gilx
21st August 2005, 04:54
Although this tale of woe isn't in the same league as Cantolin'a Bambie, It might bring a smile to some, and raise a warning flag for others. Today I hit a bug.
It wasn't just an ordinary garden variety bug, it was a creature straight from the very depths of hell. It weighed 30 lbs, had teeth like broken glass, and came at me at more than a million miles an hour...or at least thats what it felt like :laugh Actually, the first I noticed it was a sharp crack like sound just like a rock bouncing off the front of the helmet. Immediately after I felt something hit my neck, followed by a "crawley" sensation down the back of my T shirt. At once, from the first point came a burning sensation on my neck. It proceeded to radiate outward and felt like fire. A second point on my back right shoulder blade was starting the same thing. Now, while all this is going on I'm still driving, in traffic, down the road at 50+mph. As quickly as I can I find a place where I can pull over. I jumped off my bike, throw off my helmet and gloves, and proceed to do the fastest roadside striptease Northern Utah has ever seen. In retrospect I can understand why nobody pulled over to help the crazy man who was jumping around shouting obscenities while waiving his T shirt all over the place :roflblack I never found the body, so I can't quite verify the "30 lbs" and "teeth of glass" part.
Thinking this episode in entomology was over, I got dressed, tried to find my dignity, which in all the ruckus managed to slink away and has yet to return, and go on my way. I had two destinations for today's travel: a CAL Ranch Store, and Smith & Edwards...a huge Army surplus store. Both have a good selection of "horse stuff." I wanted to see what real horse people did for saddle bags. The CAL store was only a couple miles away, but by the time I go there I found myself itching in a couple places, mostly around my back. I put this down to being squeemish about having a bug down my shirt. As I looked around the store, the itching got worse. On the way out of the store I stopped in the men's room to check my T shirt yet again. Still no bug or bug parts. Smith & Edwards was 4 or 5 miles up the road, pleasant ride...but still itching. While walking through S&E I do all that I can to keep from scratching. By now the itching has proceeded around to the front and being particularly irksome around my chest and underarms. Within minutes it has spread to the palms of my hands and all along my belt line. I didn't find anything in the horse area that I wanted, but did pick up a couple things and headed to checkout. By now, I'm itching so bad I almost couldn't talk to the checkout lady...she probably thought I was doped up on something with all my squirming. As I got back on my bike and sat down I quickly discovered the itching had made it's way to the gluteus maximus :laugh If I hadn't been in itch hell at the time, it would have been really funny. By now I'm getting desperate. I have to get these clothes off, have a good all over scratch, and find out what the hell is going on. I get on the interstate, taking the clover-leaf on ramp at peg scraping speed. While flying home I discover where my intermittent oil leak problem is manifesting itself from...but thats another story :D
I get home and nobody is around. I literally run into the bathroom and peal off my clothes. I'm covered from chin to ankle in huge red hives and blisters. It was a real WTF moment. OK, bug...itching...hives...I'm having a huge alergic reaction. I grab three benedryl and down them immediately and hit the shower. I don't think the shower did anything, but the rubdown with the towel was better than sex. By now the itching has mostly subsided. I look up anaphylactic shock in google. I don't have the airway constrictions, but the itching and hives match. Apparently a hypersensitivity to bee or wasp venom can be created by being bitten earlier. The body creates a lot of histimines to fight it off, but they stay in the blood stream. Getting bit again while they are still around can cause this type of reaction. Well, I got hit by a yellow jacket a couple weeks before...QED.
Bottom line: what have I learned? I think I will experiment with a bandanna around my neck while it is still to hot to ride with anything but a T shirt. Later, as it cools off I think I will keep my top shirt buttoned. However, those who are susecptable to anaphylactic shock may want to keep an "Epi Pen" near by during bug season while riding. At the speed the bug hit my helmet, I doubt it was intact when it hit my neck...probably just body parts. More than likely it was just the venom, mixed with other bug juices touching my neck, and some parts being pushed through my T shirt and rubbing on my shoulder that caused my alergic reaction.
As I write this, by hives have mostly subsided but are still prominant. The itching has gone, and already I can hardly wait to get out there and kill some more bugs :clap :clap :clap
It wasn't just an ordinary garden variety bug, it was a creature straight from the very depths of hell. It weighed 30 lbs, had teeth like broken glass, and came at me at more than a million miles an hour...or at least thats what it felt like :laugh Actually, the first I noticed it was a sharp crack like sound just like a rock bouncing off the front of the helmet. Immediately after I felt something hit my neck, followed by a "crawley" sensation down the back of my T shirt. At once, from the first point came a burning sensation on my neck. It proceeded to radiate outward and felt like fire. A second point on my back right shoulder blade was starting the same thing. Now, while all this is going on I'm still driving, in traffic, down the road at 50+mph. As quickly as I can I find a place where I can pull over. I jumped off my bike, throw off my helmet and gloves, and proceed to do the fastest roadside striptease Northern Utah has ever seen. In retrospect I can understand why nobody pulled over to help the crazy man who was jumping around shouting obscenities while waiving his T shirt all over the place :roflblack I never found the body, so I can't quite verify the "30 lbs" and "teeth of glass" part.
Thinking this episode in entomology was over, I got dressed, tried to find my dignity, which in all the ruckus managed to slink away and has yet to return, and go on my way. I had two destinations for today's travel: a CAL Ranch Store, and Smith & Edwards...a huge Army surplus store. Both have a good selection of "horse stuff." I wanted to see what real horse people did for saddle bags. The CAL store was only a couple miles away, but by the time I go there I found myself itching in a couple places, mostly around my back. I put this down to being squeemish about having a bug down my shirt. As I looked around the store, the itching got worse. On the way out of the store I stopped in the men's room to check my T shirt yet again. Still no bug or bug parts. Smith & Edwards was 4 or 5 miles up the road, pleasant ride...but still itching. While walking through S&E I do all that I can to keep from scratching. By now the itching has proceeded around to the front and being particularly irksome around my chest and underarms. Within minutes it has spread to the palms of my hands and all along my belt line. I didn't find anything in the horse area that I wanted, but did pick up a couple things and headed to checkout. By now, I'm itching so bad I almost couldn't talk to the checkout lady...she probably thought I was doped up on something with all my squirming. As I got back on my bike and sat down I quickly discovered the itching had made it's way to the gluteus maximus :laugh If I hadn't been in itch hell at the time, it would have been really funny. By now I'm getting desperate. I have to get these clothes off, have a good all over scratch, and find out what the hell is going on. I get on the interstate, taking the clover-leaf on ramp at peg scraping speed. While flying home I discover where my intermittent oil leak problem is manifesting itself from...but thats another story :D
I get home and nobody is around. I literally run into the bathroom and peal off my clothes. I'm covered from chin to ankle in huge red hives and blisters. It was a real WTF moment. OK, bug...itching...hives...I'm having a huge alergic reaction. I grab three benedryl and down them immediately and hit the shower. I don't think the shower did anything, but the rubdown with the towel was better than sex. By now the itching has mostly subsided. I look up anaphylactic shock in google. I don't have the airway constrictions, but the itching and hives match. Apparently a hypersensitivity to bee or wasp venom can be created by being bitten earlier. The body creates a lot of histimines to fight it off, but they stay in the blood stream. Getting bit again while they are still around can cause this type of reaction. Well, I got hit by a yellow jacket a couple weeks before...QED.
Bottom line: what have I learned? I think I will experiment with a bandanna around my neck while it is still to hot to ride with anything but a T shirt. Later, as it cools off I think I will keep my top shirt buttoned. However, those who are susecptable to anaphylactic shock may want to keep an "Epi Pen" near by during bug season while riding. At the speed the bug hit my helmet, I doubt it was intact when it hit my neck...probably just body parts. More than likely it was just the venom, mixed with other bug juices touching my neck, and some parts being pushed through my T shirt and rubbing on my shoulder that caused my alergic reaction.
As I write this, by hives have mostly subsided but are still prominant. The itching has gone, and already I can hardly wait to get out there and kill some more bugs :clap :clap :clap