FORT KNOX, Ky. — I sat in the car with the window down two months ago as my wife walked into a grocery store. The warm morning sun danced with a cool breeze, providing a perfect opportunity to relax and think about nothing in particular. Two minutes later, my palms began to itch, disrupting the moment. I switched from hand to hand to scratch each palm, trying to find relief. It didn’t work. Instead, my palms turned bright red and itched even more. Then my armpits began to itch, and my chest started to feel like a horse was sitting on top of me. My mind turned from the breeze to what might have come from it. (Did something toxic blow in the car? Am I having a heart attack?) When my wife returned, I told her I wasn’t feeling well. She had been in the store for 10 minutes, tops. A minute later, she pulled into a nearby gas station and suggested I get out and walk around while she filled the tank. The itching and ragged breathing persisted and even intensified. She asked if I was having a panic attack. “No. I was just sitting in the car enjoying the morning. It’s almost as if something blew into my window.” By the time we climbed back in the car, she looked concerned and asked if I needed to go to the hospital emergency room – at least 15 minutes away. Between labored breaths I mumbled, “I think I better.” Neither of us had an idea what was happening but whatever it was, it was getting progressively worse – and fast. I began to wonder if I would even make it to the hospital. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest hundreds of thousands of Americans have no idea that a timebomb is ticking inside of them from the threat of anaphylaxis shock and possible death brought on by alpha-gal syndrome. The culprit is a tick, most often the Lone Star tick. With the alpha-gal sugar molecule in its saliva, a carrier tick bites its victims and infects them with the allergy as it sucks their blood. Researchers warn that the number of infections has been growing at a steady rate of about 15,000 annually over the last decade. “More than 110,000 suspected cases of AGS were identified between 2010 and 2022,” according to a CDC information page on the subject. “However, cases of AGS are not nationally notifiable to CDC. The actual number of AGS cases in the United States is not known, but as many as 450,000 people may be affected.” Kentucky is caught in the crosshairs of this issue. Commonly referred to as the “red-meat allergy,” alpha-gal is most prevalent across the middle belt of the United States from Central Kansas and Oklahoma to the East Coast of Virginia and North Carolina. According to the CDC, alpha-gal occurs naturally in most mammals – including pigs and cows – except humans. The molecule develops into an allergy when it comes into contact with human blood. However, not every Lone Star carries the molecule, and not every human bitten by a carrier tick gets alpha-gal. Connecting the dots of symptoms makes identifying alpha-gal even more challenging. For many who are infected, the symptoms arise two to six hours after getting bitten. But that’s not always the case. Some people can eat mammalian meat for days, weeks or even months after infection before symptoms suddenly appear. When they do, the person might have a mildly upset stomach or feel a little dizzy. Other reactions can be severe, or even deadly. Because of the many different reactions and when they surface, medical experts say most people don’t realize they have alpha-gal. This lack of understanding led to the September 2024 death of a New Jersey man whom allergists didn’t confirm until this month. That confirmation makes him the first documented American fatality from AGS. According to several recent news articles on the announcement, neither the man nor his wife suspected he had AGS. She told officials after his death that she didn’t even know he had been bitten by a tick. In fact, she only remembered one incident; he was bitten by a dozen chiggers during their summer 2024 vacation. Researchers have concluded those chiggers were probably Lone Star tick larvae, which look very similar. The man’s first reaction came when eating a steak shortly afterward. Late that night, he struggled with severe stomach pains that lasted for several hours. The pain was severe enough that he told his children afterward he thought he was going to die. But then it passed. Concluding it had been nothing serious, he decided not to visit a doctor. Two weeks later, after eating a hamburger at a neighborhood party, he collapsed in his home and never regained consciousness. A tick bite never crossed my mind either as my wife drove faster and faster toward the hospital. All I knew was that my lungs felt even heavier within 10 minutes of first feeling itchy, and now my jaw and tongue suddenly felt thick and numb. My wife struggled to make sense of what I was trying to say as I talked to her. I later described the feeling to when a dentist numbs your jaw with a local anesthetic before pulling or filling a tooth. My wife was beginning to panic. I was trying not to, but it was getting harder and harder not to. I just kept trying to convince her that I was going to be okay. When we got to the emergency room, the medical staff didn’t share my assessment. Within a couple of minutes, they had me on a bed in a private room, and the ER team of nurses surrounded me, poking me with needles and calling for the doctor. Several parts of my body, including my face and head, were now bright red, itchy and splotchy, and I felt like my skin was on fire. Experts from CDC warn that symptoms from an alpha-gal infection may be mild or severe and can manifest differently for each infected person. These symptoms include hives or itchy rash, nausea or vomiting, severe stomach pain, heartburn or indigestion, diarrhea, joint pain, a cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure, swelling of lips, throat, tongue or eye lids, dizziness or fainting, or a combination of symptoms that result in anaphylaxis shock. That rash spreading all over my body was an alarm bell to the doctor when he arrived. I faintly heard him mention “hives” to one of the nurses as he ordered up medicines and tests. After about 30 minutes of receiving medicine, most of my symptoms vanished. “You had what appears to be some sort of allergic reaction,” he told me after signing my discharge paperwork. “I advise you go to an allergist and get tested.” Two weeks later, my tests came back positive for alpha-gal. I was stunned. Officials regularly warn hunters and outdoor enthusiasts to take extra precautions before going outside – and afterward. They include tucking pants legs into your boots and shirts into your beltlines, wearing long sleeves, using repellent spray on clothes and exposed skin, checking for any ticks, and even bathing. It’s not understated that a little bit of extra planning, precaution and inconvenience can prove worth it in the long run. Fort Knox health chief Dr. James Stephens warned in June that 2025 was shaping up to be the year of the tick. He was right. At the height of the summer season, medical personnel had pulled more than 50 ticks off of personnel in one week. Because of how increasingly hard it has become to avoid them it’s a good idea to get tested at the end of each tick season. Then, you will know if you’ve been infected. And if you’ve had any or some of the symptoms listed above, consider getting tested immediately. If you are infected, be prepared to change your lifestyle. This can feel daunting at first. It is doable, however. In fact, it wasn’t as difficult for me as I feared it would be. Earlier this year, a friend of mine who loves to hunt and shoot told me that alpha-gal would be a death nail for him. When he found out I had it, he delivered his condolences to me in person. I frankly agreed with him. Fast-forward two months, I’m learning how to avoid any further exposure to alpha-gal. I won’t lie; it hasn’t been easy. I have to guard against eating anything containing mammalian meat – especially beef. A lot of products contain beef: gelatins like gummies and marshmallows; poultry sausages that are often wrapped in mammal casings; and processed foods like soups, sauces and snacks. Even milk products can pose a danger to some people. Some people have even gotten sick from being in proximity to mammal foods that are being cooked. Foods are not the only concerns, though. Lotions, over-the-counter medicines and more contain mammal byproducts. A useful word to remember when avoiding alpha-gal is “carrageenan.” Get in the habit of reading ingredient labels. If you see that word, avoid the product. I’ve recently discovered a much easier way to protect myself – my phone. There are food scanning apps available, although many require a subscription. You can set parameters for what allergies to avoid, including alpha-gal, and then use the barcode scanner to get quick information on a specific product. Some apps also offer a list of products certified as free of alpha-gal, or even what major restaurants offer allergy-free options. Life can be difficult at times if you have to live with alpha-gal. But the alternative can be deadly.