Tick Paralysis

Last Wednesday (July 4th), Mary Laine started crying as soon as she got out of bed. I ran up to see what was wrong, and she said that she couldn't walk. I assumed that she had slept in a funny position and that her foot had fallen asleep. After sitting on the floor with her for a minute, I had her get up and try again. She wobbled for a few steps and then fell to the floor. She said, "The fuzzies in my bed won't let me walk." She has a very active imagination. Trying not to panic, I thought that maybe she just needed a few more minutes to get her bearings. I let her watch 30 minutes of TV. The same thing happened after that. Gary wasn't home at this point, and I needed a second opinion on this before I started to panic, so I carried her to the table for breakfast. While we were eating, Gary came home. He saw what was happening and we both agreed that we were 50/50 on whether this was something to be worried about or not. We called in some friends who are therapists (one OT and two PTs) and had them take a look at her. They recommended that we put on the flashers and head straight to Batson in Jackson. So off we went.

They were so great - took us back almost immediately. When the triage nurse saw Mary Laine walk, she immediately asked if she had been in the woods, felt her head, and said "got it!". It was a huge, ugly, nasty tick. Mary Laine had tick paralysis!! We are so thankful that we saw that particular nurse. She said that the only reason that she knew what to look for that a little boy had come in about a year ago showing the same symptoms and he was there for three days of testing before they found the tick. I am so sorry for those parents, but so grateful that we could benefit from their experience. The paralysis moves up the body and will eventually lead to respiratory paralysis if the tick isn't removed. When you have a case of tick paralysis (usually only found in animals and children under age 10), the tick (an egg-laden female - gross!) produces a neuro-toxin in her saliva that is transferred to the blood stream. Our bodies are incapable of breaking it down and it eventually leads to paralysis. The good news is that, once the tick is removed, the toxin is gone, your body is able to easily eliminate what was already there, and you see improvement within hours.

Why am I giving so much information? Although VERY rare (I read that only a handful of cases were reported over about 50 years), it obviously happens. I am almost certain that she had gotten the tick about a week and a half before the 4th when we were staying at my aunt's house (surrounded by woods) in South Carolina. I had obviously bathed her, washed her hair and brushed it multiple times over that week and a half, but had no idea that she had a huge tick on her head. So, if you ever have a child who is unable to walk but really isn't complaining of any other symptoms, check for a tick before you start to panic and rush to the ER.

Here is a picture of the tick (eww, right?) and also a video of Mary Laine. The video was taken about 2 hours after the tick was removed, so there is definitely marked improvement, but you can see her a little unsteady at the end. I wish that I had taken a video before the tick had been removed, but obviously I had other things on my mind. Please pass this story along to other parents. Like I said, very rare, but it happens.