I'm completely fed up with Florida. Maybe it's because my best friends aren't here. Maybe it's because I am anxiously awaiting my trip home next week. Or maybe it's because I have had a whopping three weeks outside of the state in the past year and it's time for a break. Either way, I'm sick and tired of the heat, the obnoxiously slow pace of life, and the goddam fire ants.
Last night I went to the post office to send a hilarious greeting card to a certain friend in Spain. It was late at night so I brought Rags, because he loves car rides, and used the automated machine to print an international stamp. We got in the car and were heading to the brand new McDonald's they built across the street from my apartment (baaaad news!) to get a McFlurry as motivation to finally sit down and write my final paper for Summer A. As I'm driving, I realize I've been bitten by a fire ant and it hurts like a very bad word. I could feel two places on my foot where it bit me and I literally stopped in the middle of the road to scratch it. It kept getting worse and worse after I got back home. I got all heeby-jeebied out thinking there were more all over me and then I realized there had to be, because I was getting bites all over. I mean, all over. I jumped into the shower but it wasn't helping at all. I started to get really warm and when I got out, I realized I had hives from head to toe. They weren't bites - they were hives. I'm talking everywhere... scalp, neck, ear lobes, armpits, stomach, chest, back, butt, arms and legs. My ears started to close up and I could barely hear and my ears were on fire. I called my mom even though it was around 10pm and I knew she was in bed. I told her I was going to drive myself to the ER but to call 911 if I didn't call her within five minutes. I knew something bad was happening and I honestly didn't think I could make the five minute drive to Shands. I did and as soon as I walked in, my throat was closing and they took me in immediately. I guess my blood pressure was so low that I was going into anaphylactic shock. I don't really remember what they did but I know I got benadryl and some other histamine blocker and lots of Gatorade (of course folks, we are in the birthplace of it). I stayed until around 3am and don't really remember driving myself home but I ate Doritos apparently... the crumbs are in my bed along with a half-eaten bag, now completely stale. I laughed when I woke up and saw that.
Turns out I am deathly allergic to fire ants. I guess it makes sense, because we don't have them up North so I've never built up an immunity to them. I have to carry an Epi-pen wherever I go now because it's such a common insect. I have to go see an allergist sometime just to be sure, but that costs a pretty penny so I'll wait till I have good insurance come mid-August.
It was scary being alone in the ER, but somewhat ironic. A few months ago, I had a meningitis scare that sent me to the ER and I had to be admitted. I was really sick for about a week and Andrew waited on me hand and foot. A week later, he got an abscess that got infected and he had to go the VA ER and then it was my turn to play nurse. Well last week he got another one and waited three days before going to the hospital in Madrid. He made the smart decision to tell his dad just in case anything happened, but made him promise not to tell his mom and he didn't tell me either. Good thing, otherwise we both would have worried ourselves sick and probably hijacked the first plane over there (because I'm weird and don't own a passport - yet - so I would be forced to take drastic measures). He's ok now, but sure enough, one week later, I'm in the hospital. It's clockwork...
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