The Itch

Snookums and I have been on vacation.  Well, two vacations–to the Bahamas, then to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Bahamas weren’t so bad, bug-wise, but St. Thomas had mosquitos.  And no-see-ums.  They took to Snookums immediately (must be the sweetness) but they took a while longer to find me.  But when they did, they certainly made up for lost time.  My right ankle has a ring of welts all the way around it.  And, they itch.

So, I read the article Giving in to the urge to scratch:  Researchers find not all itches created equal[*1] at Science Daily with some interest:

While there are extensive commonalties between allergen- andhistamine-induced itch, perceptions about the intensity and the partsof the brain that are activated by allergens differ when compared tohistamine. As a result, mothers who admonish their children to stopitching may now be rightly told “I can’t.” For mold and grass-relateditches, it appears that science is on their side.

So far, I’ve avoided the urge to pop a couple of Benedryls.  So far.