CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you’re heading outside this summer, you‘ll want to be on the lookout for ticks.

What You Need To Know

  • It’s peak tick season in North Carolina
  • John McLean says he went misdiagnosed with Lyme disease for almost a decade 
  • The CDC says Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness

Ticks usually hang out on the edge of high grass fields or the edge of wooded areas.

There are a wide variety of ticks depending on your location in North Carolina, and each can carry a different disease.

Lyme disease can be carried by the deer tick.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most commonly reported tick-borne illness is Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is something John McLean knows a lot about.

For nearly a decade, he went undiagnosed. McLean says he started losing his memory, ability to speak, and smells and lights intensified for him.

McLean said doctors diagnosed him with depression and even Alzheimer’s, which he and his wife Barbara say was a scary diagnosis.

"I was very scared I was going to forget my grandchildren,” he said. “And Barbara posted pictures of where I sit in my easy chair on the wall and I would, every day, sit and say their names, their birth dates and that went on for quite a while. I just didn’t want to forget.”

It wasn’t until he had to go to the hospital for an unrelated infection that he realized he might have Lyme.

He was put on a 30-day supply of antibiotics, and his memory started to get better.

His wife Barbara says they then realized doctors may be wrong, as people in John’s family had Alzheimer’s, and they are familiar with the disease.

“We knew it wasn't Alzheimer’s because Alzheimer’s doesn’t get better,” she said.

After researching what could possibly be wrong, he came across Lyme and realized he had been bitten by a tick.

He had actually gotten tested at the time to see if he had Lyme disease after his tick bite, but he says results came back negative.

Dr. Sloan Manning with Novant Health says Lyme disease tests may not always catch the disease early enough.

“The testing for Lyme is a bit of a challenge because some of the tests don’t become accurate until late symptoms manifest, and it takes a keen eye and experienced hand to get the right test,” Manning said.

Johns Hopkins Medicine says Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose because symptoms aren’t consistent and may mimic other conditions.

McLean made an appointment with an out-of-state Lyme disease specialist, and although they had to wait six months for an appointment, he finally got the right diagnosis.

Now, McLean and his wife spread awareness about ticks and Lyme disease prevention.

Together, the couple heads the North Carolina chapter of the National Capital Lyme Disease Association.

“If you can teach people how not to get tick bites, no one gets sick,” Barbara McLean said.

Manning says to always check yourself for ticks after being outside.

If you find a tick, take a pair of tweezers to pull it out, ensuring to get the head as well.

Then, schedule a doctor’s appointment and bring the tick with you.