45 Degrees North: Tick Tick Tick

A longtime rural resident recounts a May tick bite that went unnoticed until swelling and itching set in, eventually requiring a walk-in clinic visit and a 10-day course of doxycycline.

The essay traces decades of tick exposure for the writer, her husband, and their dogs, framed against years of expensive high-deductible insurance that discouraged seeking care for anything short of serious.

Follow-up with her primary care provider concluded the rash was likely cellulitis from the bite rather than Lyme disease, though testing was not pursued given the absence of other symptoms.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.