I Hate Mosquitoes!!!

Warning: This post is not for the squeamish!

I really can't say this enough...I HATE MOSQUITOES!!! There just seems to be something about me that makes them more attracted to me than to any other person in the area. I can be outside in a group and be the only one who gets bitten. They rarely bother David, and especially not when I'm around! And once I get bitten, they itch like crazy!! Anyway, Sunday night we agreed to meet a friend of ours for dinner. We picked a restaurant with outside seating since it was such a beautiful evening. I was wearing long sleeves and long pants, but my shoes were the kind that left the tops of my feet exposed. It's the middle of October though, so I was not seriously concerned about mosquitoes. We had a nice meal, and I occasionally thought I felt something on my feet, but I would move them or cross them the other way and go on. It wasn't until we were all finished and home that I realized I had been attacked!! During dinner I had received 12 bites on my feet in several little clusters. Huge bummer!! I had 8 on the left foot, and 4 on the right. And they would not stop itching! I tried Benadryl and Hydrocortisone cream with no luck, and then I went to the pharmacy where they recommended maximum strength Ivarest poison ivy cream. That actually worked pretty good for short periods of time, but not if I had to wear any type of shoes. By this time it was Tuesday, and I hadn't slept through the night either Sunday or Monday because I'd wake up all hours just itching away. Finally Tuesday afternoon a friend told me her grandmother swore by using deodorant on bug bites. I was so desperate I actually tried it - Ha! I have to say that Tuesday night was much better, but I was still up a couple of times during the night itching. Now I was really starting to get frustrated!! I seriously wish I had never set foot in that restaurant for that dinner!! I finally hit a turning point Wednesday night after asking my entire Bible study small group to pray about my mosquito bites - I'm pretty sure I actually used the phrase "these bites are ruining my life!" A bit dramatic for sure! Anyway, I finally just sat down before bed with a box of band-aids and my tube of Ivarest. I put a huge glob on every bite and then covered them all up with band-aids...and it WORKED!! I slept all night long - HOORAY!!!  I hope never again!!!

My poor right foot :(

The road to recovery!