After I was bitten by tick, I developed a rare allergy to meat. Now I’m a quasi-vegetarian

I was preparing dinner when I noticed the tick bite: an insect about the size of a poppy seed had lodged itself within the trench of my inner elbow.

My wife fetched a bottle of ether spray and froze the tick dead, and I went on making dinner.

Weeks later, while sprawled on the couch on a Saturday night, I felt I mild itch on my arm. I rolled up my sleeve and noticed three red spots that looked like mosquito bites. Within seconds, more spots had appeared on my neck and back.

These weren’t mozzie bites; they were hives. And they were spreading.

My wife drove me to hospital, calmly obeying the speed limit despite my distress. Meanwhile, I could feel the hives spreading further, racing down my body as if my feet were the finish line.