Wow...I'm sorry things got so nasty. It's getting kinda hard to post around here for fear of these eruptions
In the back of my mind, I wondered if the tick had been on my back/neck awhile and then dislodged that night. My friend never found a tick on her son so it must've come off somehow...hmmm...so I wondered if a tick feeds that way & if unnoticed crawls off to feed on other sources. But I didn't express that (pre-migraine confusion LOL) Anyway, the dr figured out that the info about how to determine if the tick had gorged itself or not would allay my concerns. It appears they can remove themselves to go feed elsewhere.
Anyway, my thanks to those who've shared info. It helped & I appreciate it.
I hope sharing what I'm learning from my experience (I don't claim ANY expertise!!!) has been helpful to others. And my sympathies to those whose dogs were killed or sickened by tick bites
Peace to all!