'Fire ants under my skin': I was struck down by hell's itch, the searing pain of the summer

Two days after a mild sunburn, I was in the worst pain of my life. An internet message board saved my sanity Last week, I found myself standing half naked on the sidewalk outside a CVS in Brooklyn frantically attempting to apply daubs of aloe vera gel and hydrocortisone to the bit of my back between the shoulder blades all while dramatically squirming in pain. Passers byenjoying ice-cream in the oppressive heat glanced at me before quickly looking away - and rightly so. I looked insane, but I ha...