Facing Fears
When Eric was about 14 months old, he and Rich had a terrible stomach virus in the same night. Rich was incapacitated in bed and Eric would weep and beg for water that he would puke up on me within 10 minutes. There was a blizzard raging outside and the windows were shut tight against a frigid night, sealing in the wretched stench of human effluvium into the room with us.
It was a long night. But this morning was worse.
Eric was on the stairs in front of me, we were going to try to talk Kaylee into getting up for the day. She likes to have a good lay-about in the morning, and we were well past when she should be up and dressed.
He was heading up the stairs in front of me when I noticed a dark spot against his scalp beneath his fresh crew cut. "What's that on your head?"
"Hmmm... Maybe it's a boo boo?" He said, unconcerned.
I looked closer and there, with it's nasty, spikey head burried into the perfect skin behind my son's perfect hair was a big, fat white tick.
I wanted to scream and cry and hand him over to his dad. But my husband had left for work before six and it was all up to me. I was the mom and I couldn't be screaming and crying "EWWWEE! I don't want to touch it!!" because, Eric needed me to have my act together.
So, I tried to pull it off with toilet paper. Which, broke the thing in half and killed it. It turned out that tweezers were the solution. The head came out neatly and Eric merely whimpered while I pulled at his head. But MAN that thing was revolting.
Please, no more tics this summer. I'm not terribly squeamish, but now I keep seeing fat white ticks floating before my eyes... Such nastiness.
It was a long night. But this morning was worse.
Eric was on the stairs in front of me, we were going to try to talk Kaylee into getting up for the day. She likes to have a good lay-about in the morning, and we were well past when she should be up and dressed.
He was heading up the stairs in front of me when I noticed a dark spot against his scalp beneath his fresh crew cut. "What's that on your head?"
"Hmmm... Maybe it's a boo boo?" He said, unconcerned.
I looked closer and there, with it's nasty, spikey head burried into the perfect skin behind my son's perfect hair was a big, fat white tick.
I wanted to scream and cry and hand him over to his dad. But my husband had left for work before six and it was all up to me. I was the mom and I couldn't be screaming and crying "EWWWEE! I don't want to touch it!!" because, Eric needed me to have my act together.
So, I tried to pull it off with toilet paper. Which, broke the thing in half and killed it. It turned out that tweezers were the solution. The head came out neatly and Eric merely whimpered while I pulled at his head. But MAN that thing was revolting.
Please, no more tics this summer. I'm not terribly squeamish, but now I keep seeing fat white ticks floating before my eyes... Such nastiness.
posted by Margaret at 3:01 PM
3 Comments:
Not that you need an additional reason to stress out, but, keep an eye on the place where you pulled it out. If he gets a bullseye shaped inflammation in the next month (http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/lyme.html) take him to a doctor.
Beej had this last year - no fun.
Hi Dan!
No rash. It definitely wasn't a deer tick, so no worries there. But, there's something so inherently revolting about a giant white tick sticking out of your baby's head.
Just sayin'
-M
Kudos for staying calm. I would have had to call 9-1-1. BLECH!
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