Hi. I'm glad to see you back on the boards.

Hope you are getting along okay!!

Take care,
Melody

Many thoughts. I hope you are feeling better now. I am sorry again for all your struggles. How do you like your new place?

Appreciate all the replies.

Daniella, what I've seen of the new place is good. We know most of the neighbors. It's a quiet neighborhood which we like since we are used to being in the country where it is quiet. I was dreading all the noise of the city but it seems to really be peaceful here. The only time there is a lot of activity is when the soccer teams are playing. There is a small city park right behind the house and a couple of houses over. I've not been here too much because moving, etc. has been non-stop. Now we are thru with the painting and I spent all morning shopping for the items it takes to "stage" a house to sell it.

Everyone cross your fingers that this happens fast. We now start the deep clean (having it done) and carpet replacement and then we will just wait and cross our fingers it sells fast. It's not a good time to be trying to sell a large expensive house. It's also hard in the country to have a house that is unlived in and keep it free from copper theft. It means a lot of running back and forth to keep it looking lived in.

Back to nerves....I saw the neuro yesterday and she thinks all the current symptoms are due to inflammation, exhaustion and changes in diet. So I'll try to clean up my act before my next visit. I'm to call her in one month if things aren't better.

Billye

We had to dig a small drainage ditch from the patio to the paved alley in back of our house. Seems the french drains don't do the job when the rain comes in buckets (seemed more like washtubs). This is a problem we will have to address with a plumber. The patio was flooding and we were worried about the water getting into the house. When the rain stopped, we fine tuned it and I suddenly discovered I was standing in a small bed of Texas Fire Ants. No matter how hard or fast I brushed those things off, it wasn't fast enough. So I ran, well sort of, to the patio to get the water hose and wash them off. They really stung me badly.

I've got 18 bites on one foot and 12 on the other. A fire ant leaves a toxic necrosing bite. They look infected immediately. And the name is appropriate. They burn like fire and itch worse than my neuropathy ever thought of itching.. Nothing like fire ant bites on top of neuropathy to make a person really miserable. The foot with 18 bites is swollen, very swollen and my heart keeps fluttering. My eyes are really dry dry dry. Inflammation is up badly. We'll see what it looks like tomorrow. Doctor visit may be necessary. I've iced them the last two nights. It helps.

Stay out of the fire ant beds. They aren't fun.

Billye

with baking soda and put it on. Some also use meat tenderizer to break up the venom.

I'd get to the doctor ASAP, esp since you are getting that heart reaction.

When I had the necrotizing spider bite ...the doctor gave me Atarax high dose and Prednisone, and a Zpak (in case it was a tick bite).
The steroid really helped.
Here is a site with recommendations:
http://www.muschealth.com/healthyaging/fireant.htm

If you have antihistamines like Benadryl...start ASAP.
Claritin/Allegra are LESS effective.

Are you okay, Billye?

I am o.k. I had a couple of bad days with the left foot and my breathing from it. But a little Benadryl topically and small doses of the children's liquid seemed to get me over the worse of it. I think the thing that saved me was icing the bites. The feet swelled but not like they could have. Every time they fired up, I'd wrap ice in paper towels and rub over the swollen part. There are still a few bad looking spots but I was taking anti-b's for a bad sinus infection so I think they will be o.k. I'm also putting neosporin on them now.

One of our neighbors mowed thru a mound today and fortunately I was in the yard. So we doused his bed with the drench the nursery suggested. I'm watching for them now and also watching my little dogs. I've also alerted my neighbors.

This development is on the edge of a city park where they play soccer. I see them mow before every soccer match. I plan to tell the parks manager to watch for the ant mounds. I'd sure hate to see kids getting into these things. They are bad business. Very painful bites.

Thanks for your concern.

Billye

And in spite of what you've said you "sound" very good! It's easy to overdue it sometimes. And then, too, sometimes you hit a situation where if you don't do it who will and that gets a person into trouble... Sigh.

Rest up and I hope you recover from the move quickly!