Tiny bugs aren’t harmless by any means. Ticks are a bug that aren’t easily spotted out in the open but these tiny parasites can be very dangerous. Ticks are very small arachnids and they are usually 3 to 5 mm long. They are cousins with mites and have been around for a very long time.
Ticks are known as ectoparasites, or external parasites. They survive by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and even humans.
When Stephanie woke up one day, she went to their toddler’s room and noticed that something was very wrong. Her son, Collin, is usually very energetic and excited for the day. Usually at that time, he should already be jumping around in his room or playing outside in their yard. However, she soon realized that this was not a normal day.
Collin was just lying in his bed, staring up at her. She called her husband,Dillon, as fast as she could.
Stephanie and Dillon learned that their son had become paralyzed during the night. They were in complete shock at the situation. The parents decided to bring him to the emergency room rather than try to go to their family doctor. They originally thought that his condition might be caused by him accidentally hitting his head before his brother’s baseball game, thinking that he had a concussion.
However, doctors said that he didn’t show any signs of a concussion. After that incident, he was still able to talk very well and he was not showing symptoms.
Several tests were made and Collin’s condition soon got worse. Dillon was heartbroken to see his son struggle. He said, “The only thing he could do is breathe. ” Collin couldn’t move.
He was also struggling to eat and drink water. The doctors were strong and continued to run tests to figure out the issue. His oxygen levels began dropping so they moved him to a bigger hospital.
Every second mattered, and Stephanie and Dillon knew that Collin needed the best doctors and the medical tools needed to determine what caused his condition. As soon as Collin was transferred, his parents were shocked when the doctors told them that if they had been 30 minutes late, little Collin would have gone into cardiac arrest and his small body would not have been able to handle it.
After a short while, the doctors finally revealed what the issue was, a tiny little tick behind Collin’s ear!
This tick had been slowly killing the poor boy. Everyone, including his parents and the doctors, had missed it. The tick was removed immediately and it didn’t take long for him to be back to his old self again. According to the ER doctor.
Tick bites are very common but paralysis is a very rare condition caused by the tick’s saliva. The doctor explained that a neurotoxin is housed in the tick’s salivary glands. This means that while the tick is feeding, that neurotoxin was spreading into Collin’s blood, causing the paralysis.
Collin’s condition should serve as a lesson for parents to be careful of their children’s conditions. Always make sure that they are safe from bugs and other parasites like ticks!
