BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 2, 2022
I was working outside on an early spring day, clearing brush and tidying up. In the late afternoon I noticed a small bump on my neck and didn’t pay attention. But when I took a shower I noticed a black speck, perhaps the size of a quarter of a grain of rice with wiggling legs. I removed it, mangling it in the process, put it in a zip lock bag and rubbed the spot with alcohol. Did I do the right thing? Was the tick of the Ixodes variety that carries Lyme disease or another kind? Should I have it tested, see my doctor and take doxycycline?