it to his fiance, Glenda Goff, but otherwise didn’t think much about it.
