Unlike the New England area, here in AL the blacklegged tick is rare thus we have a low incident rate of Lyme.
Years ago (before Lyme was even identified) I went on a hunt in AL. Came home and woke up sick the next morning. I had all the symptoms of lyme. Because of the unreliable tests and treatment, to this day we still don't know for sure whether it's lyme. Be careful, it's a horrible disease. Treat it like rabies: If in doubt, take the treatment. Once you get full blown lyme, you may never shake all the effects.
