Skeeters in the MMP

[Anaamika]

@carnivorousplant

Mosquito bites go away in 10-15 minutes. What little data I have found from others indicates that being bitten regularly over a period of years yields this virtual immunity.

First of all, yes, you are right. My cousins in India don’t even notice.

Second, I forgot to mention the other really important experience I have with skeeters. I got malaria from one, twice!

I got malaria when I was about two years old. My bio mother was a big fat jerk. My aunt came home and found me under the stove. Stoves in India back then (and now too) didn’t have ovens, so they were close to the ground, only a foot or two off. I had huddled under there for warmth. Auntie said I was turning blue with the shivers as my body desperately raised the temperature to kill the spirochete. My real mom hadn’t even noticed; she was immersed in a romance novel. :rolleyes:

My second time was when I was 15. I had an opportunity to go to India quickly. I got my shots, pills, etc., but you have to start the anti-malarial stuff two weeks before to be effective. I only started it like four days before. I had a great time in India and flew back in late August.

First day of school I woke up not feeling great. But mom never let me stay home so I trucked off. The way malaria works, is you get extraordinarily high fevers and then chills as your body works to get them down. In the afternoon the fever started going up and I felt like crap.
Told my mom and she gave me Advil and admonished me that I was just not wanting to go to school.
Next day, even worse. I felt absolutely miserable. But mom still sent me off. Same thing, fever in the afternoon.

School had started on Wed morning and Friday morning I woke up and threw up. Mom finally let me stay home. Then began two weeks of the sickest I have ever been. I am 5’5" and at the time, weighed 117 pounds. In two weeks I lost 20 pounds. I ran fevers as high as 104. My mom took me to all of the doctors, but most American doctors have never seen malaria and had no idea what it was. They diagnosed me with herpes, hepatitis, and everything else. Asked me if I was sexually active. Etc.

Finally after two weeks of me crying because I thought I was going to die, and my mom crying because I was crying, she called an Indian doctor in the community. He heard the symptoms over the phone, chuckled, and said “That sounds like malaria. Bring her in and I’ll look at her and give her quinine.”

Amazing how quick quinine works! But yeah, I am not fond of skeeters. :mad:

[carnivorousplant]

My Father had malaria some sixteen times in the army. I am told that it was recurrent malaria; that one can continue to suffer from it after a single infection. Indeed, he would have occasional fever and chills many years afterwards.

[Anaamika]

@carnivorousplant

My Father had malaria some sixteen times in the army. I am told that it was recurrent malaria; that one can continue to suffer from it after a single infection. Indeed, he would have occasional fever and chills many years afterwards.

Yes. I believe, and don’t quote me on this, it’s all in the type of quinine. If you take the generic quinine that hasn’t been refined, it remains in your red blood cells ready to BURST OUT at any moment. That’s what I had as a child.

I think it’s choloroquine that’s the chemical version, which eradicates it.

[kopek]

@VunderBob

I will have to tell you the saga of the happiest drunk I’ve ever met later. Y’all will need time for making popcorn.

I don’t remember any of Doggio’s hockey buddies being at Bob Evans!

For the record I do get some skeeter bites now and then but I’m more likely to get other bugs - ticks and some spiders and fire ants now and then.

[FairyChatMom]

One weird variant - if we have fleas in the house (which we haven’t for ages) they’ll eat **FCD **alive, but they pretty much avoid me. Bugs is weird!!

The dishwasher has been emptied and refilling has begun. I finished my erranding. Nothing else to do today, right? Well, a little. I bought a small pork loin that I need to cut into chops and wrap and freeze, and the laundry will have to come in. I may run the vacuum also - in an almost vain attempt to stay ahead of the critter hair. I should do the push mowing, but that can wait till tomorrow. I’m still pretty sore from the weekend of weeding and stuff.

[kopek]

@Spiderman

This coming from the user who bites mosquitos & flys & such. :rolleyes:

He can’t help it; Renfield is his personal hero. :eek:

[swampbear]

Howdy from da cave! I have finished my venture to the north forty and am now back here to get all on-line learnt. Woo and Hoo.

{{{Midget}}} so sorry about your friend. I’ve had several high school and college friends die over the years. Like MOOOOOOM said, our generation is the next one up.

I have a runnin’ battle with fire ants. I am forever seein’ little mounds all over da yahd. I use the poison on ‘em and figure best I’m doin’ is runnin’ ‘em to the neighbors’ yahds. Stoopit pests!

Ok, back to gettin’ learnt up.

[Sahirrnee]

Happy Moonday!

It’s a sunny 74 degrees outside, Thorsday and Firday are supposed to be in the 90s :eek:
Guess I’ll have to turn on the AC.

I don’t attract bugs too much, then again I’m not outside all that much either. I’ll sit out with the dog when the weather is nice.

If I had any doubts about going ahead with my surgery last night took care of them, I was up half the night doubled over in pain. I am almost out of pills and I thought I could get by without refilling the script, but I’m going to need extras. I don’t know if it’s stress or because I did more physical stuff than usual yesterday, probably both.

My body is not my friend right now.

So today I am going to take it easy. I have lots of stuff to do but a lot of it is phone calls and paper irk.

[Anaamika]

Oh, and here is my complaint of the day: everyone I have seen today has said I looked tired and my eyes looked puffy. Thanks a lot!

[Sahirrnee]

Swampy you could try this
http://www.anthillart.com/

[Grrlbrarian]

So sorry, {{{Midget}}}. It is so hard to lose a friend or even an acquaintance from one’s past. Breathtaking and not in a good way.

I didn’t think I was a skeeter buffet, but last week I ended up having to round up my ex-dog (lost her in the divorce) at night from my former husband’s yard when she wouldn’t come in otherwise. Came home each night with NUMEROUS mosquito bites. Thank goodness for clear gel deodorant; I swiped a little on each bite and it was done itching for the duration.

THOSE MALARIA STORIES :eek:

[dogbutler]

Brunch is eaten, Gordie has been walked. My coffee maker is dying, so I ordered one on Amazon. My toater is only toasting one side of bread, now I need to buy one of those, too. First World Problems.

@EmilyG

Damn it, I just found out one of my high school friends just died. She was only my age. Too young to die.
People are just… here one day and gone the next. How can life be so fucking unfair.

{{{{{Midget}}}}} I’ve lost a few friends over the years. Some were more expected than others.

@anyrose

Petablurf.

( )

You’ll pet the Blurf, but you won’t pet the Nauga? :dubious:

[Spiderman]

@dogbutler

You’ll pet the Blurf, but you won’t pet the Nauga? :dubious:

:smack: Naugas are what you make sofas out of. Ramas are what you pet, & bowl, & launder, &…

[Anaamika]

@EmilyG

Damn it, I just found out one of my high school friends just died. She was only my age. Too young to die.
People are just… here one day and gone the next. How can life be so fucking unfair.

I keep thinking about this. A few years back I found out that my cousins’ husband had died. She was three years older than me, and had three daughters under the age of 12. She was left a widow, to raise these three little girls.

The man was about five years older than me. I never met him but she and I were close as teens (she lives in India). My mind kept worrying at it for weeks, thinking about how young he was when he died.

Now I am older than he was when he died. I don’t have three daughters to look after. I know my life has value, but so did his. It just seems so arbitrary and unfair.

I am also more aware of my own mortality than ever. Comes of being almost 40, I guess. Sigh.

[FairyChatMom]

@swampbear

I have a runnin’ battle with fire ants.

Yet another thing that I do NOT miss about Florida. I was working in my yard in flip flops one time and stepped into a mound. Very painful.

A coworker somehow got his entire arm et up by fire ants - it was actually in a sling, it was so messed up!!

Speaking of messed up - I’m watching a Netflix series called Bloodline. It’s a challenge to follow, thanks to flash backs, flash forwards, and present story lines. Near as I can figure, one of the sons was responsible (or thought responsible) for a sister’s death. I’m hooked, so I’ll keep watching, but it’s getting aggravating!!!

[swampbear]

@Sahirrnee

Swampy you could try this
http://www.anthillart.com/

I like the idea of pourin’ molten lead on fire ants. A little place about 35 miles north of here has a Fire Ant Festival every year. If’n I could figure out how to do so, I’d herd all the little critters up there. Stoopid thing to celebrate!

[Catamount]

@Anaamika

I keep thinking about this. A few years back I found out that my cousins’ husband had died. She was three years older than me, and had three daughters under the age of 12. She was left a widow, to raise these three little girls.

The man was about five years older than me. I never met him but she and I were close as teens (she lives in India). My mind kept worrying at it for weeks, thinking about how young he was when he died.

Now I am older than he was when he died. I don’t have three daughters to look after. I know my life has value, but so did his. It just seems so arbitrary and unfair.

I am also more aware of my own mortality than ever. Comes of being almost 40, I guess. Sigh.

Complicated Friend had a moment a couple of years ago when he realized that he was older than his father was when he died.

Speaking of dying, I ran over a squirrel yesterday. First time that’s ever happened. Usually they’re quick enough to get out of the way but this one must have been suicidal. :( I apologized to it for the next mile.

[Gothic]

@carnivorousplant

Mosquito bites go away in 10-15 minutes. What little data I have found from others indicates that being bitten regularly over a period of years yields this virtual immunity.

"But I shouldn't spoil a fairy tale, should I?  You and your little gingerbread house."

Abel Eddie Izzard.

[carnivorousplant]

@Gothic

“But I shouldn’t spoil a fairy tale, should I? You and your little gingerbread house.”

Abel Eddie Izzard.

How did you enjoy Hannibal?

[dogbutler]

@swampbear

I like the idea of pourin’ molten lead on fire ants. A little place about 35 miles north of here has a Fire Ant Festival every year. If’n I could figure out how to do so, I’d herd all the little critters up there. Stoopid thing to celebrate!

I like the idea, too. I got stung by one in Wilminton, N.C. when I was a lad. I fought back with fire.