Hello , I just wondered whether anyone could help me after a weekend gardening ? I have suffered at this time of year with insect bites for as long as I can remember for the last 10 years things have got a lot worse with my skin blistering around the bite and the itching is unbearable .... is this reaction made worse because of hashimoto’s? Just a thought as none of my family suffer in the same way , and if it is because of my condition is there anything I can take or do to make the situation better ? I take antihistamine and obviously using bite creams but they don’t seem to work .
Many thanks
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hashiman
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Thanks JaneyJaney, I’d never heard of that before but after just googling it , it may well be this, but website says to treat with antihistamine and they don’t seem to be working , I take Piriteze every evening from March to October as I suffer with hay fever . Loratodine has never seemed to work .
I don’t suffer from dermatographism, having read about it . I need to see endo for checkup soon so I’ll ask his opinion. Definitely points to immune system going into overdrive though .... sounds familiar isn’t that what hashimoto’s is 😊 thanks for your help 👍🏼
That sounds a lot more like how my body reacts I will definitely go red around scratches and clothing always leaves marks for a while . I can’t write on my skin though .
Hi Greygoose , many thanks for the recommendation I’ll get some ordered up and give it a whirl ... Just for info do you have a bad reaction to insect bites too ?
Oh yes! Especially spider bites. Landed me in hospital for two weeks, once. But, it does seem to be getting better - although mosquitos still find me irresistable! lol
Yes, it first happened in Italy, where they have some real monsters! I had a raging fever for two days. Then it happened in France, all up my legs, and they all got infected... I won't go into the gory details, but it was pretty disgusting!
Re. the mossies and the midges. Those of us that live in the woods all use Avon Skin-So-Soft. it's an oil spray. it's not designed as a repellent , in fact it's very nice to use , and smells lovely.
It's never failed to keep midges and mossies away from anyone iv'e met.
In fact i used to buy it in bulk before a woodland party and make a small fortune selling it at twice what i'd paid for it to people literally begging to have some after they'd had a few squirt's of ours.
So unless Avon have done anything silly like reformulate it in the last few yrs since i've come out of the woods........ i recommend you get some.
LOL proper explorers !........ wood dwelling hippies have been using it since 1998, and probably earlier. A mad old man who lived in a cave told me about it .
Many moons ago when my kids were young, I was an “Avon Lady” to make some spare cash. I had one lady who used to buy it when she visited her sister in Florida every year - she swore by it for keeping the mozzies at bay. That was 38 years ago - it has to be the “original” and not one of the newer fancy fragrance ones. Give it a whirl, if it doesn’t work for the mozzies, you’ll have nice moisturised skin 😀
Yes. that the one. The bottle design looks slightly updated, but reassuringly similar.
It only used to cost about £2.50 though. Maybe they've figured out what all the tent dwellers are using it for. Or maybe they heard i was getting £5 a bottle.
I only mention this because the photo shows it on the side of your finger. if you are getting this on other areas of the body not just palm/sides of fingers, or feet /toes then you can safely ignore the rest of this reply.
Are you sure it started with a bite? if it didn't , the blistering and intense itch could be pompholyx. This is (loosely)associated with thyroid disease, and it tends to come on only in the warmer months. I and a few others on here have it.
Hello thanks for your reply , this actually is quite tame to what generally happens with mosquito bites abroad , bites can be on my legs and arms and literally blister up to the size of a ten pence piece and then weep and the weeping kind of then crystallises . I have had similar happen in this country too. Does this sound like pompholyx ?
No , i think your safe . pompholyx only happens on palms and soles and sides of fingers/toes. It's not from bites. It's done by some unknown weirdness from inside to out.
I dont have Hashimotos but if I get bitten by an insect it almost always ends up infected and I get antibiotics from GP. Most recent case was just over a week ago, weeding in front garden about 5pm, came in for a shower and realised I'd been bitten on side of leg. Used hydrocortisone cream straight away, witch Hazel for itching. Within 3 days it was infected. One of the GP's at my practice said I need to use a product contains Deet to stop being bitten, I use Jungle Formula extra strength but forgot to put it on on this occasion and paid the price.
Thanks for you reply , I always use jungle formula abroad but still inevitably end up getting attacked , but never think to spray it in this country ... stupid really. It doesn’t seem to matter what you do they always get infected . I think I could live in a completely sterile environment and still end up with infection.
My brother has Hashi and a disproportional response to insect bites is unfortunately part of the 'experience' for him as well... A particularly bad episode was when he got bitten by several mosquitoes simultaneously, and his reaction was so bad that it sent him straight into WEEKS of hives.
Weird isn't it I'm sure as we have "over active" immune systems this is why our bites seem to turn so nasty .. Luckily I dont seem to suffer with hives if I religiously take antihistamines if I dont I tend to suffer with it under my arms .
I get a bad reaction to insect bites and this has happened long before I developed thyroid disease. I have suffered with hay fever for over 50 years and all kinds of things bring me out in a rash. I always carry insect repellent with me especially if I am by a river or lake or a pond. I also have antihistamine tablets and cream with me all the time.
I have always suffered as a child too but I have to question whether I've always had Hashi's and this is the reason ... My daughter has it too and has always suffered with bites
Some of my aunts have this and they don't have thyroid disease. My daughter also suffers with certain allergies and she doesn't have thyroid disease yet either. I thought it might be something to do with blood groups because my husband never gets bitten at all.
I have a reaction to insect bites with swelling and redness. A few years ago I discovered that arnica ointment by Weleda was the most effective treatment for reducing the swelling, redness and associated itching.
Hi , thanks for your reply , it's been quite a busy thread and I have quite a few things to try now to alleviate symptoms and also the Avon skin so soft ! please don't let onto my mates !! Many thanks for your suggestion i'll give it a go
Hashiman, citronella oil dabbed at various points on to skin (test on small area beforehand) or clothing really does mask the odour which attracts mosquitoes. Taking a daily vitamin B complex pill also helps. If you forget and do get bitten, as soon as you notice place a hot teaspoon on the bite and hold it there until it cools. Do this a few times just to make sure - and obviously make sure the teaspoon isn't burning hot. Good luck :).
Hi Canta , I will certainly give this a go thanks for the recommendations . I take Thorne basic b complex daily along with quite a few other supplements. Never heard of the teaspoon before but will certainly give this a go . Thank you
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