Do you know how big a tick is? It’s small. Really, really small. The average tick is the size of a sesame seed. It’s said that the doors of history turn on small hinges. Sometimes those hinges might be as small as a tick.
Three years ago my husband went on a campout with the young men in our ward. A while after he came home he got a little sick. You know where this is going…it turns out he was bitten by a tick and contracted lyme disease. He never actually saw the tick, but he felt the fever when he got flu-like symptoms, he saw the ring like rashes that appeared on his torso and he also felt the heart palpitations that eventually developed. Since we were out of town during the weeks following it took a while for him to get properly diagnosed seeing how lyme disease is common in the northeast, but not so much in other parts of the country. When we returned home to New York, B walked into the student health center and was diagnosed within a matter of minutes. He was given the proper antibiotics and soon all traces of Lyme and the accompanying symptoms disappeared. Life was back to normal and we haven’t really thought about that little episode since. No big deal.
Until last week.
Apparently the military thinks heart palpitations–of any kind, no matter the origin–are a very big deal. See the past 2 years we haven’t been on active duty, so in preparation for our new venture in San Antonio the hubs has to take a physical. Thus the minor and temporary heart palpitations came to light and we were informed that we may be medically disqualified from being in the Air Force. So what does this mean? This means that we may not be moving to San Antonio, this means that when we close on our house (yes, we sold our house!) we may not have a place to live, and this means that we may not know what we’re doing or where we’re going in a matter of weeks. Awe-some. And of course, if we do get medically disqualified we also get a nice fat bill from the Air Force letting us know what we owe them for dental school. Which might make that minuscule little parasite the worlds most expensive tick, as a friend of mine pointed out.
The hubs has taken some substantial measures to make sure they know his heart is in tip-top shape–he plays soccer weekly and has even run a marathon since the lyme episode– and he has more than 1 doctor willing to back him up on this. B feels confident that this will be cleared up and everything will work out. I remain a little skeptical. So we’ll see. We do feel a little less frantic than we did when we first received this phone call, although it’s still been quite the roller coaster.
So that’s it. The latest and craziest. I still can’t believe one little tick could cause so much havoc years after the fact.
*Also, etsy shop updates coming soon! Hip, hip hooray!
Oh, Miggy! I am praying for you right now that all this gets cleared up. I can only imagine the kind of upheaval your family is feeling. Stay strong and keep us updated! Big hugs. Big, BIG hugs!
Wow, what a totally unexpected potential wrench in your plans!! It's hard to remember in times like these that things don't happen by accident. I hope and pray you get things sorted out soon!
PS. I'm a first-time commenter, and I'd like to thank you for sharing your family's story!
Let's hope they use a little perspective when they review B's records. This is just madness.
PS one of Jared's top 3 reasons for not moving to Kentucky is ticks. Darn little buggers are changing the world!
This is a surprisingly, beautifully composed, well written post in light of this HUGE event in your life. I would be a MESS. (And, being married to a dentist, I know what a huge sacrifice and expense dental school is.)
I would say, "Chin up" but it is appears is obviously is. You amaze me.
Good luck with everything! Josh god Lyme when we live in Maryland while on a YM camp out! The symptoms knocked him out. I was so glad to be rid of that disease. Fingers crossed that it all works out!
Goodness, you seem to handle such upheavals and life-changing events with such aplomb.
Of course, I know that sometimes the most beautifully composed posts hide a world of pain and panic in real life, but I also know you two have faith to move mountains.
Hang in there! I pray this gets sorted out soon and for the best.
ca-razy! we'll keep you in our prayers. what an interesting time. ps. I can't wait for your etsy shop update!
Oh no! Thinking of ya'll!
Thanks everyone!
First, we were a WRECK when we first got hit with this bomb. So don't let this post fool you. I didn't mean to minimize this…I, in particular, was really feeling stressed out. Second, now that the dust has settled and B has really done his homework and taken additional measures –like seeing a cardiologist–he's feeling a lot more confident that everything going to be OK and that we'll be moving forward with our plans to SA. So I guess that's why I we're feeling a lot less stressed about it all.
Oh my goodness… AAAAAHHHHH! I hope it gets cleared up STAT. For what it's worth, I think things like this that are totally beyond your control will either work themselves out or point you in a new and better direction. But so stressful in the meantime…
thinking of you and you're always in my prayers.
I bet you're pretty ticked off.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Hopefully all will get resolved and your family can move forward, in whatever that direction may be.
haha…good one Anon. 🙂
shut up! seriously. will anxiously await the word. I have to say, I don't think I'd be sad if you found a reason not to move far away. though I guess you have no reason to stay in the nati. great news on the house!
Oh for the love of humanity!!!! I hope it's all cleared up snappily! (As if.)
Good luck!
Thinking of you!
They almost disqualified me too, just for having psoriasis! Good luck!