The One Where Jim Has Tick Fever

So, I posted about our wedding anniversary...and Jim's birthday is the day after. And I posted on Facebook about how he was really not feeling well.

I did not post about how he OUT OF THE BLUE said, "I think I might have tick fever." Or how I basically rolled my eyes at him when he said that. Because, he is never sick, so whenever he is feeling bad, OF COURSE he would think he had some random disease.

For several days, I begged him to go to the doctor, or to an urgent care place. We call those places "doc-in-a-box."

Anyway, he finally did, and guess what?

HE HAS TICK FEVER.

Like, for realz.

He had gone on a hike a couple of weeks ago...he knew exactly when it was, because he remembered pulling some ticks off of him. He neglected to tell me about his little tick adventure...his "tickventure," as it were...and then when he did, I was, like, "YOU HAVE BEEN CRAWLING IN OUR BED WITH ME EVERY NIGHT FOR TWO WEEKS!"

And I immediately started itching. I still feel like things are crawling on me.

When he started feeling bad, he remembered reading that it takes a couple of weeks for the symptoms to show up.

So they put him on this high-powered antibiotic, and he had to go to the pharmacy to pick it up. Even with our insurance card, his part was $125. He about freaked. They asked him if he still wanted it, and he said, "yes."

Because he doesn't want to die.

But he's not letting it go. He has told everyone...every.single.person we've run into...that his medicine cost $125.

And he told the kids not to expect much for Christmas this year.

I'M KIDDING...but just barely.

He came home and read all the instructions OUT LOUD on when to take the medicine, when NOT to take the medicine, what to eat/not eat/drink/not drink before, during, and after taking the medicine.

Then he read about the possible side-effects...OUT LOUD. At any given time, he's convinced he's got one or more of them.

It's gonna be a long 21 days.

I really am very sympathetic to him. We have some friends whose lives have been drastically affected by Lyme disease. It's no joke. So I'm praying for him...that he will only have to have one round of this medicine, and that he has a complete healing, with no residual effects from the tick bite.

But here is a your PSA, in Jim's words: Take this seriously.

*USE THE TICK SPRAY, every time.
*And CHECK YOURSELF, every time you come in from outside.
*And, if you pull a tick off of you, and start feeling bad after a few days, don't wait. GO TO YOUR DOCTOR.

Stay healthy, my friends.

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." James 5:16