When my car was finally freed, I hurried off to the courthouse which is about five blocks away from my office and as I was about to exit my vehicle, I felt a slight twinge on my left kneecap. Being a lady of mature years, I've become used to various little twinges that come with the territory and I rubbed my kneecap and didn't think much more about it. I hurried up the outside stairs, dropped the envelope of agenda items off at the Judge's office, dropped off an envelope at the Treasurer's office and, in a short five minutes time, was back at my car. I realized then that I was having an allergic reaction to what must have been a wasp or bee sting on my knee. I had a tingling sensation in the skin of my neck and my left arm and I was feeling a little shakey.
As I sat in the car seat, whatever had gotten me on my knee to begin with got me three or four more times on the back of my thigh as I sat on it. I realized it was in my pants and I squirmed around to try to get rid of it. I drove as quickly as was safe back to my office with the intent of getting some help. As I pulled into my parking place, the insect in my pants got me again two or three times on the knee before I finally trapped it in the fold of my slacks material and squished it to death. Getting out of my car, I shook it out of my pants onto the sidewalk and found it to be a small red wasp (see photo) about 3/4 inch long. By this time, I was experiencing tingling in my neck and face and numbness in my left arm.
When I entered the building, I encountered James Carson again and told him I needed to go to the ER because I'd been stung multiple times by a wasp and I was having an allergic reaction. A co-worker who is a trained medical first responder drove me to the hospital which is about a mile from my office and I was quickly treated for the reaction.
Before the benedryl administered by ER staff had time to take effect, I experienced a headache, very high blood pressure, swelling of my left arm and itching of my neck, face, and scalp. Fortunately, the medication halted those symptoms quickly and by the time I was ready to leave the ER about an hour later, I was only very sleepy.
I have a history of bad reactions to wasp and bee stings but I haven't been stung in over thirty years. It's been a long time since I carried emergency medication with me but I believe I will again do so. I was lucky this time because I was able to get medical help quickly.
