Since a couple of you asked for progress photos:
(Wednesday evening, above.)
(Friday morning, above.)
You can see how much farther the infection has spread down my arm since I took the first photo on Wednesday. That, along with the throbbing, is what convinced me to stop assuming it would just go away. On a positive note, the redness appears less intense to me this morning, 12 hours into my antibiotic treatment.
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Thumbs Up, or rather “arm up” 🙂
I’ve really enjoyed Fathead, your blog, your farm and family, as well as your politics, however, I’ve not enjoyed your “sting” as I was stung on my ankle while out feeding my chickens (ants?) and have had an identical experience. I’m 48 hrs into the antibiotics (yuk) and the infection is resolving nicely. I trust yours will also.
Here’s to a speedy recovery for both of us.
If I’d known a sting could produce an infection like this, I would have run into the house and dabbed iodine in the wound immediately. Since it wasn’t particularly painful, I played two rounds of frisbee golf before checking on it.
I’ve never had a reaction to or infection from a sting like that, but I’m going to stock up on iodine and someone’s suggestion of Eden Salve, just in case. I am curious, as to how you are going to address the challenge of rebuilding your gut flora, after you finish the antibiotic.
Lots of vegetables, fermented foods, and probiotics.
Ha. I always thought The Entertainer was something in The Sting. But here we have The Sting in The Entertainer.
And I danced a bit when it happened. I never dance.
Thumbs Up, or rather “arm up” 🙂
I’ve really enjoyed Fathead, your blog, your farm and family, as well as your politics, however, I’ve not enjoyed your “sting” as I was stung on my ankle while out feeding my chickens (ants?) and have had an identical experience. I’m 48 hrs into the antibiotics (yuk) and the infection is resolving nicely. I trust yours will also.
Here’s to a speedy recovery for both of us.
If I’d known a sting could produce an infection like this, I would have run into the house and dabbed iodine in the wound immediately. Since it wasn’t particularly painful, I played two rounds of frisbee golf before checking on it.
I’ve never had a reaction to or infection from a sting like that, but I’m going to stock up on iodine and someone’s suggestion of Eden Salve, just in case. I am curious, as to how you are going to address the challenge of rebuilding your gut flora, after you finish the antibiotic.
Lots of vegetables, fermented foods, and probiotics.
After the incident with the mysterious blueberry picking biting bug that gave me a similar infection, I always treat any bug bite with a dab of an alcohol swab or hydrogen peroxide once I notice them. I haven’t had anything like it since. Ounce of prevention, and all that.
Yeah, the smart would have been to treat the wound with a disinfectant immediately. Next time I’ll know better.
Ha. I always thought The Entertainer was something in The Sting. But here we have The Sting in The Entertainer.
And I danced a bit when it happened. I never dance.
@ Brian, Priceless.
After the incident with the mysterious blueberry picking biting bug that gave me a similar infection, I always treat any bug bite with a dab of an alcohol swab or hydrogen peroxide once I notice them. I haven’t had anything like it since. Ounce of prevention, and all that.
Yeah, the smart would have been to treat the wound with a disinfectant immediately. Next time I’ll know better.
@ Brian, Priceless.
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
I guess those bugs have some purpose in the food chain but why can’t it stay there instead of bugging us 😉
There may be a biological/evolutionary explanation for why some flying critter would be driven to swoop in out of nowhere and sting me, but I can’t figure it out. I didn’t brush up against a bush or anything. I was in the middle of the front yard, minding my own business.
That looks really nasty. Thankfully here in the UK the worst we can expect are annoying flying ants in the middle of summer – and they don’t bite. Having said that, in NZ where I grew up, you could be sure that you would get bitten by sandflies on a regular basis. You just learn to live with it! I am sure that the farm is more than compensating for your red arm. (oooh, that rhymes!)
I’ll take the countryside, bugs and all. I love it here.
Wishing you a speedy recovery!
I guess those bugs have some purpose in the food chain but why can’t it stay there instead of bugging us 😉
There may be a biological/evolutionary explanation for why some flying critter would be driven to swoop in out of nowhere and sting me, but I can’t figure it out. I didn’t brush up against a bush or anything. I was in the middle of the front yard, minding my own business.
That looks really nasty. Thankfully here in the UK the worst we can expect are annoying flying ants in the middle of summer – and they don’t bite. Having said that, in NZ where I grew up, you could be sure that you would get bitten by sandflies on a regular basis. You just learn to live with it! I am sure that the farm is more than compensating for your red arm. (oooh, that rhymes!)
I’ll take the countryside, bugs and all. I love it here.
That’s a good looking gun there, what’s that thing measure, or does it just look big cause it’s inflamed? Clench your fist & pump it up for the next pic.
I think it’s partly swelling in the triceps. I’ve never measured my arms, so no idea. I picked up a bit of size after going with Slow Burn for my workouts, but I seem to be one of those who gains more strength than size.
Dr. Doug McGuff explained in “Body by Science” that most of us don’t have enough of the type of muscle fibers required to reach body-builder proportions, no matter how much we work out.
That’s a good looking gun there, what’s that thing measure, or does it just look big cause it’s inflamed? Clench your fist & pump it up for the next pic.
I think it’s partly swelling in the triceps. I’ve never measured my arms, so no idea. I picked up a bit of size after going with Slow Burn for my workouts, but I seem to be one of those who gains more strength than size.
Dr. Doug McGuff explained in “Body by Science” that most of us don’t have enough of the type of muscle fibers required to reach body-builder proportions, no matter how much we work out.
Eat lots of unpasteurized sauerkraut (raw) and Greek-style yogurt to restore your gut flora after the antibiotics.
Very good idea.
Eat lots of unpasteurized sauerkraut (raw) and Greek-style yogurt to restore your gut flora after the antibiotics.
Very good idea.
One thing I found indispensable to keep around during summer when we lived in the Northeast was something called “Afterbite.” They sell it in all the drug stores and it is basically a dispenser of a dilute solution of ammonia, which (if you hit the sting soon enough) goes a long way toward neutralizing the acidic stuff the bug injects in you and taking the sting out. It’s especially good for kids–stops them crying almost immediately. It won’t do much to prevent an allergic reaction or eliminate the risk of infection, but it is wonderful for taking the sting out on contact. (Then you can spread coconut oil on it to reduce the chances of infection.) You can do the same thing with a rag soaked in a DILUTE mix of water and ammonia–or slather a paste of water and baking soda on it, as well, but I found the pen applicator very handy to carry around with me. The sooner you hit the bite, while the acid is still concentrated and close to the surface, the better. Then take Benadryl or whatever to counteract the allergic reaction and CO to reduce the chances of infection. Next time.
Next time I’ll take a sting more seriously.
Ammonia … you, the father’s habit of treating everything with Windex in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is starting to make sense.
One thing I found indispensable to keep around during summer when we lived in the Northeast was something called “Afterbite.” They sell it in all the drug stores and it is basically a dispenser of a dilute solution of ammonia, which (if you hit the sting soon enough) goes a long way toward neutralizing the acidic stuff the bug injects in you and taking the sting out. It’s especially good for kids–stops them crying almost immediately. It won’t do much to prevent an allergic reaction or eliminate the risk of infection, but it is wonderful for taking the sting out on contact. (Then you can spread coconut oil on it to reduce the chances of infection.) You can do the same thing with a rag soaked in a DILUTE mix of water and ammonia–or slather a paste of water and baking soda on it, as well, but I found the pen applicator very handy to carry around with me. The sooner you hit the bite, while the acid is still concentrated and close to the surface, the better. Then take Benadryl or whatever to counteract the allergic reaction and CO to reduce the chances of infection. Next time.
Next time I’ll take a sting more seriously.
Ammonia … you, the father’s habit of treating everything with Windex in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” is starting to make sense.
Strangely enough, I’ve had something like that before but smaller, I’m not sure if it was from a bug though (it scared me though, especially since it spread rapidly when it first appeared). It went away overnight though, lucky me I guess.
I wish mine had done that.
Strangely enough, I’ve had something like that before but smaller, I’m not sure if it was from a bug though (it scared me though, especially since it spread rapidly when it first appeared). It went away overnight though, lucky me I guess.
I wish mine had done that.
I was bitten by a black widow while moving a stack of firewood. I immediately began taking massive doses of Vitamin C, and I mean massive! I don’t know if you’ve ever read Dr. Klenner’s work on bowl tolerance, but when you’re sick your body can use more Vitamin C without causing diarrhea. I ingested 250 GRAMS in a single day without getting diarrhea the day of the bite and over 100 grams the next two days. Never saw a doctor, and by the fourth day you couldn’t tell I’d been bitten. Vitamin C is really a miraculous thing. I buy it by the ten pound bag.
I was bitten by a black widow while moving a stack of firewood. I immediately began taking massive doses of Vitamin C, and I mean massive! I don’t know if you’ve ever read Dr. Klenner’s work on bowl tolerance, but when you’re sick your body can use more Vitamin C without causing diarrhea. I ingested 250 GRAMS in a single day without getting diarrhea the day of the bite and over 100 grams the next two days. Never saw a doctor, and by the fourth day you couldn’t tell I’d been bitten. Vitamin C is really a miraculous thing. I buy it by the ten pound bag.