I've been bitten, but by what?
Discussion
About a month ago I got a nasty bite on the middle toe of my left foot, badly blistered, swollen and painfull to walk on.
Made a trip to the doctors and got put on a course of antibiotics.
Warning......If you're squeamish or eating, then please don't scroll down.
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Bite on the underside of the toe came up first and then later blistering over the top side.
It took about 5 days for the swelling to go down and 10 days for the blisters to burst and a further week to finally clear up leaving scabs of skin.
I thought that was it, just unfortunate to get a bite from whatever and then..........................last Friday I started with a really bad itching between my toes on my right foot. My thoughts were that it was a bad case of athlete's foot as it's something I've suffered with before. Trip to the chemist and picked some cream up, slapped plenty on and itchiness slowly eased off.
Woke up on Saturday morning to this!!!
Thankfully it's nowhere near as bad as before and I had no problem walking on it, but has anyone any idea what's biting me?
Made a trip to the doctors and got put on a course of antibiotics.
Warning......If you're squeamish or eating, then please don't scroll down.
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Bite on the underside of the toe came up first and then later blistering over the top side.
It took about 5 days for the swelling to go down and 10 days for the blisters to burst and a further week to finally clear up leaving scabs of skin.
I thought that was it, just unfortunate to get a bite from whatever and then..........................last Friday I started with a really bad itching between my toes on my right foot. My thoughts were that it was a bad case of athlete's foot as it's something I've suffered with before. Trip to the chemist and picked some cream up, slapped plenty on and itchiness slowly eased off.
Woke up on Saturday morning to this!!!
Thankfully it's nowhere near as bad as before and I had no problem walking on it, but has anyone any idea what's biting me?
Blistering from bites is usually an allergic reaction. I get loads of them especially when on hols abroad, although even here they can sometimes go wild.
First is a swell from a bite, mossie or horsefly on my arm here in UK, didn't see it, just felt it. Just one of many over the years.
For blistering, the most I ever got was both legs and feet covered in them (mossies in Mexico).
But I win
hands down with the one just below my knee (from a mossie bite) in Cyprus this year.
Lots of hol makers were getting bitten. One girl I saw made mine look nothing, her legs were blistered top to bottom, awful!
As I got back home the blister below my knee got bigger and bigger, it was embarrassing seeing people stare at my leg back home here in UK (weather was hot here too, remember, so I was in shorts).
I thought before going to GP I'll get some pharmacists opinions. I showed it to 3 pharmacists in my town (one measured it - see pic which I took with my mobile - and said, 'Wow. I can't really help you, I would see your doctor.', Ok, onto another chemists and the second pharmacist has a dekko and says after asking me a few questions and my explaining I have had them before but never this big, 'I would leave it if it's not troubling you (apart from size!) and you have no other symptoms, and keep it clean. However if it gets painful (I had no pain) or any worse, then ensure you see your doctor', the third pharmacist at one outside the GP practice went almost into a panic mode: 'OMG!! See you doc now!'.
I didn't bother because 2 week wait, or locum in 3 days, but receptionist did get a nurse to come and look and she said the same as the 'keep it clean' pharmacist. Like the other 'smaller' blisters, I kept them washed and clean - like the smaller blisters, it eventually seeped and disappeared.
First is a swell from a bite, mossie or horsefly on my arm here in UK, didn't see it, just felt it. Just one of many over the years.
For blistering, the most I ever got was both legs and feet covered in them (mossies in Mexico).
But I win
hands down with the one just below my knee (from a mossie bite) in Cyprus this year. Lots of hol makers were getting bitten. One girl I saw made mine look nothing, her legs were blistered top to bottom, awful!
As I got back home the blister below my knee got bigger and bigger, it was embarrassing seeing people stare at my leg back home here in UK (weather was hot here too, remember, so I was in shorts).
I thought before going to GP I'll get some pharmacists opinions. I showed it to 3 pharmacists in my town (one measured it - see pic which I took with my mobile - and said, 'Wow. I can't really help you, I would see your doctor.', Ok, onto another chemists and the second pharmacist has a dekko and says after asking me a few questions and my explaining I have had them before but never this big, 'I would leave it if it's not troubling you (apart from size!) and you have no other symptoms, and keep it clean. However if it gets painful (I had no pain) or any worse, then ensure you see your doctor', the third pharmacist at one outside the GP practice went almost into a panic mode: 'OMG!! See you doc now!'.
I didn't bother because 2 week wait, or locum in 3 days, but receptionist did get a nurse to come and look and she said the same as the 'keep it clean' pharmacist. Like the other 'smaller' blisters, I kept them washed and clean - like the smaller blisters, it eventually seeped and disappeared.
Dr Murdoch said:
Homosexual horse flies? I never new!
I think you should go and do some reading on HIV-AIDS, I do hope your sexual orientation and illness thoughts are in jest.https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-t...
e.g. "An estimated 1.8 million individuals worldwide became newly infected with HIV in 2016 – about 5,000 new infections per day. This includes 160,000 children (<15 years). Most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and were infected by their HIV-positive mothers during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding."
Thanks for comments.
It's not a horse fly bite, If it had have been, I would have felt it.
I've never suffered from bites in this way before, so I've been thinking what's changed. For years I've suffered from hay fever and have always taken Claritin or Benadryl through the summer, however of late (approaching 60 now) I've not had the symptoms quite the same
so I've dropped taking them. Could I be right in thinking that the Antihistamine tablets taken daily have helped prevent my body from reacting to bites in the past?
I think for now, I'll take a daily tablet until winter takes a hold, It's worth a try.
It's not a horse fly bite, If it had have been, I would have felt it.
I've never suffered from bites in this way before, so I've been thinking what's changed. For years I've suffered from hay fever and have always taken Claritin or Benadryl through the summer, however of late (approaching 60 now) I've not had the symptoms quite the same
so I've dropped taking them. Could I be right in thinking that the Antihistamine tablets taken daily have helped prevent my body from reacting to bites in the past?
I think for now, I'll take a daily tablet until winter takes a hold, It's worth a try.
kurt535 said:
Badda said:
kurt535 said:
sepsis
That escalated quickly!
This is the area where the big blister was. Now clean as a whistle, although you can see the 'shell' hole faint scarring.
As for taking anti-histamines daily, my wife does that in the summer months because of hay-fever. With bites I rarely take them, prefer a anti-histamine bite cream, straight on as soon as bitten. I hate pills and take them only if needed.
And as for sepsis, now that would be really frightening.
In my own judgement, and I've had more bites than hot dinners, I've posted this on here before, one of the times to worry with a bite is if it tracks.
I have had this happen only the once, again I didn't know I'd been bitten - I was reading mags in WHS - you know, why pay when you can read them for nowt! - and went to put one back on top shelf and had a WTF! moment.
Saw this red line moving slowly up my arm. Rushed straight to local Pharmacists where I knew there was the 'best' pharmacist in town (hated by some docs as she readily gave out helpful info) sadly she's no longer with us. She took one look and said get to the hospital (community hosp) as this was a Sat morning. 'Don't tell anyone I sent you!' 'Go in door 'XYZ', don't take no for an answer and ask to see the duty doc.'
Within mins I was walking out with a box of antibiotics.
When I finished the course I went to see my GP to see if I needed more, he said 'that was great thinking on your part to get to the hospital so quickly.'
So there you have it, get 'tracking' like this and get to the docs asap.
kurt535 said:
Badda said:
kurt535 said:
sepsis
That escalated quickly!Joat said:
Thanks for comments.
It's not a horse fly bite, If it had have been, I would have felt it.
I've never suffered from bites in this way before, so I've been thinking what's changed. For years I've suffered from hay fever and have always taken Claritin or Benadryl through the summer, however of late (approaching 60 now) I've not had the symptoms quite the same
so I've dropped taking them. Could I be right in thinking that the Antihistamine tablets taken daily have helped prevent my body from reacting to bites in the past?
I think for now, I'll take a daily tablet until winter takes a hold, It's worth a try.
I'll just add that you don't always know when a horse fly has bitten you - this is from the man of a thousand bites It's not a horse fly bite, If it had have been, I would have felt it.
I've never suffered from bites in this way before, so I've been thinking what's changed. For years I've suffered from hay fever and have always taken Claritin or Benadryl through the summer, however of late (approaching 60 now) I've not had the symptoms quite the same
so I've dropped taking them. Could I be right in thinking that the Antihistamine tablets taken daily have helped prevent my body from reacting to bites in the past?
I think for now, I'll take a daily tablet until winter takes a hold, It's worth a try.
(probably more!) - I'm older than you! The first I knew of one horse fly bite when I was clearing some climbing hydrangea and had this sod buzzing round me, then noted a tiny trickle of blood on my arm, which then proceeded to swell. Again, like most, cleared up. Antihistamine tablets daily? Up to you. Me, nah. Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff