have been bitten by a noxious insect and had severe reaction with arm really swollen , i dont react to insect bites usually this is driving me crazy, and had to go to Boots today as follow up on hearing aids so went into the shop t o speak to pharmacist. Was told i should go to our local care unit at outpatients. as it might be infected . it isnt but might be in future unless i get some relief ! 'My answer was it is not infected .I used to be a bacteriologist ( chose term carefully ) hey presto everything changed ------ no I dont need antibiotic but some hydrocortisone cream . Now just hope I was right .
it i s true about being a bacteriologist in the far distant past before i retired, but i only looked at cultures, not people.!
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Jaybird19
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Hope the hydrocortisone works well (& that you'll go to A&E if it swells to three times it's size!). I use it for bites too, a tiny speck goes a long way. I'm using 2 x daily at the mo as something got me yesterday, I felt it, flicked it off then saw 2 little puncture holes. Really hot n sore
i will try that too but wasnt given advice on how often to use it so thanks . i didnt feel it bite whatever it was but i dont usually react to this extent . But then we have had quite tropical temperatures for quite some time and i know that prolongued high temperatures can affect the virulence of some insects . Cant quite t remember which now but there was something in East Anglia a few years ago . Very annoying that . W ill have to google it !
I just checked my French tube of hydrocortisone, it says use sparingly 2 - 3 times a day.I couple of years ago my daughter was at her kids school sports day in Buckinghamshire. Standing on a grassy field she felt something on her lower leg, looked down as she reached to flick of a fat spider. Too late, it bit her. By afternoon leg & foot swelled hugely , big blister at the bite site with two puncture marks. She was kept in hospital 24 hours, IV antibiotics & something else, steroids. She sent some pics, it was truly horrible. We later looked up to see if we could identify the spider, the only one we thought might be possible was the tunnel web spider but couldn't be sure.
I checked the use by date on my old tube, it was 2019! I bought a new one from the local chemist and it says use 2 x daily, never use on the face or on broken skin. My bites tend to develop central blisters so I avoid those too.
Hope you're feeling better. Mine are still huge red & angry. I'm wondering if they're flea bites from when I sat in a public garden last Sunday, foxes may live in it not to mention visiting dogs. Bed bugs are also horrible, (got those in a youth hostel years ago)!
had forgotten about bed bugs . got some in a smart sicily hotel many years ago and was worried about bringing them bath in suitcase but was lucky- i didnt .
forgot to say the itch and swelling has move an inch or so down arm to elbow but generally so much better thanks to the hydrocortisone . Very odd but like a bruise can move down with gravity but has got so much better. insects are certainly thriving in this warm weather . picked a book up to read in bed and a silverfish ran across the page and disappeared !
cannot get rid of them in bathroom but now in bedroom too . ugh!
thank you and no problem sassy i wouldnt have done anything about it but happened to be in Boots anyway so thougth i would have a look at their new assistance counter, . good idea to take some loads off drs.
Now how are you ? how did it all go ? are you not taking life easy and recovering and are you supposed to be answering our posts ?
I often get bad reactions to bites, I can usually tell if I need antibiotics , my heart rate goes up and the red area gets bigger, cellulitis sets in. I hope you are ok x
now you have got me worried ! No problem. if that happens I will take a taxi to our minor injuries unit here if it gets worse . no good phoning doctors these days or could use the pharmacists at chemists instead. i got antibiotics for UTI one weekend from this unit when surgery didnt follow up a telephone appointment one friday then it was weekend and i had to call the unit , talk to the oncall doctor there and get scrip sent to on- call chemist where a local taxi firm collected it and delivered it to my home .
marvellous what can be done when you are desperate .
it’s quite often spider bites that give the most nasty bites. They usually have 2 little puncture holes instead of one. Fingers crossed that the hydrocortisone helps and the bite will soon be gone.
Me neither Jaybird19,terrified of big ones - i live across frm farm so get some biggies- i leave sink+ bath plugs in,block overflows,,and only have windows on trickle vent.i also make up a spray that deters thm+ fflies,midgies,ants and mice so spray all round outside + i have an electic bat upstairs+ down..i sound like a mad woman lol x
not if it stops you getting attacked . just make sure the taps are off.
i have a lot of scrub bushes and tres that grow on a very deep railway cutting. so plenty of wild life on both sides of cutting , heard the owll callling last night and havent heard one for some time. we had a badgers den there and foxes too but not seen them lately. or heard the foxes calling/ Too many new houses in the area aroiund now and . have lost the cuckoo who i used to hear as well. shame . I suppose it is the same in lots of places and still not enough houses .
I used to get bitten badly when abroad from mosquitoes. I was told Vit B1 which I believe is Thiamine is supposed to help with inflammation . It worked for me so maybe worth a try. X
I use 2 weeks before going abroad and it seems to stop me getting bit, dont think the mosquitoes like the smell or taste but dont think it would work after the bite x
Yes you’re probably right. Sorry. I’ve been bitten a lot recently just small ones but very itchy. I’m taking Celebrex & but if steroid cream to lesson the itching plus alcohol ( on the bite) not drinking it ! I hope things improve for you quickly x
Fingers crossed its not infected Jaybird and hopefully the swelling is going down. I have some cream in for bites and stings called Anthistan and seems really good , I bought this after getting stung several times by a wasp x
some time ago there were lots of wasps and they were building a nest in my porch but they were eating my wooden balcony for the r aw material and there were three of them there all the time grazing on the wooden planks !
well whatever you like. ! at least you met the patients. I was just a" back room bod "but i did enjoy giving advice to the doctor when on call as the microbiologist
. that term frightens people and bacteriologist is more friendly, I think .
My Aunty was a microbiologist and think she worked with public health, she loved the job sadly she died last year and didnt see enough of her to know what she did properly x
happened to me too recently whilst gardening. Half my arm was swollen and burning. Pharmacist said ooooo that looks bad! Sold me strong antihistamine tablets which worked after a few days. And recommended ice packs which certainly brought welcome relief. Hope it soon settles for you. There are many unrecognisable insects around this summer!
Hi Jaybird. I would put antihistamine cream straight on it as soon as you know you have been bitten. I use it for wasp or insect bites. I’ve also got antihistamine tablets if a wasp stings me. I swell up quite badly with stings. I use the cream for itchy bites but both for wasp stings. I was once stung on my toe. I didn’t think too much of it but within a day or two the swelling was up to my knee so I do worry about them now. A wasp in my house has got to go out. The trouble is that they just randomly sting you. Horrible things!
My Daughter in law had a false widow spider lower itself down on her arm while she was at the table. It bit her on the forearm. That all swelled up. You don’t realise there are biting spiders in this Country. At least I never did. My friend came in yesterday and she had been bitten by something and that was really red and swollen. I put some Anthisan on it and told her to get some. I don’t think it was infected because she had only been bitten that morning. I just hope the Anthisan worked for her.
I really hope the cream works and certainly don’t wish to alarm you but please do get someone to check it out if it doesn’t improve quickly. A few weeks ago my grandson was bitten in two or three spots on his arm , one site was red and sore and after four days he took himself to A &E because the pain was so bad , he was given antibiotics but went back a few days later when they had no affect They then sent him immediately to another hospital because they said he needed to see a plastic surgeon! ( I know , I’ve never heard of anything like this either !! ) The surgeon cut deep into the infected area ( anaesthetic given ) and literally scraped out the infection ) A few days later a second bite started to hurt , he went straight to A&E and the antibiotics worked , so I would say it’s essential to get treatment asap if you experience more than usual pain . Apparently it was a staphylococcus infection that was spreading 🤦🏻♀️ I think his experience is probably unusual but as has been said we have no idea what’s flying about these days x
staph is quite common and there are many of that type that are resistant to many of our antibiotcs and these are checked and sent of to reference lab for typing I used to send these when found them resistant to methicilin. this was 25 years ago and there are many more resistant strains now . I found that when was given a compound of two common antibiotics recently having got a hospital - acquired resistant urine iinfection. thankfully the compound worked within a very short time.
but there is another bacterium that eats flesh ra pidly and this is a different bug . this is a streptococus that can cause varied different problems . they might of suspected that and needed to act quickly .. no reason why cannot have both infections .
iit i s along time since i retired, medicine advances rapidly and I am not familiar with the resistant strains now except what gets published in news papers . that is not the best either
That’s very interesting info thanks 😊 it may well have been the bacterial infection you mentioned - they sound very similar to a lay person like me whatever it was I was amazed at what happened to my grandson , apparently the surgeon cut right down to the bone and literally scooped out all the infected tissue 😳 🤢
that is awful but good thing done or it could have continued to more tissue . it is frightening.. i wonder if they cultured that tissue as well . poor lad. has he lost much muscle there .?
Not as far as I’m aware , he seems to have healed quickly and well but I think age (22) and his general fitness level may have been on his side . I think , left too long without treatment in someone older it could’ve been a far more serious situation. As it was he only suffered a couple of days severe pain before the treatment, a week off work after and some apprehension before he was told the infection had cleared 🙏
My sympathies for those affected by insect bite’s especially children.
since last 3 Summers have also overreacted to insect bites on lower limbs which turn into worrying blisters. GP eventually recommended taking 2 anthistamines a day ( 1 morning and evening) . This has reduced the frequency of blister reaction. plus using hydrocortisone cream topically. Preventing them is another challenge especially when sleeping.
Deet smells awful and probably not good for Lungs. Covering up and keeping windows closed another way and even tried using a plug in anti insect device. Cheapest way is now to spray the bedroom 15 mins before settling for the night with insect spray. Poor hubby not impressed.
Have also tried vit B1 and even garlic ( at least no vampires noticed!! ).
We have quite a few water harvesting butts in the garden and perhaps this also encourages insects, even though they are covered. Tried planting lemon thyme next to them as have read that insects don’t like the smell.
By the way has anyone notice pd that when taking antihistamine’s that breathing is easier?
I don’t have lung disease but have been diagnosed as having chronic sinusitis, strangely enough this doesn’t seem to have a big affect on my breathing but mainly causes headaches and hearing loss and infections I have a daily steroid spray but have been told to take antihistamines daily too. On bad days when I wake feeling like my head is full of cotton wool and my hearing has deteriorated ( or virtually disappeared 🙄) overnight I always find it’s the antihistamines that bring relief and I have noticed an improvement in breathing at those times. I think the antihistamines open up the nasal passages and the tubes connected to the ears 😊
I wonder did you know which insect. About 3 months ago I put a long sleeved shirt on and I noticed blood , on looking two holes in my arm, been bitten by a spider in my cloths. Just wondering had you been bitten by a spider? Now I search my cloths before dressing.
That's not so good ... I am glad to hear you got hopefully the right treatment ..This time of year I swear by a product called Skin so soft it's made by Avon ... I spray it on before dog walking and touch wood I'm free of bites so far this year ...its not expensive about £2 .50 a bottle and can last up to a year and more ... I used to get horsefly bites and they are horrible 😢
I hope you feel better soon nasty critters these bugs 🐛
Prevention is better than cure as the old saying goes. As a person who tends to get bitten during hot summer evenings (southern England) I don’t go up the garden after around 6pm when one is more like to be bitten, I stay on patio area if at all. If I do want to go up the garden or out for evening dinner outside at a restaurant particularly on holiday in countries like Cyprus which have huge mosquitos, I’ve found applying insect repellent on ankles, calves and wrists is very effective at preventing mosquito and other insect bites etc. If bitten, I personally have never found antihistamine cream do anything other than transfer the itchy and swollen area outside the area it has been applied to. I’m amazed at the amount of people who rely on hydrocortisone or antibiotics for such matters…personally I avoid them unless absolutely necessary. Your body can build up immunity to antibiotics so they should only be used when an infection has been confirmed via blood tests or raised temperature.
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