Bite count: A decent number, yet nothing alarming. Just a case of many Italian mosquitos perhaps?
Yesterday when I woke up, I was covered. I had little patches of bites on the back of my legs, my feet, my arms, and my back. I was slightly worried but decided to go get cortisone cream and some Benedryl. I figured, at worst, I was having an allergic reaction to laundry detergent or some of the fruit I had eaten. Off I went into town with Ali to go to the pharmacy and do some shopping.
Bite count: More. Definitely more. Getting worrisome - assumed allergic reaction!
About 1 minutes after leaving the house, Ali and I encountered and older woman walking very slowly, clutching onto the wall beside her, making pained and exasperated noises. As we came up to her, she let go of the wall and began falling backward. I caught her.
After Ali grabbed hold of the woman as well, we looked at each other rather panicked because the woman was speaking very quickly and quietly, in Italian, and even so, it didn't quite seem as though she was making perfect sense. She kept pointing to an address on an envelope she was holding and we didn't know if she was trying to get there, or if she wanted to get to the post office, or what, but then she asked us where the bus stop was. We tried to tell her it was too far, but it didn't matter either way since soon she was unable to stand even with Ali and I supporting her.
I called over the first man that walked by, since we couldn't let go of her to call an ambulance. He shook his head no and walked away. Unbelievable. Fortunately a woman soon biked by and stopped immediately when I asked her for help. I told her in Italian that we wanted to help this woman but we didn't speak Italian well enough to be able to. The woman called and ambulance, meanwhile two young men showed up and took the woman from Ali and I to lean her up against their Vespa while they held her. They asked us what happened and we explained in Italian as best we could. Fortunately, they also spoke English.
Interestingly enough, these two young men were seemingly and incredibly impressed with the fact that we were two American girls who a) spoke Italian well enough and b) saved a woman we didn't know on the streets of Florence. I don't know what imbecile wouldn't have done the same... but apparently they are out there somewhere. Finally, about 10 minutes later, an ambulance appeared. In Italy, no one moves over to let ambulances, fire trucks, police, etc. through. This ambulance was stuck behind a line of cars and actually had to wait through the stop light. It was appalling!
When asked what happen, this lovely older woman said she wasn't sure and she didn't understand because he legs just stopped working. She said she was always fine and this had never happened before, but her legs just wouldn't walk anymore. Between hearing this and having heard her try to speak earlier, our assumption is that she had a stroke. It was the most heartbreaking event I have ever experienced and I was shaking and tearing for a good long time afterward. The two younger men asked Ali and I first if we wanted to smoke, then if we wanted to go get coffee with them, then if we needed something cold to drink and finally, if perhaps they should call an ambulance for us as well. Maybe they should have, given that 6 hours later, we were still unable to think or speak clearly....
After that particular incident, we met up with the other ragazze from Smith and did some shopping, got a panini, had a beer and went to the pharmacy to buy some cream and Benedryl. The man at the pharmacy agreed and said that I was probably just allergic to something. Although the cream helped a little, I don't know how great of a help the Benedryl was.... and by this point, since they had been itchy for quite some time, the bites seemed to have spread.... I had them all over my arms and legs and back at this point.
Bite count: SPREADING!
Upon arriving home, I started panicking because I was tired, and almost a little woozy, and I started feeling that every little ache and pain must be related. I had myself all but convinced that I had adult chicken pox until....
I saw a bug crawling on the wall.
A tiny bug, mind you, but a bug nonetheless.
Naturally, I caught this bug in my waterglass and hopped on Google. Big mistake. Also very smart decision, but BIG MISTAKE. Within minutes, I was sobbing.
Bed bugs.
Che. Schifo.
How. Gross.
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