It's probably because I'm delicious
August 23, 2011 4:11 PM Subscribe
Last weekend in New York State, I got about 200 insect (ie, mosquito or fly? I don't know) bites on the same night. It's been 9 days and they're still bothering me- in fact, they're getting worse. What to do?
The bites appeared on my skin about 24 hours after I attended a nighttime porch party in a very small town near the Hudson River. On my right lower leg alone I counted over 100 bites. It's so bad strangers have been stopping me to ask what the heck happened. I generally react quite badly to mosquito bites (they itch a lot and last for days) but this is ridiculous.
Here's a rough timeline of the bites:
Day 0-1 - Spent a couple hours sitting outside at night. Noticed a few bites as they happened, but never saw the insects. Others said they were mosquitoes. I felt nothing for 10 hours or so, then the bites went pink, slightly swollen, and slightly itchy. The bites are smaller than the mosquito bites I'm used to, which often swell to the diameter of a dime- these are all smaller than the diameter of a pencil eraser.
Day 2,3,4,5 - Bites were dark pink, very itchy, very red, very swollen. I was miserable. I took a little Benadryl, lots of cold showers, dabbed on 1% cortisone liquid, and used AfterBite.
Day 6-7 - Bites died down, turned more purplish instead of red, and the swelling and itching decreased a lot. I spent a few hours both days in the sun. Also didn't drink enough water, in case that's relevant.
Day 8-9 - Bites now raised and welty again. They look slightly blistered- the centre of each bite is a bit yellowish, almost like a zit. They itch again, but now there's also a kind of zappy, ennervated, painful feeling around the bitten areas, even though I didn't break the skin scratching or anything. Cold showers and AfterBite now only dull the itch for a few minutes. Aagh!
My questions:
- What the hell bit me? (Note: I'm pretty sure they're not bedbugs, as I have since shared a bed with a friend and she's unbitten, plus everyone was commenting on how buggy the porch party was.)
- What the hell should I do?
- I tend to scar from bug bites- any hints to reduce this?
Thanks.
The bites appeared on my skin about 24 hours after I attended a nighttime porch party in a very small town near the Hudson River. On my right lower leg alone I counted over 100 bites. It's so bad strangers have been stopping me to ask what the heck happened. I generally react quite badly to mosquito bites (they itch a lot and last for days) but this is ridiculous.
Here's a rough timeline of the bites:
Day 0-1 - Spent a couple hours sitting outside at night. Noticed a few bites as they happened, but never saw the insects. Others said they were mosquitoes. I felt nothing for 10 hours or so, then the bites went pink, slightly swollen, and slightly itchy. The bites are smaller than the mosquito bites I'm used to, which often swell to the diameter of a dime- these are all smaller than the diameter of a pencil eraser.
Day 2,3,4,5 - Bites were dark pink, very itchy, very red, very swollen. I was miserable. I took a little Benadryl, lots of cold showers, dabbed on 1% cortisone liquid, and used AfterBite.
Day 6-7 - Bites died down, turned more purplish instead of red, and the swelling and itching decreased a lot. I spent a few hours both days in the sun. Also didn't drink enough water, in case that's relevant.
Day 8-9 - Bites now raised and welty again. They look slightly blistered- the centre of each bite is a bit yellowish, almost like a zit. They itch again, but now there's also a kind of zappy, ennervated, painful feeling around the bitten areas, even though I didn't break the skin scratching or anything. Cold showers and AfterBite now only dull the itch for a few minutes. Aagh!
My questions:
- What the hell bit me? (Note: I'm pretty sure they're not bedbugs, as I have since shared a bed with a friend and she's unbitten, plus everyone was commenting on how buggy the porch party was.)
- What the hell should I do?
- I tend to scar from bug bites- any hints to reduce this?
Thanks.
I'm guessing that it might have been No-see-ums.
http://www.chanatrek.com/noseeum-bites-suck/
posted by Modus Pwnens at 4:22 PM on August 23, 2011
http://www.chanatrek.com/noseeum-bites-suck/
posted by Modus Pwnens at 4:22 PM on August 23, 2011
That many bites and the fact that it isn't getting better after 8-9 days tips me off for a doctor visit. Urgent care.
I tend to scar from bug bites- any hints to reduce this?
Dermatologist even.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 4:22 PM on August 23, 2011
I tend to scar from bug bites- any hints to reduce this?
Dermatologist even.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 4:22 PM on August 23, 2011
This sounds to me like they could be ant bites.
I've only been bitten by ants in Central America, so I dunno what New York State ant bites feel like but the fuckers that got me no way would you not notice it happening. It hurt. A fair amount.
posted by nathancaswell at 4:24 PM on August 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've only been bitten by ants in Central America, so I dunno what New York State ant bites feel like but the fuckers that got me no way would you not notice it happening. It hurt. A fair amount.
posted by nathancaswell at 4:24 PM on August 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
I was thinking they might be flea bites. At this point you should see a doctor about it - your day 8-9 symptoms sound a little more serious.
posted by wondermouse at 4:25 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by wondermouse at 4:25 PM on August 23, 2011
Fleas, No-see-ums or chiggers or even a nest of baby spiders.
I'll bet they are chiggers. Google it for treatment and symptoms.
posted by nogero at 4:35 PM on August 23, 2011
I'll bet they are chiggers. Google it for treatment and symptoms.
posted by nogero at 4:35 PM on August 23, 2011
You need to take some more Benadryl (try the baby kind and take an adult dose-it's in the directions) and go to the doctor! My daughter gets very bad allergic reactions to bug bites too. You want to see the doctor more for comfort than anything else. Bugs sometimes bite you more than once in the same spot. they leave a little poison and it helps them identify where they were able to find food last. Stay out of the sun in the meanwhile, the heat is irritating the bites worse.
posted by Yellow at 4:43 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by Yellow at 4:43 PM on August 23, 2011
Gold Bond anti-itch creme got me through a run in with poison ivy this summer.
posted by COD at 5:35 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by COD at 5:35 PM on August 23, 2011
I have bad reactions to mosquito bites and my doctor recommended that I try Benadryl (to kill the allergic reaction) and a NSAID like Aleve or ibuprofen to kill the swelling, but at some point it's time to go in, because bites CAN get infected. I think you have reached that point.
If it's not infected, the doctor can give you a stronger anti-inflammatory, which will help both the itching and the scarring.
posted by muddgirl at 5:38 PM on August 23, 2011
If it's not infected, the doctor can give you a stronger anti-inflammatory, which will help both the itching and the scarring.
posted by muddgirl at 5:38 PM on August 23, 2011
I know you said your friend wasn't bitten, but I was attacked by bed bugs in a NYC hotel room once and had over 120 bites while my boyfriend at the time had none. Are they in a particular pattern at all?
Go to a doctor. Your doctor can prescribe topical cremes to alleviate the immediate itching and a corticosteroid to help it heal faster. I had to go on 'roids for 10 days to get rid of the bed bug bites - it sucked, but it moved things along quite nicely.
Also - for home remedies in the meantime, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and try not to itch. Take ibuprofen to reduce the swelling and use ice if needed. Gold Bond or Calamine lotion or hydrocortizone is good for over the counter cremes. You can also try an oatmeal bath - it will work wonders, or if you're near salt water, take a dip in the ocean to help it.
Feel better!!!
posted by floweredfish at 5:55 PM on August 23, 2011
Go to a doctor. Your doctor can prescribe topical cremes to alleviate the immediate itching and a corticosteroid to help it heal faster. I had to go on 'roids for 10 days to get rid of the bed bug bites - it sucked, but it moved things along quite nicely.
Also - for home remedies in the meantime, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and try not to itch. Take ibuprofen to reduce the swelling and use ice if needed. Gold Bond or Calamine lotion or hydrocortizone is good for over the counter cremes. You can also try an oatmeal bath - it will work wonders, or if you're near salt water, take a dip in the ocean to help it.
Feel better!!!
posted by floweredfish at 5:55 PM on August 23, 2011
I think i'd skip the gp & go straight to the dermatologist, myself. People think of them as acne-treaters, but they're good for this kind of thing, too.
posted by Ys at 6:13 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by Ys at 6:13 PM on August 23, 2011
I second the doctor. It sounds like you're having a systemic, not a localized, allergic reaction.
posted by Miko at 6:57 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by Miko at 6:57 PM on August 23, 2011
Is there any chance this is chicken pox and not bug bites? A friend thought he had been attacked by fleas or bedbugs in the night - he awoke to almost one hundred welt on his legs and torso. He had been given the chicken pox vaccine, but not all doses. And it turns out it was chicken pox, and he got it again several weeks later Rare, but it happens (according to the doc). No fever, no overall body ache. Red welt, with a tiny center, like a pimple.
I nth that you should see a doc, regardless.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 8:50 PM on August 23, 2011
I nth that you should see a doc, regardless.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 8:50 PM on August 23, 2011
A friend recently was stung by a bee, took Benadryl (because he's allergic to bee stings), and the bee sting swelled into an enormous welt plus he had hives on much of his body. It turns out he's allergic to Benadryl. So... my advice would be to not take any more Benadryl, and to go to a doctor.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:10 PM on August 23, 2011
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:10 PM on August 23, 2011
I'm betting it's chiggers, I've been attacked by them in similar fashion before. The bites you describe sound like chigger bites.
I'm a little surprised that they've lasted so long. It wouldn't be a bad idea to see a doctor, but if it was me I would just take more benadryl, get some anti itch cream and tough it out for a couple more days. If they haven't died out after 14 days then it's definitely doctor time.
posted by natteringnabob at 9:20 PM on August 23, 2011
I'm a little surprised that they've lasted so long. It wouldn't be a bad idea to see a doctor, but if it was me I would just take more benadryl, get some anti itch cream and tough it out for a couple more days. If they haven't died out after 14 days then it's definitely doctor time.
posted by natteringnabob at 9:20 PM on August 23, 2011
Ignore the advice not to take benadryl because someone's friend developed an allergic reation to it as you've already taken it and been fine.The more you scratch the worse it gets.
I'd say it's also possible you walked through posion ivy. It has a delayed reaction and won't show up until well after you walk through it as it's an allergic reation to the oils on the plant. Easy to mistake it as bites if you aren't familiar with either. Get some camomile lotion for the itching and just resist touching it as much as possible. That's all you can do for posion ivy. It pretty much is the itchiest thing I've ever endured in my life and it didn't clear up quickly.
posted by ubermasterson at 10:28 PM on August 23, 2011
I'd say it's also possible you walked through posion ivy. It has a delayed reaction and won't show up until well after you walk through it as it's an allergic reation to the oils on the plant. Easy to mistake it as bites if you aren't familiar with either. Get some camomile lotion for the itching and just resist touching it as much as possible. That's all you can do for posion ivy. It pretty much is the itchiest thing I've ever endured in my life and it didn't clear up quickly.
posted by ubermasterson at 10:28 PM on August 23, 2011
Another possibility I don't think anyone has mentioned is that your bites were starting to calm down but then they got infected. A staph infection can look a lot like you describe, and likes to take over large areas of broken and inflamed skin. I think you should get this checked out as soon as you can.
posted by crabintheocean at 10:31 PM on August 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by crabintheocean at 10:31 PM on August 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
I agree on getting it checked out. Sometimes for bad itchy rashes like this (although it's usually for hives or poison ivy, bug bites could qualify too if there are enough of them) you need oral steroids like Prednisone to help bring down the itching - topical steroids like hydrocortisone don't work well when you try to use them over large areas of your body.
I would also be concerned about superinfection of the bites, as some of the other posters have mentioned.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 12:05 PM on August 24, 2011
I would also be concerned about superinfection of the bites, as some of the other posters have mentioned.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 12:05 PM on August 24, 2011
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This sounds to me like they could be ant bites. At least, that's how I react to them. Hard to say without a picture, though. (And you probably would have noticed a bunch of ants crawling on you.) Maybe gnats? (Does NY get gnats?)
I grew up in the south where approximately every bug in the universe goes to feed, and I also have bad reactions to bug bites (unlike apparently everyone else who lives down there), so I feel your pain.
The fact that they not only haven't gone away, but have gotten worse in the last week and a half makes me think you should consider seeing a doctor soon. If they're still looking pus-filled Friday morning, see if you can get an appointment that afternoon.
Try some calamine lotion in the meantime to cut down on itch.
posted by phunniemee at 4:21 PM on August 23, 2011