So apparently I'm allergic to bees. Or more specifically, yellowjackets (or as I call them, the A-holes of the bee kingdom) and white hornets. I've been stung many times in my life, usually with just a standard reaction. Localized swelling and some itchiness. Only 2 times was it really bad: One when I was a kid and I stepped right on a bee, and another a few years back when a weird little round bee (most likely a white hornet I gather) tagged me right in the inner thigh. That mother HURT more than any other sting. And my thigh got real red, with the area swelling and the redness slowly growing up and down my thigh. Fun! Lots of benadryl and it was brought back down, but a few days later I had a weird redness/tightness in my finger tips and toes. So it was really an odd reaction.
Which brings me to yesterday. I went to my allergist (I get regular shots for dust mites and cats) to finally get tested for bees. Been putting it off for I guess years now, and finally bit the bullet (or the needle in this case). And this was sooo not a fun test. I spent roughly 3 1/2 hours getting poked and prodded every 15 minutes or so. Oddly enough, nothing was showing up until the very last round, and that's when they saw a bit of a reaction to yellowjackets and white hornets. So after talking a bit with the doc, we decided I'll give venom shots a try. They have a huge success right, so if I can live with some inconvenience every week for a year, then I can, well, live I guess. So tomorrow I go for my first day o' venom shots, which consist of 3 doses given every 20 minutes. Hopefully it'll go fine and there'll be no reaction and we'll just stay the course for a few weeks, building up my immunity. The funny part is, now as I look at my poor arms, there's like a dozen little bumps where they gave me the test yesterday. Some are slightly itchy. I wonder if that's just normal from the test or if I'm having a delayed reaction or something. Guess I'll find out tomorrow morning.
So now the toughest thing for me is to... come up with a coupon that somehow ties back to this? Hoo boy... Lemme think... bare with me a second please... Okay, got one! Bees love flowers, right? Then how about saving some big bucks on a beautiful bouquet?
15% off your online order at Teleflora.com
Use the above link to activate the coupon.
Valid through: August 8, 2007
Valid online only. May not be combined with any other promotion and is not valid toward previous purchases. Not valid at retail locations or partner sites.
Oh, and triple bonus house points, to the first person who gets the song reference to this post's title!
3 Responses to “Can you sting me?”
Ouch that does not sound fun at all. You have to get the shots for a whole year? I am very allergic to wasps and supposedly yellow jackets are a hospital trip. I don't know though since I run like a weinie everytime one comes close. lol.
My oldest got stung by a bee on Sunday. By Monday it was freaking infected even though I cleaned it out and everything!! Damn bugs!
Good luck with the venom shots!
I love how you always come up with some sort of coupon after telling your story! And bees loving flowers? Awesome!
Btw, spooky stuff about our birthdays! But it's nice to know someone with a birthday so close to my own! Happy belated birthday!! Guess June 1972 was a very memorable month!
Jo: Yeah it's not really as much fun as it sounds. Heh. I have to get 3 rounds of injections (2 shots each round) every week. That probably lasts about 3 or 4 months. Then they slowly back off and it's every 2 weeks for awhile, then every 3 weeks, 4 weeks, etc. It's not the shots themselves I hate (as much fun as they are), it's the driving 25 minutes to the doc, waiting to be called, then waiting 20 minutes between each round, and then driving home the 25 minutes. If they could come to my office and do it, it'd be a breeze! Hope your oldest is doing okay!
Tish: Thanks for the good luck. I passed with flying colors. Heh. And thanks for the bee/flower connection. If even one person out there appreciates my brilliant wit, then it's all worth it. Happy belated birthday to you too!