Hating Mosquitoes

For those of you who know me, you probably also know that I have skeeter syndrome, a somewhat rare allergy to mosquitoes. Usually when I get bitten, either the normal bite welt happens... or the bite mark swells up, turns giant and red, hurts, itches... and in this case of unusual nastiness, blisters.

I was just sitting next to the lake, chatting with friends, when I got a few bites on my ankles that didn't seem to react at all. I thought it was fine and went home. They were painful and swollen the next morning. By the night of day two, the swelling had gotten so bad, the flesh on my right ankle was forming segments. Midnight was accompanied by lines of horizontal blisters that continued to pop from the pressure. It hurt to walk. The morning following that, I went to the emergency room while the blistering and swelling continued. I put it in a gauze dressing. One more day passed without much improvement. Finally, five days from when I first got bitten, the swelling spread completely to my toes and started turning black.

I'm glad to say after a visit to a clinic, some medical steroids, and another week of time, I am feeling much better than my ankle looks. I won't show you any pictures as it is still quite grotesque and disgusting. One blister still remains which I am not willing to pop. The rest? Scabs and scars and slightly loose skin.

Bottom line: mosquitoes suck figuratively and literally... and Cleaver Panda has returned!

Tweet