"Janet Price" wrote in message
...
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. To answer a couple questions, yes I
was tested for all venoms and I'm allergic to all of them. I'm up to
about the one sting level with respect to the de-sensitization now, and
hope to get to the two sting level by the end of May.

Wasps and hornets are indeed my primary worry because they can sting
multiple times and that's where the danger is.

When I was stung last summer, I noticed a few hives on my wrists about 15
minutes after getting stung on the feet. I drove quickly to the medical
center, about 10 minutes away, and shortly after I got there was one giant
hive. While my throat did not swell, my blood pressure dropped and my
eyes and ears were itchy. They gave me benedryl and cortisone and that
did the trick. Four hours later my son's girlfriend drove me home. Only
good thing was that the cortisone reduced my appetite and I lost a few
pounds over the next week or so.

After the incident, I wore jeans and tennies with socks rolled over the
pantsleg, something long sleeved and long gardening gloves whenever I went
outside. I move slowly and am careful about touching anything.

Before, I wore nothing but shorts and a T and sandals. I totally ignored
bees. I spaded my garden in birkies. I still don't own any shoes but
tennies and my mother of the groom wedding shoes.

Thanks again for the various suggestions.

Janet


One last thing: A number of clothing companies advertise garments which are
impregnated with bug repellent. LL Bean's "Buzz Off" clothes, for instance.
The stuff they're treated with is classified as a carcinogen by the EPA &
FDA, but it's use in clothing is permitted, for obvious reasons (cash in the
right pockets). I mention this in case you run across it in the future.
Forget it.