Mom Allergic to Red Meat, and It's All Because of a Tick Bite

While the idea of biting into a juicy hamburger would make anyone's mouth water, this mother has been struggling ever since a tick bite left her allergic to meat.

Read: Dog Saved Moments Before Being Euthanized When Assistant Finds Paralysis-Causing Tick

Janine Baumiller, who is a mother of two from Suffolk County, Long Island in New York, was left with the allergy after she was bitten by a Lone Star Tick.

The specific breed of ticks is distinguished by a white spot on their back. One bite from the arachnid will leave you with an allergic reaction that will cause welts to emerge on the skin.

“I was having hives. Burning hands, chest breaking out in hives everywhere," she told Inside Edition. "I went to the ER."

Lone Star Ticks first started popping up in the Southeast, but they've been making their way up the East Coast. Doctors say thousands of people have been diagnosed with red meat allergies due to the ticks.

Dr. Erin McGintee, an allergist on Long Island, N.Y., told Inside Edition how meat causes the reaction after a bite.

“People take a bit of a burger and feel fine until hours later and they start having the allergic reaction,” she says meat allergy symptoms don't always show up immediately.

Read: Tick Horror: The Bug Bite That Caused This Little Girl's Paralysis

“It often happens in the middle of the night for people, which is extra scary,” she added.

For red meat lovers like Baumiller, the tiny bug forced her to make a big change in her diet — now it's all chicken and veggies.

Anytime you're outdoors, wear bug repellent that contains DEET, long pants tucked into your socks and always check for ticks when you return home after being out in the woods or long grass.

Watch: From Chicken to Dairy to Flowers, the Long List of Things Debra Messing's Allergic To