Early this morning, about a half hour left in a 45 mile ride, I experienced a bit of a tickle, then an itch on the back of my neck right at my hairline. I didn't think anything of it till I got home. I jumped in the shower and as I regulated the water flow, I noticed the palms of my hands were beginning to get slight reddish welts and were beginning to itch uncontrollably. Within minutes is spread to where I sit and the front side of where I sit, then to a lesser extent my scalp, armpits and feet. I popped two Benadryls, and jumped in the car to take my son to soccer camp about 3 hours away. During the ride, my tongue began to swell, and my upper lip ballooned to about twice it's normal size. No trouble breathing, so I kept driving trying to beat the registration deadline. Once registered and set up in his room, I asked my wife if she would drive home because I felt sleepy. 3 hours later (and two more Benadryls) I arrived home and most if not all of the swelling is gone. I have painful knee joints, and the bottom of my feet hurt whenever I put pressure on them. The hive like welts are all but gone, but I'm running a low grade fever (99.1 or 2).

Has anyone else experienced this sort of anaphalytic reaction? I have experienced bee stings, and they are full blown in much less than 30 minutes, but this one was like time release.

Well you did the right thing with the benadryls. Anaphylaxis scares the heck out of me. I had a bee sting me on the wrist while riding and had my hand swell up.
Never figured out what bit you?

Never figured out what it was that caused it. As I type this, I can't even feel the spot where they were. The swelling around the neck area is completely gone. The joints still ache, and the fever is still barely there. I just figured someone on the forum might have had a similar experience and in the process identified the critter....
My brother in law suggested a spider might have been hiding in my helmet. I store it on a shelf in the garage. I just think if a spider was the culprit, he wouldn't have waited almost two hours from when I put the helmet on.

I believe you would have had trouble breathing with a severe Anaphylaxic reaction. You should get yourself tested for allergies involving bee stings, etc. though. You might end up carrying an epipen in the spring and summer, but it's a good thing to know.

Thanks Nermal, I used to carry an epipen, but have since had several bug bites without much more that the usual reaction. I just assumed I was growing out of it.

Regarding your sig:

Funny, I was thinking yesterday when I got stung by a wasp of how when I'm working hard I don't even feel the initial sting, and how the burning of the venom is only a mild irritant with a tiny little bump right at the sting site.

This has happened five times in the last month counting three stings at the same time.

Maybe I'm just too dumb to notice.

By the way, what's the story behind rear ending a parked car? Looks like a support car in a bike race.

One of the famous Graham Watson photos. The picture is of American cyclist Davis Phinney during the 1988 Liege - Bastogne - Liege race.

He was a "pretty boy" before this:

Very classy rider. Sadly I hear he is now afflicted with Parkinson's Disease.

Nice call Slow Train!!!

In 2004, when all the hurricanes were hitting Florida, a colony of fire ants decided to move into our apartment (this seems to be something they do when there is either too much or too little rain around here). It took us 4 months to get rid of them, the exterminator would not believe it was fire ants until we caught some and showed him.

They were eating into our food, showing up in the fridge, the cabinets, and in our beds. I woke up one morning with an itchy wrist and within a few hours it was swollen up quite large. When the swelling went down I had two pustules from fire ant stings. Shrugged that off (and went and complained again for them to get the guy out to spray), then two weeks later I woke up with another sting, this time on my neck. Within a few minutes my hands and feet were itching and burning like mad and starting to swell up. I took benadryl and it went away thankfully.

So yea, could be fire ants! I had one get me while I was on the bike about a month ago. I stopped about 30 minutes into the ride and stood in some grass for a bit. Must have gotten on me then, made it's way to my face over the course of the next 45 minutes, and stung me on my tongue (of all places!) when I felt something on my lip and instinctively licked it.

I think for the most part stuff will leave you alone even once it is on you unless it decides it is threatened. Maybe it was a spider and it did not feel threatened until then?

ceridwin I thought fire ants also, because I'd just found some a couple of days ago as I was cutting the lawn. I ruled it out because neither of the bites has formed the customary fire ant pustule. There is no indication of where the bite was 24 hours later. 36 hours later and the only residual of the bites is a slight ache in my knee and ankle joints. Guess I'm going to survive, and never know what got me. Just a few minutes ago I took the riding gear I was wearing out of the wash. In the bottom of the machine I discovered two or three small black "legs". I examined them, and they could have been spider parts. Of course they could also have been a hundred other things as the two boys in this house bring all kinds of stuff in and on their clothing and we usually find it in the wash.

I get a reaction to spider bites... no specific type, just generic spider bites. I'll get a HUGE welt that lasts almost a week and itches for as long. Last time, I did also get a little joint soreness, but just attributed it to the exercise.

Didn't even think to take a Benedryl... I'll have to remember that next time.