Saratoga,
I had a similar experience when young. I always found them to be common where you had sandstone slabs on solid sandstone, where they were exposed to direct sunlight for most of the day. The commonest companion species was Copper-tailed Skinks and then Lesueur’s Geckoes. I still have a particular liking for these three species over many of the much more fancied varieties of reptiles.
Mister_Snakes,
It might be worth your while to be tested. It probably would not be cheap but if it turns out you have developed a sensitivity it may well be worth it. I know I copped a couple of nips from small individuals over a number of years, which barely had an effect. I then copped a good solid bite on the finger from a metre long specimen and remember being uncertain as to what to expect. So I sat down and kept stationary for about half an hour. The symptoms were akin to a decent wasp sting (a couple of which I have had the misfortune of experiencing). The symptoms pretty much began to abate after about twenty minutes or thereabouts. So after my half hour “on the bench” I was up and at ‘em and spent the rest of the day herping with no further ill effects. So for you to have such an extended reaction the obvious conclusion would be as you reckon – you have developed a degree of sensitivity. How sensitive? That’s for the docs to determine.
Blue
