A Tale of the Ant (The Terror of Anaphylactic Shock)

It promised to be an excellent weekend. My belly was full of barbecue from lunch; we had been secured from work early; and I had just left Starbucks, having finished a novel while enjoying a pumpkin spice latte. When I got home, I started watering some mums I had planted the previous weekend. As I was standing there, holding the hose, I felt a stinging sensation around my ankles and saw that I was standing on an ant bed. I quickly washed the ants off with the hose and noticed that the burn was a little more intense than the ant bites I had experienced in the past. However, I thought it no big deal and continued my watering chores with my other plants.

After finishing up, about ten minutes later, I came inside intending to soak my ankles in water and Epsom salt, but when I walked into my bathroom, I saw that my face was an unnaturally deep red. I thought it odd, but thought it might be from the heat and/or a little dehydration. However, as soon as I sat down on the edge of the tub, my heart started to race. I immediately got up to go to my bed to lie down and felt nauseous. When I reached my bed, the airways in my nose became completely blocked and it felt like my head was going to crack open from the sudden onslaught of severe congestion.

I debated calling 911, but not for long. At this point my heart was beating so hard and fast I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I made the call, and noticed I was having a hard time speaking. From there, things got worse. While trying to keep myself from panicking and causing more stress to my body, I had to try to remain calm after being disconnected by the 911 operator. It took five tries to get the operator back on the phone. And after having requested an ambulance before being disconnected, the same operator asked if she needed to dispatch an ambulance on the second phone call. She patched me through to the EMTs who advised me to make sure my front door was unlocked. After walking to my front door, my vision left, in a kind of bright, swirling, psychedelic experience. Luckily my couch was near because I was on the verge of passing out. I was also advised to lie on my left side, which seemed to help. Shortly thereafter, the EMTs finally arrived and wheeled me out of the house and into one of two ambulances. Once they put the oxygen mask on me I felt I would be okay.

I was released from the emergency room a little after an hour, being given some meds via IV and a breathing treatment. However, I wasn't home ten minutes before I had another "spell" wash over me, and decided to drive myself back to the emergency room. After blood tests, an EKG, and a chest x-ray, I was back home, exhausted, but afraid to let myself fall asleep. Eventually I did, around 0300 in the morning. I woke Saturday feeling achey, a little depressed, with a sore and tight chest, and stiff ankles. Needless to say, I spent most of the day in bed. I had a few more "spells" over the next couple of days but was assured by the doc Monday morning that it may just be the drugs still in my system.

On Tuesday morning, while sitting in my Master Gunnery Sergeant's office with the Lieutenant Colonel, I watched as an ant crawled up the wall next to me, and noticed my boss flick a couple off his arm. That, of course, provoked comment and I was asked where I kept my shot in case of an office emergency. (The doc had prescribed epinephrine, a shot I'm supposed to keep on my person at all times in the event I get stung again.) Naturally, I had left my meds in my truck up two decks in the parking garage and immediately went into panic mode. By the time I got up to my truck, I was in the midst of a full-fledged panic attack with the same symptoms I had experienced that night--just not as severe. I waited to get back to my office, debating on whether or not to take the shot, but took my benedryl instead. My Master Sergeant sat with me for a few minutes until it passed. I was extremely shaky and he said my face was a deep red. I went in to see the doc the next day and she referred me to an allergist for possible immunotherapy.

I have six, barely noticeable sting marks around my ankles. Considering the size of an ant, it is incredible how such a small amount of venom can affect the body. It is also humbling to see how the mind reacts to traumatic events. I knew I had not been stung in the office (they weren't even fire ants) but just the sight of an ant triggered the panic response in my mind. The worst part was when I was alone in the parking garage when I went up to get my medication. One of my first thoughts that night was that I was going to die alone. I still continue to have panicky, anxious moments, but I guess it will take time to put this behind me. Although I can't ever put it too far behind me because I always have to be prepared for another incident, living in the fire ant capitol of the United States.

When Lovebugs Attack!

These little pests are all over the place down here! The first time I saw a pair flying around I thought, "what an odd looking bug." It wasn't until I saw one land and looked a little closer that I realized they were attached. Apparently, they come out in full force during this time of year and cover most everything outdoors. One of the Master Sergeants I work with advised me to coat the front of my truck with baby oil to keep them from sticking to the paint because they can apparently cause damage to the paint. But they are certainly interesting to watch, especially when flying--sometimes they aren't completely in sync with each other. There have also been sightings in Oklahoma, so beware!

Crazy? Or: Bored In New Orleans?!

For two weeks now, I've been considering starting another Master's Degree. Why? Who knows! I like pain? I thrive for the constant, never-ending, questioning of my scholarly abilities? My parents would probably agree with this assessment, but if I were married by now, I wouldn't have time to come up with silly schemes like this. But, the truth is this: I think I would like to get a Masters in the American Revolution. I cannot deny that I feel blessed in being a citizen of the most powerful country of the world. Call it hubris or adrogantia, especially in this day and age of America-bashing, but no one can deny that, like me, the Romans felt the same way about their empire and had every reason to do so.

The American Revolution was glossed over in the one American history class I took in high school. Things didn't get much better when I went to college either. It wasn't until I started studying the American Civil War that I realized the pivotal part the Revolution played in the nation's founding and the nation's conscience almost one hundred years later. Nor did I realize how much the Revolution and the nation's founding left undone that the American Civil War resolved. Like my all-time favorite, the late Shelby Foote said, "the Civil War defined us as a nation." Precisely because the Revolution and the framing of the Constitution failed to do so. Sure, it was a start, the Revolution was the first time American volunteer soldiers were conscripted to fight for their country; and the Constitution defined the nation as the United States (vice united states); and America was defined by its love of individual freedom; but nothing was done for the African, and the American Indian was pushed aside once its usefulness was exploited, and it took the blood and suffering of the Civil War, led by the greatest President ever, Abraham Lincoln, to forge the nation into what it is today.

Even with the unfinished business of nation-building, the American Revolution and the Founding Fathers offer a fascinating glimpse into this nation's true history, it's birth, it's very essence. Nowhere have such a handful of men been gathered and have succeeded in forming something that would shape the course of the world and human events for hundreds of years (God grant, we have hundreds of years more to come!) This nation has not since seen, and probably will not see, the nobility, honor, and integrity imbued by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams. To them, the business of the day was not politics as usual but something much more significant and enduring. Something to last for all times, something to exceed even the Roman Empire.