Ant Bites!

Let me premise this by saying I have problems.

Thursday night, we went to the library for my son to meet his Reading Comprehension tutor.  I was discussing a test he had the previous week and then, OW!.  I walk a little further with her and feel an ouchie on my toe.  I see this black ant and I try to fling him off casually as we are walking and talking.  Eventually, Roger goes into a study room with her and I investigate my foot.  Two bites.  I didn’t know blank ants bit like this.  Rob appears about 10 minutes later and my foot is incredibly itchy.  Then I feel something on my other foot — another black ant (or the one I tried getting off my right foot).  By now, I feel itchy head to toe and feel like I am covered in ants.  I hate that feeling.  I could not wait to go home and take a bath.  After my bath, I put cortisone cream on my right foot and, once it penetrated, I put socks on.  My itchiness would not subside, so I took Benadyrl before bed.  The cortisone cream was doing NOTHING.

The next day I awoke with itchy foot and exhausted body.  By noon I had drank 4 cups of coffee and was still exhausted.  Then, I noticed my throat/windpipe seemed like it was narrowing and my voice became very hoarse.  I decided to call my insurance company’s nurse line to see if I should go to the doctor. After extensive questioning and my history of allergies and having experienced anaphylaxis previously, she said I had to go to the doctor.  Of course, both my physician’s office and allergist’s office close at 1 pm on Friday.  I had to go to RapidMed.  Thankfully, the wait was not too long.  I ended getting two steroid shots (one in each hip) and prescriptions for 1. more steroids 2. antihistamines 3. a pill for allergic reaction.  I had a 4th prescription for epipens but they are backordered at all Walgreens.  They have not had them for months.

Before bed I took my prescription antihistamine that did absolutely nothing for the itchiness, I applied more cortisone cream and was incredibly itchy for hours.  Finally, I fell asleep and woke up groggy and with the same itchiness.

Today, I started my steroid pack and took the pill for allergic reaction.  I am not sure which one is helping but the itchiness has subsided a bit.

Oh, and one last thing, on my internet searches, I found out that there are Black Fire Ants and their bites are just like the Red Fire Ants.