SeaCat
Hey, my Halo is smoking
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2003
- Posts
- 15,378
Went up to visit my parents today. While we were up there my father decided he needed some more Grapefruits and asked if I wanted to go along with him. Well hell I could use a few myself so we tossed a couple of buckets in the back of the car and all four of us took off. (My Father, my Mother, my Wife and myself.)
A bit later we reached our destination. The grove is an ababndoned one so no one cares if you grab the fruits. In fact the state now owns the land and is going to remove all of the trees and replant with native ones.
My Mother and my Wife decide to wait at the car so my Father and I head in. The place is heavily overgrown and you do have to be a bit carefull of things like Snakes. (We didn't see any this time.) We find a likely spot, several heavily laden trees in a small area. We set odwn the buckets and start picking. I had picked maybe three Grapefruits when I feel a tingling on my legs quickly followed by a bunch of small stings. What the Hell? When I looked my lower legs were covered with Fire Ants. Oh man did I move.
I brushed them off my jeans then pulled up the legs and worked on my skin. It took a bit but I got them all off. I wasn't too worried about it as I have never reacted to Ant Bites. I went back to picking on a different tree.
It didn't take us long to fill the buckets and head out of there. Maybe twenty minutes. When we reached the car I checked my legs and wasn't at all pleased by what I was seeing. Both legs were swollen and a nice red color. I told my wife to grab the Epi-Pen and the Benadryl Strips from my belly pack. I was hoping I wasn't going to need the Epi-Pen but I wanted it there just in case. I took one of the Strips and let it melt on my tongue then waded into the Saint Johns River to let the water help cool my legs.
AFter a short while the redness was starting to fade and we headed back to my parents place. I did keep an eye on things for the trip there and for a bit after but even the swelling was starting to go down.
About 2000 my wife and I loaded up and we headed for home. Once home I again took a look at my legs as I put some anti-itch cream on them. (Yes they were starting to itch.) I think I now know why I reacted. Left leg, 8 bites. Right Leg, 24 seperate bites.
Now things are settling down. The redness is gone as is most of the swelling. Other than my lower legs itching a bit and being tender to the touch they seem to have returned to normal.
That smarted a bit though.
Cat
A bit later we reached our destination. The grove is an ababndoned one so no one cares if you grab the fruits. In fact the state now owns the land and is going to remove all of the trees and replant with native ones.
My Mother and my Wife decide to wait at the car so my Father and I head in. The place is heavily overgrown and you do have to be a bit carefull of things like Snakes. (We didn't see any this time.) We find a likely spot, several heavily laden trees in a small area. We set odwn the buckets and start picking. I had picked maybe three Grapefruits when I feel a tingling on my legs quickly followed by a bunch of small stings. What the Hell? When I looked my lower legs were covered with Fire Ants. Oh man did I move.
I brushed them off my jeans then pulled up the legs and worked on my skin. It took a bit but I got them all off. I wasn't too worried about it as I have never reacted to Ant Bites. I went back to picking on a different tree.
It didn't take us long to fill the buckets and head out of there. Maybe twenty minutes. When we reached the car I checked my legs and wasn't at all pleased by what I was seeing. Both legs were swollen and a nice red color. I told my wife to grab the Epi-Pen and the Benadryl Strips from my belly pack. I was hoping I wasn't going to need the Epi-Pen but I wanted it there just in case. I took one of the Strips and let it melt on my tongue then waded into the Saint Johns River to let the water help cool my legs.
AFter a short while the redness was starting to fade and we headed back to my parents place. I did keep an eye on things for the trip there and for a bit after but even the swelling was starting to go down.
About 2000 my wife and I loaded up and we headed for home. Once home I again took a look at my legs as I put some anti-itch cream on them. (Yes they were starting to itch.) I think I now know why I reacted. Left leg, 8 bites. Right Leg, 24 seperate bites.
Now things are settling down. The redness is gone as is most of the swelling. Other than my lower legs itching a bit and being tender to the touch they seem to have returned to normal.
That smarted a bit though.
Cat
)Cat
