Of Bees, Bugs, and Bites

 I got obsessed with one of my personal pet projects today. If you know me, you know that means I did very little else all day. No walking. The only other thing I did was edit for an hour this morning.

So I thought I'd take this chance to tell you my latest theory on the "bug bites." I don't think they are bug bites. This may be TMI for some of you.

After all that cleaning and spraying and heating and washing of everything that seemed pertinent to the problem... I got in bed that night and within 10 minutes I had two big welts on my butt. OK, no bugs of any kind could navigate from anywhere through a mattress cover, a fitted sheet and pajamas (all washed in 140 degree water) that fast.

I got up and did some more reading. The only other vermin candidate that might be living in some body orifice would be pinworms, and they cause seriously localized itching. Not like what I was experiencing.

However, hives can manifest in ways other than the small rashy red bumps we usually think of. And they can even be caused by pressure.

Here's what I think is going on. The bees and I have been living in a state of uneasy truce. At least it's uneasy on my part.

As a child I was highly allergic to bee stings, to the point where I went through a two-year series of shots to reduce the allergy. I've been stung a few times as an adult, but haven't yet had a bad reaction beyond the usual type swelling and serious itching. However, one can always become resensitized to an allergy, which is why I've felt a little uneasy.

I have no idea how the bees feel about me in general. But specifically, three bees felt quite violent toward me. That's how many times I've been stung since August 4. Granted, they were each aggravated because I "grabbed" them by accident when they were sitting on something I picked up. I was also stung during this same time period by something unidentified that swelled up very badly.

I think my body is generally on high alert with the histamine reactions. An imflammatory response to anything my skin doesn't like is probably being hyperactive. My best guess is heat and pressure. We already know I don't like to be hot. All of these welts have been on my butt or the backs of my legs which are probably the warmest locations at night, and also subject to the most pressure from my weight.

This is my current theory until disproven by something else.

Sitting all day also increases the itchy spots. Guess what I've been doing all day today. Hmm. Oh, my obsession? Well it involves playing with a database. I'm thoroughly happy, but I suppose I'll have to do some things tomorrow that also keep others happy.

Meanwhile, the warm weather has resulted in a huge hatch of houseflies. Buzzy green ones. They don't bite, but they love to fly around my face and drive me insane.

There's a good chance I'll break out of obsession mode, since I really need to get some groceries.

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