Re: Update: Good bus driver, bad snake

[Guest guest]

Oh, yes, I am doing OK now. Even the fang marks are starting to fade away (too bad, because I thought they were pretty cool...).love/Reb>> Oh my goodness Reb! Are you doing okay now????? > > love > > > Sharon> This email is a natural hand made product. The slight variations in spelling and > grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be > considered flaws or defects.> > > > > > > ________________________________> To: MSersLife > Sent: Tue, July 12, 2011 2:28:11 AM> Subject: Update: Good bus driver, bad snake> > > > We went to Småland (a province that borders Scania, where we live) this past > weekend. The reason we went was a combined birthday and retirement party for one > of 's colleagues, Carina, held in the summer house Carina and her husband > owns in the forested highlands of Småland. We weren't too enthusiastic about > going away for most of the few days was at home this first week of her long > distance commuting, but not much to do about that (the party was very nice, the > food excellent, as I think I have mentioned before, it was just the timing that > wasn't absolutely ideal for us personally, but what can you do?).> > We arrived to the nearest town by bus (we went by train most of the way, but for > the last part of the journey we had to go by bus), and were supposed to meet > Carina's daughter at the bus station, and she was to drive us to the summer > house. We arrived in the town in question, and at what we thought was the bus > station (it sort of looked like it could have been), and got off the bus. Only > to, too late, discover that we were at the hospital not at the bus station. > Looking at the map on the iPhone (great invention!) we gathered that it was at > least a 20 minutes walk to the bus station, and we were already a little late. > But, what can you do? Start walking, I suppose. And try to get hold of Carina's > daughter on the phone. Then, just as we picked up our bags and started to walk, > we saw another bus drive up to the hospital, and we thought that it might also > be headed for the bus station, just like the bus we had mistakenly gotten off. > > We asked the driver:> "Excuse us, will you be driving to the bus station?"> His, somewhat confusing, reply was:> "Do you think that I should?"> I don't quite know what we answered to that, but he clarified:> "Do you want to go there?"> We explained how we had been on a bus bound for the bus station, and left it by > mistake.> He said:> "Oh, well...This is actually the end of the line...but I suppose I've got time > to drive you there. Jump in."> And he did drive us there, in the bus that wasn't really going there, and on his > spare time. And free of charge, too. > > Now that is one very good bus driver! > > Then on to a nice, and not too crowded party. The weather was perfect > (especially important since it was an outdoor party) sunny but not too hot. The > down side was an unusually high amount (unusual even for the forests of Småland) > of several species of hors flies (all of them the kinds that bites, of > course...). And lets not forget the mosquitos that the forests of Småland (with > the many lakes where mosquitos breed like crazy) are so famous for. Like I said > to when she commented on how beautiful the surroundings were (and they > really were!), with the forest, the mountains and the lakes: "Yes, sure, it's > all very beautiful. But I find the experience of being constantly eaten alive > somehow distracts me from the beauty..." I was taking my antihistamines, on the > maximum dose (doubled my normal dose), just as much to avoid reactions from the > insects bites, as to keep my allergy to grass under control. > > The next morning and I woke up early, before everyone else, and decided to > take a walk by the lake, it was really, really beautiful in the morning sun > (although "the killer insects from hell", as I was starting to refer to all of > the annoying, biting, things as a group, were also awake, and kind of a > distraction still...). And suddenly, as I was walking through the grass by the > lake, something bit or stung me on the right foot (I was wearing sandals. Big > mistake!, next time I visit Småland in the summer, I will be wearing full > protective gear...). It felt like something slamming onto the foot and then a > burn, not quite like the other fly bites (and by then I had started to learn to > tell the difference between the species by the way the bite felt, and by if it > was bleeding afterwards... as had most of the party guests, it was a big topic > of conversation during the party...). But what I found most annoying was how the > burn just went on and on. I made some comment about how that burn from the bite > I just got wouldn't go away. asked if it was one of the biting flies, and I > said that "Don't think so. I guess it was a wasp, or a killer bumble bee, or a > biting ant, or any other of all the mean, people eating things in this place." > (can you tell I was losing temper with the lovely insects...).> > Back in "our" guest house, we lay down on the beds to rest a bit before > breakfast, and I noted that the foot as such was swollen (not enormously, but a > bit much for an insect bite) and I commented that it's a good thing I already > have a maximum dose of antihistamine in my system, it's probably keeping the > swelling down. > > When we went up to the main house for breakfast, I asked Carina if they had any > Salubrin (a common Swedish brand of cooling gel used for insect bites) for my > foot. She asked what bit me, and I said I hadn't really seen what it was, but > that it was something in the grass by the lake. > > The mention of the grass by the lake did make her react (she had been warning us > about vipers there), and she asked if she could have a look. > > And yes, she was right, it was a viper bite (with very distinct marks from the > two fangs), not an insect bite. She put some cortisone cream on, instead of > Salubrin. She wanted to drive us to the hospital, but I was *not* going to miss > our bus, and then train, out of insect land!! So we didn't go. We had breakfast > and left as planned instead. The general recommendation is to always go to the > nearest hospital, but what they'll do if you come there with a viper bite is to > treat with cortisone and antihistamines (for small to medium reactions, like > mine), or with serum (the antidote kind, if you are having a strong, systemic, > reaction), and then put you on observation for a few hours, to make sure you are > not developing a systemic reaction (it doesn't always come immediately). And I > figured that I was already treating it with both antihistamines (if indirectly) > and cortisone, and that I could observe myself (plus, when we were closer to > civilization, we could get to a hospital quite easily if need be). > > In short, a good bus driver and a bad snake shaped a good portion of our > weekend. > > At least now I know what a viper bite feels like (I've never had one before, and > if I can avoid it I not planning on another one...). I never did get ill from > it, and the swolling is down. The ache and burn are gone too. I still have the > fang marks as a memento though...> > love> /Reb>