When I get restless I usually grab a camera and head off to one of the many trails in the area. I never really worried about ticks. But apparently sometime in early December I was bitten by a deer tick and infected with something I had never heard of: babesiosis. But I had no idea.

After several days of weakness and high fever I checked in at the local clinic where they advised me to wait and see if it went away on its own. It didn’t. I finally saw a doctor who immediately honed in on babesiosis. He drew some blood and recognized the signs of the parasitic blood infection. It was severe enough that he told me to head right to the ER where they confirmed the diagnosis, admitted me and pumped me with antibiotics over three days. Then another week of home care with more antibiotics. Not a fun month.

Anyway, something to think about when walking on the trails here in Massachusetts, even in early winter.