Safety at home, fire ants, dogs, generators, camping and why I like modern meds - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Botnst · #1 05-27-2007, 02:45 PM

I have a story that captures everything in the title. In fact, I'm recovering from it.

Last week I got off my lazy butt and helped my kid mow the lawn (that's on of her most hated chores). Instead of following my own rules and getting properly attired, I wore shorts and flip-flops (remember when flip-flops were previously known as "thongs"?). After I did my bit helping her I noticed an unpleasant stinging sensation on my second toe. I slipped-off the flip-flop and there was this cute little soldier fireant curled-up and chomping down. I mushed the little bastid and went on with my life. Or so I thought.

The next day as I was dressing for work I noticed that the ant bite was red, swollen and had formed a significant pustule. I rarely get pustules from fireants so I paused a moment to wish I had time to kill a few million fireants in revenge and then lanced the pustule and lubed-up my toe with Neosporin. I placed a BandAid around the toe and continued dressing. That evening the toe was slightly more red and the pustule had reformed. So after I showered I washed it thoroughly with Betadine and then daubed some more Neosporin on it and a new BandAid. The next day at work the toe started itching a bit so I was pretty sure I was getting an infection.

After work Mrs B & I sat in the backyard bird-watching with her new Nikons while I simultaneously played fetch with my hyperactive, OCD-suffering, pseudo-rat terrier (he looks exactly like a rat terrier but weighs 40#). In the process, the dog accidentally snagged the right-hand knuckle of my pointer finger with his (very sharp) fangs, ripping a deep gash followed by copious blood flow. Stitches. So off we go for the interminable wait in what is euphemistically known as "Emergency Room."

The doc looked at it and wrote a script for Amoxicillan and had the nurse clean it up thoroughly -- no stitches. I thought, "Great! Amoxicillin will also address the toe issue!" Next day Mrs B and I were to take-off for our long-planned weekend camping trip so I pronounced myself fit for travel and light duty, to which the doc agreed. Aside from a stupid cloud apparently stuck over my head, I really thought things would work-out rather well. HA!

By the time we got to the campsite, my itchy toe was now a full-blown pain. Even wearing the stupid flip-flop hurt. Nevertheless, I thought sure that the Amoxicillan would kick in any second and all would be right with the world. Late that evening a nearby campsite became occupied by two couples who brought with them a wheel-mounted 1000 KV AC generator and cranked it up about 9:30PM. We couldn't hear anything over the din of that thing and the floodlamps they hooked-up cast brilliant fingers of light deep into the forest, illuminating our own little bit of primitive camping. They shut it down just as I reached boiling point at about 10PM.

(more below)

Botnst · #2 05-27-2007, 03:02 PM

(continued)
The two couples lit a fire and set-up furniture, established a perimeter of smoldering insect repellant punks, and set-about to have a good old time drinking. A lot. Apparently all four of them were accomplished comedians and raconteur's extraordinaire, because every few minutes the four of them would burst into roaring laughter. About 2AM Mrs B sat-up like Linda Blaire in "The Exorcist" and used her Teacher Command Voice (a combination of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman and Gandolf) with, "It's 2AM Go. To. BED!" They immediately went to bed.

Next morning my dawg-knawed finger looked great while my toe looked cherry-ripe. At this point I entered full-denial, like the Black Knight in "Holy Grail ("Wot, that? Oh. A flesh wound"). We broke camp as we were supposed to meet with my family for dinner that evening. It hurnt like hell to hump that stuff back to the car and my foot was beginning to swell and become motted with red blotches. The original wound was expanded to about a cm in diameter with a gummy scab. The surrounding tissue could only be described as a deeply angry red. It was a thing of beauty, really.

When we got to my Mother's house I filled a tub with water and put about wt/wt Epsom salts into the water in hopes of osmotically drawing fluid from the wound and swollen tissue. My family was fascinated by the peculiar nature of the unfolding events and as I'm sure you can imagine my relatives to be -- full of helpful suggestions, opinions, and ideas -- all conflicting. Anyway, it looked worse so off we go to the E.R. in Natchitoches.

(more)

cmac2012 · #3 05-27-2007, 03:10 PM

I'm happy for you that you're managing to get in some relaxing time off.

Botnst · #4 05-27-2007, 03:32 PM

(continued)
In which our hero learns that not all doctors are equally competent

2 hours in the waiting room passed like somnolent glaciers in the night. Eventually I got into see the doctor, only he didn't actually get to the exam room for another 45 minutes.

He looked at it pushed and prodded and agreed that my toe looked infected and was probably painful. He acknowledged that the cause of the inflammation was unaffected by Amoxicillin and suggested taking a fluid sample for a culture and cleaning the wound to take a more sterile look at it. Okay.

Nurse comes in about 25 minutes later and cleans the affected area and props-up the bed so I can watch the festivities. She also gave me 3 pills: Bacterim, Keflex, and a soothing little narcotic number. Mrs B was seated adjacent and taking it all in for future reference, I'm sure. Nurse gooped-up the flesh with some strange stuff that was Betadine in color by dried to a sort of gelatinous (appear) material over the wound and nearby area. About 15 minutes after nurse finished the doc came in and nearly filled a syringe with lidocaine. (Uh-oh). He switched to a long, yet narrow orificed needle and said, "I'm going to inject the area to make it less painful." I'm thinking "Cool, but I'm not sure I'm going to like sticking that needle into my hyper-sensitive obesely-swollen second tow." By golly, I was right, too!

I watched with dread fascination as he took careful aim and slowly stuck the needle into my toe. YEOW! But then he started foring the lidocaine out of the needle. My tow was already thoroughly engorged with fluid, being extraordinarily swollen. So he was intent on introducing more fluid into a very resistant package. Also, he had to push so hard that he couldn't hold the needle still, so it was wiggling with his muscular tension as he injected the fluid. Finally, it came to an end and I thought, "Gee, that hurt but I'm glad it's over with." Wrong. He repeated the procedure 2-3 more times. One time he pushed so hard that a jet of lidocaine burst through the scab and reached my shoulder. I swear, it's true. Mrs B was changing colors like a hunted squid.

Doc waited a few minutes for the lidocaine to take hold and we learn he is Nigerian. I wish I had asked if he needed any help moving money out of his country, but I didn't think of it at that time. Then he unsleeves a hidden scalpel, like a matador reveals the sword from behind his cape. He sliced into the infected portion and was gratified by a prompt ooze of funky-colored blood. I'm thinking, "Hey, I felt that! Let's wait for the lidocaine to kick in!" But before I could voice my opinion, he put both thumbs on either side of the wound and pushed down HARD, like a zit squeeze by Arnold Schwartzenegger. I swear, my eyes bugged-out of my head. I looked down and sure enough, old silk-hands bubbled-up some crud. He daubed it off with a gauze and then bore-down ever harder for a second attempt at the gold metal.

Now I have to tell you, this was as bad as water-boarding. I would have confessed to damn-near anything if the confession brought relief. There was a gory little mess oozing down my foot and I'm sure I was cross-eyed.

After the nurse cleaned-up the mess and bandaged the toe, doc came back with a prescription for the two antibiotics and for Darvacet. Mrs B drove us home.

Today the swelling has noticeably decreased, the reddness has abated, and the sensitivity to sensation is dramatically reduced. Also, I have a hell of a buzz.

So what did you do for Memorial Day weekend?

B

Hatterasguy · #5 05-27-2007, 03:34 PM

Wow sounds like a fun weekend!

TheDon · #6 05-27-2007, 03:38 PM

Reason I wear shows when ever I am in the grass my friend. Hope your foot gets better

The Swede · #7 05-27-2007, 03:43 PM

Ahh... yes, tranquil summers in the south. --- Fascist fireants, mischievous terriers, worried wives and quirky physicians.

Don't worry. In a few weekends you won't remember a damn thing.

AustinsCE · #8 05-27-2007, 03:51 PM

Thank god you werent bit where the new "thong" is worn.

300SD81 · #9 05-27-2007, 03:55 PM

That was painful to even read.. Scary how something like an ant bite can get that bad. I need to stop mowing barefoot... But I have a driving mower.

cmac2012 · #10 05-27-2007, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botnst

Then he unsleeves a hidden scalpel, like a matador reveals the sword from behind his cape. He sliced into the infected portion and was gratified by a prompt ooze of funky-colored blood. I'm thinking, "Hey, I felt that! Let's wait for the lidocaine to kick in!" But before I could voice my opinion, he put both thumbs on either side of the wound and pushed down HARD, like a zit squeeze by Arnold Schwartzenegger. I swear, my eyes bugged-out of my head. I looked down and sure enough, old silk-hands bubbled-up some crud. He daubed it off with a gauze and then bore-down ever harder for a second attempt at the gold metal.

Now I have to tell you, this was as bad as water-boarding. I would have confessed to damn-near anything if the confession brought relief. There was a gory little mess oozing down my foot and I'm sure I was cross-eyed.

Reminds me of a roughly equivalent experience I had a year ago. I somehow developed a boil an inch from my anus. Thing got worse and worse -- it hurt to sit down, I had to ease into a car seat with utmost care. Just an ever present pain, sorta like a toothache on my ass.

The doc lanced it and squeezed a couple of times for all he was worth. I usually have a fairly high threshold for medical pain but I was banging my foot up and down, doing my best not to make it too much harder for the doc.

Oh man, started feeling better almost right away.

I have new respect for biblical stories about plagues of boils.

GermanStar · #11 05-27-2007, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botnst

After the nurse cleaned-up the mess and bandaged the toe, doc came back with a prescription for the two antibiotics and for Darvacet. Mrs B drove us home.

B

Darvocet!?! Oh well -- a valiant effort, but you'll clearly need to come up with something better next time.

Jim B. · #12 05-27-2007, 04:40 PM

From my personal archives: (MBcoupes forum, about 1999)

"Discovered" a paper wasp nest in the bush beside the driveway when I went to retrieve a dropped part---six stings in about 2 seconds. Gained retribution tonight-- techniqueis to use a cigarette lighter as the ignition source for the spray from a can of WD40 (dewatering fluid, or cooking oil, etc) --makes a flame thrower that shoots about 6 feet --- burns the wings off the wasps--- but only recommended at night, when the wasps can't see you coming.

Ian,
Australia.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

What fun! I used to live in a house trailer in college, and the pipes would freeze. I used just that type of torch/spray can to thaw the pipes. You might just try the WD40 without the flame though. I use to spray them with diesel fuel from a trigger squirt oil can, and they fall instantly and never twitch, like they were hit with liquid nitrogen.

I just heard a funny story the other day. A guy using an acetylene torch to to build pipe fencing was harrassing fire ant mounds by sticking the torch w/o flame into the mound, letting the gas accumulate for a time, then lighting the torch and sticking it back in to blow them up. Worked ok several times, then he got about a bushel of ants blown all over him. I think wasps
stings beat ant bites one on one, but with fire ants its easy to get 50 bites at a time, just cutting the grass and stepping on a mound that you never saw.

Jonathan
Texas
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

300SD81 · #13 05-27-2007, 04:45 PM

We had a fireant mound in the back yard last year.. They never came back after the thermite treatment

Jim B. · #14 05-27-2007, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Botnst

............
In which our hero learns that not all doctors are equally competent

Doc waited a few minutes for the lidocaine to take hold and we learn he is Nigerian.

Slayton had a bout with one, in Miami.

In his very own words,.............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL1_ePK2DcI