Tick bites are unpleasant and can cause serious sickness, as is common knowledge. We are all aware that tick checks should be vigilant and watch out for bulls’ eye rashes. The tale of a mother from Oklahoma, however, is still one of the worst tick tales ever, especially with the knowledge we currently possess.
It is well known that tick bites are uncomfortable and can result in serious illness. We are all aware that when performing tick checks, caution must be taken to look out for bull’s eye rashes. But even with today’s understanding, the story of the mother from Oklahoma remains one of the worst tick stories ever.
As there weren’t many waterfalls in Oklahoma, Jo Rogers who is a fun-loving woman who loved her dogs, hiking, and nature wanted to see one that is why her husband Keith Rogers took her to Natural Falls State Park, close to the Oklahoma-Arkansas border. However, little did they know that Jo Rogers’ life completely changed.
Keith recalled, “When we came back, she started feeling sick, and she thought she might have the flu.”
Jo Rogers just thought she had the flu, then became aggravated with vomiting and dizziness. And When she hadn’t started getting better after five days, her family took her to the hospital.
“She was shaking her hands because they hurt, her feet hurt,” Rogers’ cousin Lisa Morgan said. “They tested her for West Nile virus and meningitis.”
Jo Rogers was subsequently diagnosed with complications from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF), but gangrene was already forming on her limbs, the mother of two had a serious infection from an unnoticed tick bite.
Rogers’ Rocky Mountain spotted fever infection forced doctors to amputate her right leg and it only got worse.
“After things started going bad and she went into septic shock, the blood flow cut off to her limbs, and her hands and feet started going black. They had to cut off her right leg just above the knee, her left leg just below the knee, and both her arms about mid-forearm,” her husband explained.
It gets less press, but it’s just as dangerous as Lyme disease. Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a tickborne disease caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii. It is spread by three different kinds of ticks — the American Dog Tick, the Rocky Mountain wood tick, and the brown dog tick. It starts with a fever, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, and muscle pain. It could have a rash, but not always.
If Rocky Mountain spotted fever is not treated during the first few days of symptoms, it can be a serious or even fatal condition. Although it may be treated with antibiotics, if it is not discovered in time, it can cause infection and even death. It’s enough to discourage you from going outside.
“Every day is a new challenge, I go in there, sit and talk to her and show her pictures of how our two boys are doing. I show her videos of her two dogs back at home. I try to keep it normal, but it gets very hard because she’ll want me not to leave, and it’s so hard because I can’t take her with me,” Keith Rogers said saying that he made sure to see his wife every day while she fought more RMSF side effects, such as blood clots in her lungs that required a tracheotomy.
Because of a tiny little tick, Rogers will survive, but she will do it in a very different way. Despite their little size, they are incredibly destructive. The best way to deal with ticks is, of course, prevention. Wear long sleeves. Be vigilant about tick checks. Use Deet (don’t even bother with the natural repellants). If you do get a tick, don’t panic. Call your doctor and they can best advise you on how to proceed.
Watch the video below for more details:
Sources: Taphaps, Rachfeed, Foxbaltimore
