Living in Florida, we deal with a lot of insects. A LOT. But one of the biggest pesks is the red ant.
I know, sounds silly right?
(SOMEWHAT GRAPHIC PIC BELOW)
But when you’re lucky enough to be allergic to red ant bites, they can do A LOT of damage. And I wanted to show you exactly how much. Mainly because people that don’t deal with the allergy to insect bites don’t really comprehend the severity. And laugh when you say you’re having a really bad reaction to an ant bite.
I’m one of the lucky ones who lives with the allergy. It’s been so bad in the past, that it has landed me in the ER for 3 days. Well last week while doing a photo shoot at Cypress Lake Park, I was bit again.
WARNING: SOMEWHAT GRAPHIC!
Ew. Just plain ew.
TOES! Lol
A little disclaimer: I don’t know for a fact it was a fire ant this time, but it was something small. And I don’t think it was a spider. I remember feeling the bite, hitting my leg, and wiping something off my ankle. But it was so quick that I didn’t get a chance to inspect what it was.
In the past, I do know for a fact it was red ants that put me in the hospital. I got bit by fire ants at the St Pete Pier on every side of my left ankle, all the bites got infected, and my ankle blew up to the size of a softball. My doctor put me in the ER for 3 days on IVs to get the swelling down. Good times.
This just shows you how serious an allergic reaction to a simple insect bite can be.
For those of us that suffer with this stupid allergy, it gets really old real fast when people laugh at, “I’m having a really bad allergic reaction to an ant bite”.
Luckily I have the best nurses money can buy.
Thankfully with a steroid/Benadryl/Neosporin/icing treatment, my ankle is now somewhat back to normal. But just wanted to share.
For those that suffer with this allergy and get laughed at when you get bit, just wanted you to know you’re not alone.
Thanks for reading.