Attack of the Bugs.

I've always been a country girl through and through, my favourite place to be is by the river side, where i try to spend as much time as possible walking the dog or going for a jog. I'm not really a fan of summer, its exciting for the first few weeks but when it gets to this time of the year, I'm very much bored of the whole thing. The one major thing i hate about the summer is bugs. I don't have a phobia or anything, but who likes swallowing tiny flies on your jog? 

I've been trying to venture outside either in the early mornings or late evenings when the bug population is asleep, however those sneaky little buggers clearly don't like bedtime as much as i do. I've never really had a problem with getting stung or bitten by bugs, i have once or twice in my lifetime but its never something id worry about when stepping outside in the summer, i don't think we've had insect repellent in this house for a good few years. 

...However 
Yesterday all the bugs in the parameter of the South West decided they would sneak up on me and give me a bite. Oh the fun i had! I exaggerate slightly, but when i got home my legs had a few little red lumps on, fabulous i thought. 

You think that was it, a few little bites? Oh no...

I awoke in the night with the most itchiest legs ever, in fact i woke up because i was scratching so badly on the now very sore bites. Sorry if this is TMI, but i don't care, i was in paaiiiiin. I had now a couple of very big lumps instead of all the little ones, but i didn't worry about it in the middle of the night. 

When i woke up, i had what i can only describe as 5 knees. I'm making this sound sexier and sexier aren't i;)
I was shocked at how much my bites had swollen up, so like the (nearly) grown up that i am, i went to complaining and show my mum. She took one look at it and told me id had an allergic reaction. Now, I've never been allergic to anything ever in my life, so this was brand new news to me. Theres a first time for everything right?

I'm not entirely sure what type of bug I'm allergic to, i don't know whether its a foreign bug because i know theres alot of those about or its simply just midges, of which i know are hundreds down by the river, as I've pulled the walking-through-a-swarm-of-midges face where you squeeze every facial feature in order to prevent these minuscule bugs from entering your face, many times in the last few weeks. 

I used some E45 cream which was frankly as useless as rubbing water on it. I've had the worst day with itchiness, sore legs, being unable to bend down or walk properly and being a general grump at these newly formed mounds on my legs. If you don't like looking at stuff like that, i suggest you stop scrolling:) 

  This is how it was this morning. It really wasn't very pleasant, its been very uncomfortable all day and seeing as I've never had an allergic reaction then i think i dealt with it pretty well (i just say this, if there had been other people home I'm sure they would disagree instantly). There are two more scattered around my legs, if you cant tell by the picture, its the massive lumps sticking outside of my knee, so very appealing no? I googled it this morning and it said if it measured 10cm across then i should go to the doctors. It was 13cm this morning and its now 16cm, so we shall see if it has improved by the morning as I'm sure the doctor will have nothing new to say against the pharmacist. 
 

  I popped out to Boots to get some remedies to soothe the bites, the pharmacist suggested a hydrocortisol ointment to reduce the itchiness and swelling which i was all in favour for. I then got some insect repellent to use every time i now go down to the riverside which is fun, and also some soothing spray to make it less uncomfortable. We also had some allergy relief tablets in the bathroom cabinet so I've taken some of those. I do now feel less sore and itchy which is good, I've had a rubbish eating day to just help get me feeling better, that's what 5 Mars Bar ice creams do isn't it?! 

I just thought id share this new experience/ hellish day with you in order to search for some sympathy of which i have had 0% of :(
  
To make up for it I'm drowning myself in chocolate with candles and the Vicar of Dibley, I'm a rocking chair away from being a Granny :)