Yep! Almost bought THE farm, not A farm, yesterday! During the off-season of my business I try and do side work like i.e. house painting, small fix-it up projects, fence work etc. Well, currently I am doing an exterior paint job on an older house and it's turned out to be a much bigger project than originally thought. Some of the soffits on the house showed damage and needed replacing but when we started removing the soffits we found much more extensive damage, especially on the front porch. So, we had to tear out almost half the front porch on the house and build back.
Anyway, to make a long story short, Yesterday I was stung by some unknown bug. It was kind of a prickly sensation and I told my helper that I thought I was stung by something. He asked if I was alright and I said sure! About 15 minutes later I told him I think I'm having a reaction to whatever bit me and I was going to run to the store and get some Benedryl. I got to the store and by that time I'm starting to feel the muscles in my throat and mouth tighten up. Naturally there were people in line ahead of me and I had to tell the cashier what had happened and that I needed to take the Benedryl before I got to her. The gentleman in front said that if I was having that severe a reaction I should see a doctor immediately. He encourages me with his parting words..."it's the little things that kill you you know"! Yikes! So I drive myself to my doctors office, and naturally he was not in, and by this time I can hardly think to drive and I'm having a hard time even communicating what happened (I still had to sign paperwork and pay my $20 co-pay before they would see me by the way). A nurse practitioner was there and they got me in to see her immediately. My blood pressure was 179/98 when I arrived with a pulse of 100. They administered some kind of steroid and when that didn't seem to be working they injected a super-dose of benedryl and then monitored me for the next hour as my symptoms returned back to normal.
It was a pretty scary experience. I have never been allergic to anything more than MSG and seasonal allergies. I have no clue what stung me as I never did see it but I think it might have been a caterpillar or centipede. Now I will always have to keep an epinephrine shot with me on the job sites. I was told by the nurse that the reaction could even be worse upon subsequent bites of the same kind and that I should use it immediately upon any signs and seek out medical attention.
I'm glad I didn't wait to seek out treatment and I would recommend to anyone who has any symptoms after a bug bite to do so immediately. As the guy at the grocery store said..."it's the little things that can kill you"!
Kevin
Wow, dude! Glad you're ok!!
The same thing happened to my boss. It was a bee. She was off work for 4 days. I've not been stung by many different kinds of bugs so honestly I have no idea what my reaction would be.
It's a scary thought. Very happy you're all right.
Glad you are ok now. I got stung several times a few years ago when I hit a ground nest in the far part of my backyard when cutting the grass. Bees or wasps - not sure. But swelled up and hurt like bleeping bleep.
Wow glad you are OK Kevin, you want to ask the Doctors who saw you if they can test your blood sample (they should have taken your bloods) and ask them to find out what the poison in your blood stream was, that way you'll have the information needed for future.
Ok, like freak me out. I'm glad you are ok Kevin. YIKES! I've only been bitten like once by a hornet. So, eeeek.
Hang in there.
And apart from the wife aye Rick ;)
Eeek. I've been stung before and it was noooo laughing matter. I hate bees with a vengeance :(. Morbidly afraid of the little buggers.
King
I am really glad you are all right. I've never been stung or bite by anything that was in any way serious. Have had a few painful experiences, to name one accidentally digging into a red anthill, little raging red ants all over your body don't feel very good, but they won't kill you or nothin'.
Oh god Dan not ants. Oh no, no no. Thats the only thing that bothers me. I used to deliver milk when i was in my teens and people would leave their empty bottles out to be collected. Some people not clean them and when i put my fingers in one bottle i looked down and loads of them had crawled out of the bottle and gone up my sleeve. I dont mind saying i was quite upset. Damn them ants.
Quote from: HawkeyeMeds on November 14, 2008, 11:46:16 AM
Oh god Dan not ants. Oh no, no no. Thats the only thing that bothers me. I used to deliver milk when i was in my teens and people would leave their empty bottles out to be collected. Some people not clean them and when i put my fingers in one bottle i looked down and loads of them had crawled out of the bottle and gone up my sleeve. I dont mind saying i was quite upset. Damn them ants.
Oh, I hate ants after that experience. The story behind that is, me and my friends when I was younger would always dig into the hillside of my backyard, cause that was the cool thing to do (not really sure why). One particularly normal afternoon of doing that with one of my best friends we hit our wooden stick shovels into a red anthill. The dirt with the red ants in it fell all over us. So now covered in ants we ran screaming. We ripped our shirts off and tried to beat them off, but there were to many for that to work. Darn did their little bites hurt. I recall we finally got them all off by showering ourselves with the water hose.
Meep, that sounds horrible! (Although, Starship Troopers reference FTW). Since bees and ants have already got the blame, I'm going to suggest spider.
WOW. Glad you are okay Kevin, bummer about having to carry shots with you from now on though.
I'm lucky enough never to have been stung by a bee or a wasp.....That's probably because when they come near me, I run away screaming like a little girl waving my hands in the air like an over-excited Wuss.
I once thought to cue my wife's fear of bees...by parking the car next to a bush full of them (in Ireland I think) and then opening her window to demonstrate that they wouldn't all rush into the car and sting her.
Of course they didn't rush into the car and sting her, but she didn't see the irationality of her fear either. Actually, I don't think she talked to me for a while...
Looking at it rationally now, I guess it could have been very bad indeed. I'm glad you're OK (and equally glad that you don't know a twit like me).
Quote from: Feathers on November 19, 2008, 01:34:46 PM
I once thought to cue my wife's fear of bees...by parking the car next to a bush full of them (in Ireland I think) and then opening her window to demonstrate that they wouldn't all rush into the car and sting her.
Of course they didn't rush into the car and sting her, but she didn't see the irationality of her fear either. Actually, I don't think she talked to me for a while...
Looking at it rationally now, I guess it could have been very bad indeed. I'm glad you're OK (and equally glad that you don't know a twit like me).
She didn't talk to you for a while...... Man that must have stung. :unsure
DOH!!!!!!!!! bet you din't call her honey after that either ;)
OK, OK, keep 'em coming ;)
Oh come on guys, Bee serious, hive had enough.
Wasp you talking about now?
What are you still "combing" your mind for more jokes?
That's really stirring a hornets nest if you ask me.