I'm at a loss for why or how this happened and it's taken me days to get on and discuss it, but here goes.

Sunday afternoon I'm taking a blissful, pain-free nap when my hubby rushes in with my 2 year old in his arms. Jaden's eye was swollen shut, he was screaming, and there were welts on his arms and face. My hubby had been working by the pool while Jaden decided to lift the cover of the jacuzzi, which is something we haven't used in a year or more. (From what we can tell, he was attacked by a nest of wasps, but at that time we had no idea where they'd come from.)

My hubby, dressed and ready, took my son to the ER while I went out to try and see WHAT had stung him. Hubby hadn't seen a thing in the air, and some of the bites on his arm almost looked like a snakebite! I wanted to be able to find something for the docs, and ran out barefoot, but carefully, looking around. I saw nothing on our deck or in the flowers, and I sat down on the porch swing, then thought I heard a buzz. I stood up quick when I felt a needle pierce my arm, over and over. I saw one insect, thought it was a hornet, but couldn't stop screaming b/c it got me over and over. Apparently, a wasp has that ability whereas would lose its stinger.

I was stumbling toward the house when something got my foot, and damned if there wasn't ANOTHER one. They were attacking like it was a vendetta, the craziest thing since JAWS 4! by the time I got inside I was still screaming b/c the venom is crazy painful. It got both arms, right around the wrist area, several bites above the ankle and the one got me on the side/bottom of my RSD foot. That leg had at least 7 stings, but it was the arms that were hurting worse. The weird thing is, I only saw the 1st one and 2 of his buddies during the whole attack.

I called my hubby, sure it was some weird African Killerbee attack and that he should warn the doctors that whatever they were, the pain was ridiculous, the burning/stinging venom knocked ME to my knees, so what would it do to a little boy who just turned 2?

He came home an hour later, having been given a massive dose of benadryl (which of course, scared me b/c he's so small and I hate it when he has to take medication) and he had one eye half open, one shut, his tongue and lip had been stung, and the doctors estimated about 20 stings, give or take. I was shocked he could still walk! But he was happy and wanted to show me his popsicle stick, LOL. He was so proud of that. Within a few hours he was asleep and slept a long time. We had to give him more benadryl for swelling and itching, but by Tuesday night he was doing much better.

It's now been 4 days and I'm NOT doing any better. IN fact, the RSD that pretty much stays in remission (for lack of a better word) is burning up my foot like it's the middle of winter and someone is slugging it off and on with a torch. My arm, where I do not have RSD is painful and very itchy, but so far no RSD symptoms.

Why would a wasp attack bring on an RSD attack? My RSD (after 14 years) is predictable. It comes on when I've overdone it (when it's my own fault and I do things I shouldn't but can't help myself from doing b/c they're fun.) It also comes on in the coldest of winter, and here in the Midwest, that winter is COLD. So now my foot is sweating and painful, add that to the multiple stings that itch like crazy, and I'm one grumpy human being.

I forget that this disease is cunning. I let myself get complacent. I'm supposed to be going out of town this weekend, but damn, I look like I have a bad case of chicken pox. And I keep wondering, how long does it take for all the venom to clear my body? If it is already gone, why do I have stings that itch so bad I actually scratched one so bad it bled?

I wonder, if I didn't have RSD, would I still feel as crappy? I woke up Tuesday night nauseous and cold (I'm NEVER cold- it just doesn't happen unless I'm sick) and my poor hubby had to call in so he could take care of me. Today I didn't take the benadryl b/c I thought maybe THAT was making me sick. Nope, it was just helping with the itching. But it makes me so sleepy that I can't take it during the day with my son around.

The funny part of all this is that my 2 year old has been stronger than I have! He got stung so bad I couldn't see his eyes, but he bounced back in a day! He still itches and I have to hide my scratching so he doesn't see me doing it after I tell him not to, but otherwise he is good. He isn't acting as if he is in pain or anything. But my arm with all the stings is quite painful. And then there's the RSD foot....

I couldn't move my wrists enough to type much until this morning, and honestly I don't know if I'm just venting my anger at having to deal with this enhanced RSD, but I just am freaked out that this even happened. When I think what would've happened if Jaden had been allergic...

So I guess it could've been a lot worse. Maybe I should count my blessings. Or my stings. As they shrivel up a bit you can see them better. Oy!