Bug Bites and Then Some

Today's another scorching hot day but since it wasn't over 90 degrees, it's technically not a heatwave. It's just hot. And humid. With nary a breeze. I did see another monarch butterfly dancing over the Common Milkweeds in my yard. And another fritillary butterfly drinking from the newly bloomed Swamp Milkweeds by the driveway. But no caterpillars. My son found a cicada shell at the park and brought it home. It was as light as paper and a perfect replica of the emergent adult, a creature nowhere to be seen but maybe heard trilling in the forested wetlands.

The dogs got to play with a few friends this morning and I still had time to do a decent workout. As easy as it is to stay home after hand-feeding the pups, I'm compelled to pack my gym gear and drive to the gym. Not only am I still trying to lose those pesky pandemic pounds, but I'll kick myself if exercise is the only thing saving my mind from aging and I don't do it. And I don't mean stretching (yoga, anyone?) but good, brisk cardio. I still fancy being able to do for myself when I'm in my 80s, and having the presence of mind to know it.

I'm always better after a good sweaty workout and I do miss going rounds on the Nexersys kickboxing machine. Now I'm not so sure my joints wound endure that sort of abuse. Summer is biting bug season and I'm beside myself trying to wear gym clothes that don't chafe the multitude of insect bites on my legs. 

It's not that other people aren't getting bit (well, maybe not as much), but that they don't react as severely as I do. I have an assortment of anti-itch creams, gels and ointments for when the sprays and mists (DEET, picaridin, lemon eucalyptus oil) fail to deter mosquitoes, gnats, thrips and biting flies. The 1% hydrocortisone creams do nothing. The anti-itch gels and creams labeled "skin anesthetic" are misleading: diphenhydramine HCl is an antihistamine. Yes, an antihistamine reduces itching and swelling associated with insect bites, but it's not in itself an anesthetic. Especially when marketing labels blare "compare this to Benadryl," a well-known allergy medication. 

Menthol is an excellent anesthetic though and I have creams with that plus benzocaine or lidocaine, both topical numbing agents. Very useful for when you're about to rip inflamed skin off with your fingernails. But I've had the best success with fluocinonide, a prescription-only ultra-strong steroid ointment. (Steroids are known to make glaucoma worse so I have to be judicious with usage.) 

I've got a tube of fluocinonide 0.05% leftover from a bout with an itchy neck that, after months, I finally determined was a new sensitivity to handmade soap with tangerine oil. Citrus oils can be irritants but only my neck was affected when I bathed with it. A dab of fluocinonide on the bites and I can roll my pants legs down again. Whew. Today it's so hot I actually put on a dress after showering. It's nice not having pant legs but I worry about biting flies as I walk across the parking lot. 

I'm not sure if the Eye Yoga is improving my vision or my glaucoma, but I don't think there's anything detrimental about the movements. I skipped yesterday's workout and won't hit the gym again until Monday. And I've become so inured to the sciatica that I can't remember whether it bothered me this morning when I brushed my teeth. That's when I usually notice that unpleasant sensation that something inside the length of the leg is pulled a bit too taught. These days, less seems to be more.

16 July 2021
Blazing Friday

Precor elliptical
30 min + 5 cool down
Program 2
HR n/a
Cal 325
Distance 2.90

Crunches 60
Piriformis Stretch
60 Dead Bugs
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Push-Ups 25
Mat stretch w 3 Eye Yoga
Air Squats 25

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 3
Rev Incl flys (w/u) 15 lbs x 20 x 1
20lbs x 20, 23, 25