"The only important species in California is Triatoma protracta, the western bloodsucking conenose, whereas in the southern United States from the Atlantic Ocean to Arizona the most important pest species is Triatoma sanguisuga. Triatoma protracta frequently lives in aggregations in the nests of wood rats (Neotoma spp.), but also flies into homes and may feed on people. Although not painful, bites from conenose bugs sometimes produce allergic reactions, which can be cause for concern in sensitive individuals. In Latin America these insects are important because they sometimes carry a protozoan, Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas’ disease in humans; this debilitating disease is rare in the United States, however, with only two recorded cases in southern Texas and one in central California."
Now... I've been bitten many times at night I guess by different type bugs and they were not only painful, but caused whelps and itched like the dickens for well over a week. I attributed them to conenose bites, but I guess not. This makes me wonder if I've ever even been bitten by one before this because of the lack of pain, but then again since I'm evidently not allergic to them then I could have been bitten many times and never knew it.
I'm starting to wonder if that may not have been what bit me on the bottom of the foot and caused that infection??? Maybe I'm the third person in south Texas to have caught Chagas??? I'm sure with all the blood they took at the hospital they weren't looking for that. Guess I need to be checked.
While I was in Odessa my sister found a conenose around the laundry room so it had to have hitchhiked in in my clothes. There are none in that area. Later Bigfoot told me that Littlefoot found one in there clothing when they got back to the DFW area. From now on when I get ready to take a shower I turn my jeans and other clothes in side out to make sure there are no critters in them and if I'm going out of town I'll check all clothing I take and then seal be bag before I go.
While the Foots were here Littlefoot told me I had to do a blog showing my progress on getting the fridge where it needs to be so here it is. I wasn't hard headed at all on this (maybe just a little slow). ;)
Attention North Terlingua residents. Mike Dirinkerd (Sp?) with the Crisis Center dropped off a BUNCH of cantaloupes and tomatoes at the legion. They need to be gotten pretty soon before they go bad! If you're in the area you might want to stop by and get some. The tomatoes and cantaloupes are both VERY GOOD! While you're there you might also buy something from the legion (NOT MANDATORY!!!), but I think it needs the help. If nothing else maybe drop a buck in the donation kitty on the bar.
So glad you squashed the cone nose - and reckon getting you blood checked is a wise idea.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping you have plenty of sunny days to power your fridge...
Dani, unfortunately we've been having a lot of cloudy days, but no rain from them.
ReplyDeleteWe have those bugs over here in east Texas, too. I have killed a few of them and my neighbor had her let swell double its size from a conenose bite. You are lucky it didn't bother you.
ReplyDeleteDD, evidently I'm not allergic to them and/or the antibiotics I'm already on stopped anything from happening I hope. Took the last antibiotic this morning.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are OK. BTW, forgive my spelling and typing errors.
ReplyDeleteGlad you squashed that nasty little bug.
ReplyDeleteYour refrigerator pad is looking good.
Good to hear your antibiotic treatment is over with.
MsB, best part of being off the antibiotics is I'll be able to be in the sun again. Will be nice to heve the fridge working again. Real FOOD and not have to buy much ice.
ReplyDeleteWhat s coming hope some will be in TERLINGUA
ReplyDelete---------------------------------------------
Reuters) - With time running out, U.S. officials are struggling to cope with the task of launching the new online health insurance exchanges at the heart of President Barack Obama's signature health reforms by an October 1 deadline.
The White House, and federal agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), must ensure that working marketplaces open for enrollment in all 50 states in less than 80 days, and are responding to mounting pressure by concentrating on three essential areas that will determine whether the most critical phase of Obamacare succeeds or fails.
"The administration right now is in a triage mode. Seriously, they do not have the resources to implement all of the provisions on time," Washington and Lee University professor Timothy Jost, a healthcare reform expert and advocate, told an oversight panel in the U.S. House of Representatives last week.
Current and former administration officials, independent experts and business representatives say the three priorities are the creation of an online portal that will make it easy for consumers to compare insurance plans and enroll in coverage; the capacity to effectively process and deliver government subsidies that help consumers pay for the insurance; and retention of the law's individual mandate, which requires nearly all Americans to have health insurance when Obama's healthcare reform law comes into full force in 2014.
Measures deemed less essential, such as making larger employers provide health insurance to their full-time workers next year or face fines, and requiring exchanges to verify the health insurance and income status of applicants, have already been postponed or scaled back.
"The closer you get to the actual launch, the more you focus on what is essential versus what could be second-order issues," said a former administration official. "That concentrates the mind in a different kind of way, and that's what's happening here."
But the risk of failure in the form of major delays is palpable, given the administration's limited staff and financial resources, as well as the stubborn political opposition of Republicans, who have denied new money for the effort in Congress and prevented dozens of states from cooperating with initiatives that offer subsidized health coverage to millions of lower income uninsured people.
"All of the systems are exactly where we want them to be today. They will be ready to perform fully on October 1," said Mike Hash, director of the HHS Office of Health Reform.
Advocates point out that the reform, formally titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and informally known as Obamacare, constitutes the most sweeping healthcare legislation since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, large successful government programs for the elderly and the low income that also faced fierce political opposition when they were created in 1965. Both required years of work after their launch to refine implementation.
Reforms says state-run exchanges are on track for a successful October 1 launch and have exceeded federal minimum requirements in some cases.
ReplyDeleteNational Weather Service Alerts for Terlingua, TX
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement
Now - Sunday, Jul 14, 9:00pm
...INCREASING POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN LATE TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE BEGINNING THIS EVENING OVER THE WESTERN ROLLING PLAINS AND THEN SPREADING WEST ACROSS THE REST OF THE REGION MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES POSSIBLE AND SOME LOCATIONS RECEIVING MORE. FLASH FLOODING OF LOW-LYING AREAS WILL LIKELY OCCUR IN AREAS THAT RECEIVE THE HEAVIEST RAINS...URBAN FLOODING AND FLASH FLOODING WILL BE A THREAT. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT SOME OF THE HEAVIEST RAINS MAY OCCUR TUESDAY MORNING DURING OR AROUND PEAK TRAVEL TIMES.
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MAF AND LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS AS THIS WEATHER PATTERN SHIFT EVOLVES