My Left Foot

Boo-hoo for me. I removed what I thought was a splinter from the side of my foot two days ago, but apparently it was some kind of stinger left by a toxic insect. Yesterday, my foot, ankle and lower leg were swollen to twice normal size:

Okay, this is not a major tragedy. It is ugly and painful, but not untreatable. I've been popping Benadryl by the handful, but as a result, I've been spending most of my time falling asleep on the couch to the drone of the Olympics. And here it is Tuesday...where did the time go?

It's better today, I can even see some ankle bones again this morning. And yes, those are paint speckles, from the times that I actually did some work instead of snoozing in the vapor of antihistamines. I should be finished with the painting today.

I have always been highly sensitive to bug bites of any kind. An ordinary mosquito bite for me is a major swelling exercise. Same for spider bites, bee stings, wasps, etc. My immune system goes into hyperdrive, and I become Ms. Puffiness. I do practice some forms of prevention. My signature eau de cologne during the summer is anything with 27% or more DEET. I wear a silly beekeeper-type hat outside to avoid getting bit in the face. But you'd think I would have learned by now not to go barefoot when there are bities and stingies about. Some lessons just have to be learned over and over again.

Shoes, Pam. Shoes could have prevented this.