How a Bad Assumption can Bite You...Literally
I’ve previously talked about how making assumptions can be dangerous in the “What are Assumptions Costing You?” blog post. Well here is an example of how a bad assumption can bite you…literally. Warning: If you easily get squeamish, you may want to skip reading this blog post.
Two weeks ago in the shower I glanced down and saw something black on my side. I instantly thought, “Oh no, is this a tick?!” I felt the panic start to rise as I know all the nasty diseases they can carry, how debilitating Lyme Disease can be, and I already have enough medical conditions to manage (a topic for another day).
Without glasses or contacts I was unable to make out exactly what it was. While quickly getting the shampoo out of my hair so I could get out, get my glasses on, and see what it was, I felt the familiar sensations come over me that precede passing out. A wave of light headedness followed by my vision starting to go black starting at the peripheral and moving in. I started an internal dialogue with myself, “Rosanne, you cannot pass out right now. You could hit your head and make the situation worse, and if this is a tick, it needs to come out now, you can do this, pull it together!” It worked, who knew I can will myself out of passing out. Good to know for the future.
I scrambled out and got my glasses on. My stomach turned, it was an adult tick that had burrowed into my side so all that was sticking out was its back end and back legs. I will refrain from including a pic of it in this blog post and I can assure you, it was as gross as it sounds. It was mentally traumatizing to see something feeding on me and moving around underneath my skin.
I beelined over to Urgent Care to have it removed as I didn’t trust myself to be able to:
Fully remove it in one piece given the angle it had burrowed in
Remove it without its stomach contents being injected into me increasing the likelihood of contracting a nasty disease
The nurse practitioner came in the room and asked, “What are you here for this morning?”. Not much thought went through my brain, I pulled up the side of my shirt and said “Get it out, get it out, get it out!” in a voice that escalated with each “get it out”. Looking back I can now laugh at myself. Bless her heart, she understood my fear. She started to say something to me, stopped herself, and said “Okay let’s get this out first and then I’ll share. I’m going to go get the tweezers.”
A few minutes later the tick had been removed and while cleaning out the wound she shared “you are the third person to come in this morning with a tick in the same spot.” It was only 9:30am. I got further instructions to return if I develop further symptoms or an infection where it burrowed in, and headed off to the pharmacy for the prophylactic dose of antibiotics to reduce the risk of contracting Lyme Disease. It was definitely an experience I could have done without.
Now what does all of this have to do with a bad assumption? EVERYTHING. Here is the bad (i.e. incorrect) assumption I had been operating under:
I don’t have to do tick checks during the winter
Given I was operating under the above assumption, and spring had just begun, I had yet to get back into the swing of doing a tick check after walking in the woods. Because I never did a tick check after walking in the woods twice that weekend, it allowed the tick to progress from my clothing, to my side, and then eventually burrow into my skin. Most likely during my sleep as I never felt its entry and the first tick bite I had less than a year ago, I felt it as soon as it bit my shoulder so it’s odd I never felt this one.
After a second tick in less than a year, and as far as I’m aware no tick bites prior to that, I started doing some research and was surprised to find:
The tick population is increasing in the Northeast because of Climate Change
Above 35 degrees F, certain ticks are still moving around in the woods
Okay then, that was a really incorrect assumption I was operating under that ultimately led to me getting bit, literally, by a tick. Going forward I will be:
Staying out of the woods the next few months during one of the times ticks are at a peak
Doing a tick check after walking in the woods anytime it’s 35 degrees F or warmer
So the next time you find yourself suffering:
Reflect back on what assumption(s) did you make that contributed to the situation?
For further exploration, see the additional questions in the “What are Assumptions Costing You?” blog post
And now that I’m a walking public service announcement, be sure and do your tick checks after walking in the woods!
Call to Action
Having trouble identifying the assumption(s) that contributed to your suffering? Reach out to Rosanne so you can identify and remove them from biting you in the future.
Using the comments feature, what’s an incorrect assumption you’ve previously made that led to you getting bit?
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About the Author: Rosanne Essiambre helps change agents and departments in one-on-one and group settings to be seen, be heard, and be effective in bringing about change in the organization and/or in their personal lives. She provides consulting and facilitation to organizations to improve communications and collaboration, smooth out the change / transformation journey, get to the root cause of an issue so it can be solved for good, improve processes, and implement successful lessons learned. And she conducts workshops, trains, and speaks on Energy Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Being a Change Agent and more. If you or your organization could use support with your change effort or some inspiration, contact Rosanne for a complimentary consultation. Rosanne is a Change Agent Coach, Facilitator, Six Sigma Black Belt, Change Management / Continuous Improvement Consultant, Speaker, and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner with more than 20 years experience working on a variety of transformations across a diverse set of industries both domestically and internationally, while continuously improving herself.