Oh to sleep ....

I know I will sleep again one day, really I do know that. But I am soooooooooo tired.

When I got home on Friday from the city, I was spending an inordinate amount of time reaching behind to scratch a particular spot on my back. Eventually, I decided to pay attention to what was so itchy. Of course, I couldn't see behind me so I had to call John to check it out. It felt fairly ugly.

I had been bitten -- by a pair of something, probably deer flies -- and the sites, immediately side-by-each, were swelling rapidly. The itch was driving me mad.

Since I was obviously enjoying my usual allergic response to insect bites, John suggested that I take an antihistamine. I reached for a Claritin and enjoyed a few hours of relief.

But I barely slept a wink Friday night. It didn't matter that I was really very tired. I simply could not sleep.

Fast forward to mid-morning Saturday and John is checking the status of my bites, which are again driving me mad with itch. The sites have now become large unsightly welts and are very sore to the touch. Since the itch is still so bad, John suggests that I take another Claritin. So I did; I took another Claritin.

Immediately after popping that second Claritin, I decide to check the packaging. These ones are to be taken every 24 hours and I had just taken my second one in approximately 12 hours! Talk about closing the barn door after the horses have left!

Last night, I was again very tired and figured I would have no trouble at all sleeping. Wrong! It was a repeat of Friday night.

By the wee hours this morning, I knew full well it was because of the Claritin that I was still laying there awake. I never could tolerate antihistamines; that's why I don't usually use them. It was Benadryl that I should have taken. That is specifically intended to control itch, and for some reason it does not cause adverse reactions in me.

So here I am on Sunday morning, absolutely exhausted, and for once it isn't because of pain. The bites are only mildly itchy and the welts have shrunk considerably. The area is not quite as angry-looking now and is no longer sore to the touch. Hopefully, by tonight everything will be back in sync and I will be able to sleep again.

Now, the burning question is: Why, if I don't usually take antihistamines, did I reach for the Claritin (not once, but twice) rather than the Benadryl? Am I getting dotty?