When A Tick Bite Leads to Hospitalization: Bassett Patient Speaks About Her Fight Against Anaplasmosis

Last summer, Georgia L. Meeter of Cooperstown, New York was nearing the end of a busy week when she started to feel fatigued and her head started to ache. She thought she would take a nap on the couch and feel better, but when she awoke, she felt disoriented and suffered a fall.

“I lost consciousness and I was in and out of it for 24 hours,” said Georgia. “I remember hearing a voice in my head, repeating, ‘wake up, keep going.’”

Eventually, Georgia was able to reach her phone and dial her son, Jeff, who lives in Florida and he called 9-1-1. She was taken to Bassett Medical Center where she was treated for a sore tailbone, dehydration, and given a tick-borne disease panel, which came back positive for anaplasmosis. 

Hear Georgia talk about her diagnosis, in her own words:

“I never saw a spot on my body, never had an itch or a red mark, and I’m not in the woods a lot,” said Georgia. “I had no idea I had been bitten.”

Georgia was hospitalized for five days and she spent 10 days recovering at a nursing home. She is now active, healthy, and has resumed her independent life. However, she continues to deal with brain fog, which can be a long-lasting effect of anaplasmosis. Georgia currently works with Bassett Healthcare Network neurologist Syed Sher, MD, on exercises to improve her short-term memory.

Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease that spreads through a specific type of bacteria that may be in a tick’s saliva when it bites. Unlike Lyme disease, its symptoms do not include a bullseye (Erythema migrans) rash. According to data gathered by Bassett Healthcare Network doctors, the 2025 tick season was particularly severe for the counties Bassett serves. The number of anaplasmosis cases and diagnoses nearly doubled from the year before.

“A patient with anaplasmosis experiences a fever after a tick bite. Other possible symptoms can include aches, general tiredness, chills, or nausea and vomiting. While these symptoms may seem commonplace, it is important to take the risk of tick-borne illness seriously and seek medical care if you believe you may have been bitten,” said Kai Mebust, MD, FHM, Chief of the Department of Medicine at Bassett Medical Center, who provided care to Georgia.

The best way you can protect yourself from anaplasmosis is to take steps to reduce your risk of being bitten by a tick in the first place. Use insect repellant, wear clothing that covers as much skin as possible, and perform tick checks when you come inside, especially after spending time in a wooded area. Placing clothing worn outside into the dryer on high heat for at least 20 minutes can kill any ticks that may be on them.

“You must take a lot of precaution now and it’s hard because in a sense we can convince ourselves that this rarely happens. Urgency is needed and you need to seek quick testing because that is the only way to know,” said Georgia.

Patients who are concerned they may have contracted anaplasmosis or another tick-borne illness are invited to visit a Bassett convenient care location, see their primary care practitioner, or make an On Demand Video Visit using the MyBassett app.