infected insect bites

[Research123]

I've had some bites on my back and they've gone septic,not responding to the first lot of antibiotics. is this a standard problem for Cllers ,ie they've less immunity than usual.

[scryer99]

There was brief mention of this on the cllsociety.org symptoms page: cllsociety.org/cll-sll-pati...

And more in this study:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/224...

Looking around there appear to be several studies showing similar response, but they tend to be behind academic paywalls. Looks like you are not alone on this though.

[Research123 in reply to scryer99]

Thank you that was interesting. Seems something to be careful

[Ladylin151]

This is only anecdotal, but my hubby was in w&w for 6 years with very few remarkable symptoms. During the last 6 months before treatment so many things surfaced that progressed unexpectedly. He had a "sinus infection" that wouldn't go away...it ultimately was due to enlarged lymph tissue. He had a rash that didn't respond to treatment; what seemed like poison ivy and eventually sent him to the hospital must have been due to Cll and required injected steroids. B symptoms don't just show up and announce themselves, they are subtle and creeping to start. Response to all vaccines was different than the norm. This was not all at once and flashing "CLL" it was daily and tiresome and building on it self. He never had blood results out of the norm but was sooooo ready for treatment.

[kitchengardener2]

Not sure if it was the undiagnosed CLL but for years when we travelled abroad, I was a target for anything which was capable of biting. My husband said the mosquitoes smelt me before the plane landed. I tried everything from prescribed anti insect creams and sprays to stop them right down to old wives remedies such as eating lots of garlic. I found that using Avon's Skin So Soft spray helped more than most things. I use this at home when I garden but also keep well covered.

However, after I was diagnosed in 2018, I took more care, making sure I always have Deet based products to hand. I noted that once I was told I needed to start treatment in 2021(I have Acalabrutinib, Aciclovir and Co Trimoxazole, I wasn't targeted as much. Albeit, we haven't been abroad since February 2020. I don't seem to attract wasps etc the same as before.

We have decided to 'rejoin ' life and we have two European holidays booked this coming Winter/Spring. I have been collecting long sleeved cotton tops and trousers in preparation but we will still pack Deet etc. We have a Mediterranean diet which includes lots of garlic and we take a multi vitamin and vitamin D tablet each day. I think it's important to avoid water areas at night and wooded areas after rain.

Fingers crossed🤞🤞

[LeoPa]

Did you try antibiotic ointment ?

[blowinginthewind in reply to LeoPa]

I was going to suggest that. My hobby is sewing, and I get lots of scratches and cuts because I also have a spinal injury unrelated to CLL and long pre-dating it. I keep Fucidin cream at home, and use it if I get any skin penetrating injury. If these bites of yours are septic, you need to see a doctor because if the infection gets into your blood stream, causing sepsis, it is very very serious. It happened to me 4 years before I was diagnosed with CLL. I suspect I had it then, but the hospital I was at didnt spot it.

Liz in UK

[Podgeof5]

Yes, Research, since being diagnosed with CLL I have had problems with insect bites that become very red and infected. Several times I have had to go to the emergency room because of swelling and discoloration. Now I have learned that when I get an unusually bad bite I have to take prednisone, which always gives relief. For minor bites I use a cream with lidocaine. That doesn't heal anything, but does reduce itching and scratching and thus helps avoid infection. Good luck--this is an annoying side effect of CLL for some of us.

[Pearlpink]

yes there’s definitely research to show that a few people with cll get an exaggerated response to mosquitos. I got this about three years before diagnosis of CLL. I used to get cellulitis within 24 hrs and had a great Gp who let me have a supply of antibiotics at home to start if I got a bite.

When I moved I was a bit worried that my new dr wouldn’t let me keep antibiotics at home, so asked to see a dermatologist, who said I had hypersensitive skin and recommended I kept antibiotics at home so I could start promptly if bitten.

I know I will get an infection as soon as I see the bite forms a small blister in the centre, as it will then break down by the next day to let infection enter. The research paper above (thanks!) actually mentions a Vesico bullous reaction in some people with cll. Vesico usually means tiny blister (like in chicken pox), and bullous means it can also have slightly bigger blister.

When the skin breaks in these lesions you almost certainly get infection. The usual infections are strep or staph bacteria. Strep often causes a little “tail” to the lesion, and staph a”golden crust” but not set in stone. I always know I’ve got an infection when it suddenly gets uncharacteristically very very painful. If your husband only given antibiotics to cover one bacteria then you might need wider spectrum. I agree with above - if he has infection still he needs review.

I take photos so that dr can see how bad they get.

However, having a supply of antibiotics, and trying to avoid mosquitos, I rarely get a problem now.

people with cll will always be a bit more susceptible to infection, but the mosquito bites are an idiosyncrasy for only a few people with CLL and won’t cause a problem if antibiotics taken early.

Weirdly I have had the same effect as the person above - I started treatment and get less of a reaction now. However infected insect bites weren’t an indicator of my CLL getting nearer to treatment. I got completely different infections just before I needed treatment.

I too still needed things to help the itchy bites like hydrocortisone cream and antihistamine!

[Pearlpink in reply to Pearlpink]

so sorry! My memory awful - I misread and combined posts! It’s yourself who had bites! So sorry!

[craterlake]

hi research123 , we use small charcoal poultices . you make a paste then cover them with a small piece of plastic taped on to keep them moist . you can use a band aid but they dry out sooner .. we keep them on for a couple of hours . then we wash off the charcoal . then we rub tea tree oil on them . this is the only thing that works really well with tic bites .. sometimes we have to do this a couple of times per day .then a hot wet compress to increase the blood circulation to that area . dry off well and rub a triple antibiotic cream especially at night before bedtime . it usually works the first day but if not we have to work at it for a couple of days .. hope you improve very soon . james

[Moma64]

Insects find me quite delicious, too. I've had a couple of concerning summers where almost every bite resulted in cellulitis and a dose of antibiotics to treat. My doctor was getting concerned with antibiotic overuse. This summer I was extremely diligent with using bug spray and had only a few bites which I was very careful to avoid scratching by taking an antihistamine, using hydrocortisone cream, or applying rubbing alcohol.