Before I tell you my story, let me just say Happy Memorial Day. THANK YOU to everyone who serves or has served in our military (especially you, Joshy.)
Somewhere in Berks County, Pa., there is a swarm of insects that got that way after feeding on me Saturday night. We went to our friends' house for a cookout and as we sat around the fire pit later that night, I turned into a buffet for the little buggers. My syrupy sweet blood must have been like a big gulp of Kool-Aid for them. A couple of hours later, I was C.O.V.E.R.E.D in bites that eventually turned into welts. Arms, legs, neck...they even got my elbow and one of my knuckles. My husband counted 17, and those were only the ones that were visible from where he was standing. I spent Sunday greased like a Thanksgiving turkey in Benadryl cream, and I took Benadryl orally, which knocked me out for the day. It didn't really help. Sunday night I was achy and restless.
I covered a Memorial Day service for the paper this morning and it was ridiculously hot, so the heat and the sweating irritated the bites even more. Long story short, some of the bites got infected and I wound up making an emergency visit to the doctor after the ceremony.
I assumed I was consumed (hey...that's rhymes...) by mosquitoes, but the doctor stared at me for a good, long time and said, "Hmph. I think these might be spider bites. Or ticks. Probably some are mosquito bites. I don't know."
Then he said, "I don't think you have West Nile Virus...but if you start feeling sick or run a fever, you need to get to the ER right away."
WEST NILE VIRUS?!?!?!?!?
Shoot, man! I just wanted to avoid an infection! I didn't think about West Nile! Oh snap.
He said he couldn't figure out why I was having such a major reaction to the bites - "Maybe it's because of who the bugs bit before they bit you." That was super comforting, too. Hopefully they didn't feed on a leper or something before they got to me. Can you spread leprosy through bugs? I don't know. I've never needed to know.
Keeping with the tradition of only learning things the hard way, I now know I can only enjoy a summer bonfire while wearing a snowsuit. Heat stroke or West Nile, those are my options.
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Somewhere in Berks County, Pa., there is a swarm of insects that got that way after feeding on me Saturday night. We went to our friends' house for a cookout and as we sat around the fire pit later that night, I turned into a buffet for the little buggers. My syrupy sweet blood must have been like a big gulp of Kool-Aid for them. A couple of hours later, I was C.O.V.E.R.E.D in bites that eventually turned into welts. Arms, legs, neck...they even got my elbow and one of my knuckles. My husband counted 17, and those were only the ones that were visible from where he was standing. I spent Sunday greased like a Thanksgiving turkey in Benadryl cream, and I took Benadryl orally, which knocked me out for the day. It didn't really help. Sunday night I was achy and restless.
I covered a Memorial Day service for the paper this morning and it was ridiculously hot, so the heat and the sweating irritated the bites even more. Long story short, some of the bites got infected and I wound up making an emergency visit to the doctor after the ceremony.
I assumed I was consumed (hey...that's rhymes...) by mosquitoes, but the doctor stared at me for a good, long time and said, "Hmph. I think these might be spider bites. Or ticks. Probably some are mosquito bites. I don't know."
Then he said, "I don't think you have West Nile Virus...but if you start feeling sick or run a fever, you need to get to the ER right away."
WEST NILE VIRUS?!?!?!?!?
Shoot, man! I just wanted to avoid an infection! I didn't think about West Nile! Oh snap.
He said he couldn't figure out why I was having such a major reaction to the bites - "Maybe it's because of who the bugs bit before they bit you." That was super comforting, too. Hopefully they didn't feed on a leper or something before they got to me. Can you spread leprosy through bugs? I don't know. I've never needed to know.
Keeping with the tradition of only learning things the hard way, I now know I can only enjoy a summer bonfire while wearing a snowsuit. Heat stroke or West Nile, those are my options.
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| "Diabetic? JACKPOT!!!!" |
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