The Great Horsefly Attack of 2010

So as you can see by the title, I was attacked (no better word for it), by a horsefly, or something that bites/stings that has horsefly behaviors. The story:

I was running early yesterday (oddly, as I had been for the past two days), and I left our apartment and was walking from our apartment to my car (which is not far, mind you). I get halfway down the steps and feel something on my leg, I look down and have been bitten / stung. Either way, my pain receptors went off. And then I feel it again, on my finger, and then again on my hand...needless to say, I start flailing my arms in the air screaming 'GET OFF GO AWAY!" and I look and the little bugger has landed ON MY ARM, and despite my flailing, BITES ME AGAIN!!! I continue waving around, now with pain receptors going off like mad at every site he bit/stung. I made it to the car where I sit there, heart racing, deciding if I need to go to the doctor, or continue on to work. I decide that since I'm breathing okay and not puffing up everywhere, that my reaction was 'normal' so I continue to work. Well, the bites swell up, especially the one on my hand and my leg. And it hurts and is tender at the site of the bites. Naturally, I cannot keep these things to myself so I start telling the whole story to my coworker and then my supervisor as they come in. We inspected the sites for signs of a stinger (none, thankfully, which leads me to think that I was bit instead of stung). And I go on about my work day, for barely a half hour. My hand puffs up a bit more and I decide that I should drive down the street to Target to talk to the pharmacist (she is so great there!) and see if I can't get some cortizone creme and some claratin / benadryl. Fortunately we were well staffed for the morning, so me slipping out wasn't an issue at all - did I mention that my coworkers are the best! So I go over there, talk to the pharmacist and get loaded up with the proper medicine and head back into work. Shew, crisis averted.
And now only the bites on my hand and leg are really bothering me - still sore and the one on my hand is hot and puffed up a little bit - but I'm moving forward.

Oh and I text J to tell him this when I get to work and he IMMEDIATELY flies into action and sends me various links to bug identfiers as well as treatments. All the while making sure that I am okay. I must have gotten like 5 emails from him in 5 minutes. My little researcher :)

So I'm doing well today - am actually scheduled off from work and surprisingly do not have a lot planned for the day! Some laundry, exercise and I rented 'It's Compliated' from Redbox (looove Redbox) and reading is what's on tap! Can't wait :)