Tuesday, January 25, 2011

OH for Snow in Panama

I had so enjoyed my time in the beautiful San Blas islands, for many reasons, one of them being there were no mosquitoes.  If there is a mosquito within a mile of where I am it will find me.  Since arriving in Panama word is out that the mosquito buffet has arrived and they are all tucking in, I have so many bites on my arms and legs, there is barely an inch where I do not have itchy red inflamed skin. My legs are covered in bloody scabs.  
Normally when I get a mosquito bite I resist the urge to scratch because I know if I can bear it for about 20 minutes it will stop.  These bites are different, they do not stop itching, I wake at night scratching and bleeding, the only relief is to put ice on, I wish I had a bath so I could fill it with ice and jump in. 
Gold bond make a medicated wipe that is probably the best anti itch treatment I have found, but they are not sold out here, and I doubt that I could afford the amount I would need to buy. 
OFF make a device that you wear and it keeps the mosquitoes away, it really works, but the refills are hard to find, impossible in fact out here. 

So at night I crawl under the mosquito net which hangs over my bed with arms full of zip lock bags filled with ice, which I move from one inflamed area to the next until I am suitably frozen and there is enough relief for me to sleep, then I dream of rolling around naked in the snow before rolling over bursting the bag with the melted ice and waking in a pool of water.

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