Jump to content

I hate mosquitoes...


Recommended Posts

I hate mosquitoes. Really REALLY hate them. I'm very good about using bug wipes and sprays so I don't get bitten. I've been forcing Mr. B to do so as well (he really HATES the stuff) and we carry the stuff in the car. The one time I don't...

 

...we go to do part 2 of a multi after I get off of work (read: suit and heels). Should be a quick grab, right? No need for bugspray... We hunt for about 5 minutes and we are getting buzzed. We are swatting them away and I whine about going back to the car. We find the dadgum thing and head back. Mr. B points out the the dime sized welt on my elbow noting I got tagged pretty good by one. That is at about 8:30 pm Wednesday.

 

By 5pm Thursday it looks like this:

 

elbow -- the first day

 

The dotted line was drawn on by the ER doctor to determine if it is spreads at all.

 

So I get up today and it doesn;t look better, so I go back to the ER and they draw NEW boundaries around 1pm (before taking two tries to get an IV in me for antibiotics):

 

elbow -- the second day

You can see yesterdays lines in the picture.

 

Darn mosquitoes. Why, the ONE time that I don;t wipe down on a quick grab, I get bitten by the dirtiest mosquito in the Seattle area? Argh. I'm keeping my sense of humor in this though.

 

/whine

Link to comment

Wow, that's quite a reaction. Since you went to Doc I'll have to assume they didn't think it was something else. (Like a plant)

 

My mother was allergic to about 30+ different things. (Like seriously) Even grass pollen.

 

Glad mine are mild.

 

I tend not to get bitten that often. I've been with people slapping their necks and legs and I have to ask them what's going on. Guess I don't pump out enough carbon dioxide.

Link to comment

WOW! That's a serious reaction to a bite!

 

I keep a headnet in the side pocket of each car door - on both my vehicle & my wife's vehicle - as well as in my cache bag and camera bag. I wear long sleeved shirts and long pants always when caching here in the summer... just don't like those little pesky critters. Several of my caching buddies run around in shorts and t-shirts laughing at me while I'm being swarmed... it's just not fair, is it?

Link to comment

WOW! That's a serious reaction to a bite!

 

I keep a headnet in the side pocket of each car door - on both my vehicle & my wife's vehicle - as well as in my cache bag and camera bag. I wear long sleeved shirts and long pants always when caching here in the summer... just don't like those little pesky critters. Several of my caching buddies run around in shorts and t-shirts laughing at me while I'm being swarmed... it's just not fair, is it?

 

No it's not, I lived in Anchorage for 6 years went to Diamond High School. There was more than once that I thought that I was going to join the ranks of the undead due to those mini-vampires!! The females are the ones that bite and if you eat bananas there is a good chance they will look at you for lunch.

 

Believe it or not eatting regular corn bread ( not the sweet kind) and grits acually helps keep them away, my wife does this because she is alergic to DEET so she doesn't go caching with me very often!

Link to comment

I grew up in Florida, and as a kid got my share of skeeter bites with no unusual effects. Now, four decades later, I find that those once-trivial mosquito bites cause awful swelling and welts, as well as a very-hard-to-ignore sensation of itching and burning. Benadryl spray applied promptly stops the reaction cold for me.

Link to comment

Oh man, that's terrible. I'm sorry you have that kind of reaction.

 

"Something" bit me, right here at my computer last summer, just before school started for the year. I was on my way over to school to set up my classroom and was checking my email while I waited for my son. I felt the bite, but didn't see what bit me. It was just below my eye, on the top of my cheek bone.

 

By the time I got to school, it looked like someone had recently punched me--red welt much like yours. (To top it off, I was meeting my new principal for the first time, and she used to be an anger management counselor).

 

It got worse before it got better. I ended up making three trips to the doctors over it and I still have a scar there. I learned one good bit of advice--The doctor says never put cortizone creams or sprays on anything that even looks like it might be getting infected. Seems that speeds up the infection.

 

I can only hope that it was as nasty an experience for whatever bit me as it was for me.

 

Hope you heal quickly!

Link to comment

Once when I was flating I had a room with a window that wouldn't shut properly (upstairs and small) and during a hot summer I had problems every night being bitten and each bite being itchy for at least a week.

 

So finaly I went to the pharmacy (translation drug store) and was given a B vitamin to take one a day and it realy helped. All I had to do was wait for the bites I did have to go away and I didn't get any new ones.

I thought it was B6 but the next time I tried to get some (different place) I was told I should be taking B1. What ever it worked!

Link to comment

you went to the ER for that??????????

 

Glad you said it....... and I'll leave it at that.

 

I went on on my doctors orders to the ER. It isn't an allergic reaction, but an infection. You don't mess with bug spread infections. they stuck two rounds of IV antibiotics in me because it was spreading so rapidly. I've got a follow up on Monday with my regular doctor. The doctors at the hospital looked pretty worried and wouldn;t let me go unless I PROMISED to come back if it spreads more. Luckily, it hasn't.

 

Again, I'm going to point out, it wasn't an allergic reaction (i'm scratching a regular bite on the left hand as we speak) but an infection. Dirty mosquitoes.

Link to comment

you went to the ER for that??????????

 

if you're having a reaction, it's best not to wait until you find out if it's going to be deadly. a killer reaction can come on suddenly and you have nothing you can do for it.

 

the last fun reaction i had, i suddenly got raw patches all over my skin and as if that wasn't enough, my lungs started to slough off their lining. the only thing i needed for it was benadryl, but while you're drowning in your own body fluids, you kind of want to be at the ER.

 

i get a bug bit that swells unusually large? i take benadryl and head for town. it's no fun to be in the ambulance unable to talk and losing the ability to breathe and knowing that they're about to trache you if you pass out.

Link to comment

Way back in the day, I once developed a staph infection after coming home from summer camp. Probably due to the numerous skeeter bites that I kept scratching. It wasn't fun and I was unable to sit down to avoid breaking boils that appeared on my skin.

 

I had a friend who developed a nasty infection from playing sports. It started as just a standard skin burn you get from sliding on astroturf but when it began oozing "Gatorade", as he said, he went to the ER and he was admitted for a day and put on IV antibiotics.

 

Sometimes it happens even if you try your hardest to stay clean and treat your wounds, but when it happens, infections are not something to take lightly.

Link to comment

you went to the ER for that??????????

 

Glad you said it....... and I'll leave it at that.

 

Over the last 3 years, I've known two young, healthy people who've run into serious MRSA infections stemming from bug bites. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a highly resistant bacteria that can ultimately be fatal if not treated. It is something to take seriously. Trust me, you'll know when it becomes a bug bite that "out of the ordinary"!

Link to comment

you went to the ER for that??????????

 

Glad you said it....... and I'll leave it at that.

 

Over the last 3 years, I've known two young, healthy people who've run into serious MRSA infections stemming from bug bites. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a highly resistant bacteria that can ultimately be fatal if not treated. It is something to take seriously. Trust me, you'll know when it becomes a bug bite that "out of the ordinary"!

 

You don't acquire MRSA from "bug bites." The initial symptoms may look like an insect bite, but is actual caused by a bacterium. I spent two years supervising an inmate cleaning crew in the eradication of MRSA. It's nasty, but it doesn't come from insect bites.

 

What Exactly Is Staph?

 

Staph (full scientific name Staphylococcus aureus, also called S. aureus) are common bacteria that colonize and live on the skin and in the nose of about a third of the general population. Staph germs can live like this for long periods without harming their host or causing symptoms. However, if there is a break in the patient’s skin due to injury or surgery, or if the person’s immune system is not working as well as it ought to, the staph colony can use the window of opportunity and cause infections. It is the quintessential “opportunistic infection”, waiting patiently for the window of vulnerability to strike its victim.

 

Staph frequently causes localized skin infections, such as infected hair follicles (“folliculitis”), boils

 

 

CA-MRSA is spread from infected or colonized patients to those around them through skin contact (such as sports- related cuts and abrasions), through droplets from the lungs or nose, or through exposure to contaminated objects, such as shared sports equipment, towels, eating utensils, toys, or playground equipment. This is a new phenomenon, and experts are calling it a “silent epidemic” that may get out of control if we do not pay attention to it. This once-rare drug-resistant germ now appears to cause more than half of all skin infections treated in U.S. emergency rooms, according to researchers who documented the superbug's startling spread in the general population. The two most virulent strains of community-acquired staph infections (strains known as US300 and US400) are also the two hardest to treat. It is time we learned a bit more about this deadly enemy

Link to comment

you went to the ER for that??????????

 

Glad you said it....... and I'll leave it at that.

 

Over the last 3 years, I've known two young, healthy people who've run into serious MRSA infections stemming from bug bites. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a highly resistant bacteria that can ultimately be fatal if not treated. It is something to take seriously. Trust me, you'll know when it becomes a bug bite that "out of the ordinary"!

 

You don't acquire MRSA from "bug bites." The initial symptoms may look like an insect bite, but is actual caused by a bacterium. I spent two years supervising an inmate cleaning crew in the eradication of MRSA. It's nasty, but it doesn't come from insect bites.

 

What Exactly Is Staph?

 

Staph (full scientific name Staphylococcus aureus, also called S. aureus) are common bacteria that colonize and live on the skin and in the nose of about a third of the general population. Staph germs can live like this for long periods without harming their host or causing symptoms. However, if there is a break in the patient’s skin due to injury or surgery, or if the person’s immune system is not working as well as it ought to, the staph colony can use the window of opportunity and cause infections. It is the quintessential “opportunistic infection”, waiting patiently for the window of vulnerability to strike its victim.

 

Staph frequently causes localized skin infections, such as infected hair follicles (“folliculitis”), boils

 

 

CA-MRSA is spread from infected or colonized patients to those around them through skin contact (such as sports- related cuts and abrasions), through droplets from the lungs or nose, or through exposure to contaminated objects, such as shared sports equipment, towels, eating utensils, toys, or playground equipment. This is a new phenomenon, and experts are calling it a “silent epidemic” that may get out of control if we do not pay attention to it. This once-rare drug-resistant germ now appears to cause more than half of all skin infections treated in U.S. emergency rooms, according to researchers who documented the superbug's startling spread in the general population. The two most virulent strains of community-acquired staph infections (strains known as US300 and US400) are also the two hardest to treat. It is time we learned a bit more about this deadly enemy

 

Good info! Thanks.

 

That answers something that always made me think this girl was being ridiculous. She was working for me and insisted on filling out an accident report for a paper cut. "What if I get a Staph infection?" she said. I just thought she was playing games, but it would appear that if she had had one before, she might have known herself to be a carrier, and thus at a good risk to have another even from a paper cut.

Link to comment

 

You don't acquire MRSA from "bug bites." The initial symptoms may look like an insect bite, but is actual caused by a bacterium. I spent two years supervising an inmate cleaning crew in the eradication of MRSA. It's nasty, but it doesn't come from insect bites.

 

 

Good point - I wasn't totally clear in my earlier post.

 

While it is true you won't get MRSA from the insect bite itself (mosquitoes, for example, aren't carriers for MRSA the way they are West Nile), a bite can indeed get infected by MRSA. A spider bite can be particularly susceptible to infection in general. Even with mosquito bites, many people, especially children do scratch at bites to the point of skin damage or bleeding.

 

It is probably more important to point out clearly that many infected people do delay treatment thinking they are simply reacting to what they think is a "bug bite" rather than a serious infection. That is probably the most important thing for cachers to be aware of and pay attention to. Don't aways assume it's "just a bug bite" if you are reacting differently than you usually do to a bug bite.

Link to comment

I'm an American in Sweden and the skeeters are different here. I get horrid, horrid welts that turn purple and ache and hurt at the same time they itch.

 

One tip that I can give that helps me a lot is to take an anti-histamine before going out.

 

I take a Claratin when we walk out the front door and the bites that I do get (I'm usually drenched in skeeter repellent anyway) don't even welt up. If I forget to take it, though, watch out! I'm in misery! The skeeters don't bother hubby or kids, just me, it's got to be some kind of regional immunity for them.... either that or I'm just the local foreign food restaraunt :unsure:

Link to comment

I'm an American in Sweden and the skeeters are different here. I get horrid, horrid welts that turn purple and ache and hurt at the same time they itch.

 

One tip that I can give that helps me a lot is to take an anti-histamine before going out.

 

I take a Claratin when we walk out the front door and the bites that I do get (I'm usually drenched in skeeter repellent anyway) don't even welt up. If I forget to take it, though, watch out! I'm in misery! The skeeters don't bother hubby or kids, just me, it's got to be some kind of regional immunity for them.... either that or I'm just the local foreign food restaraunt :unsure:

 

That sounds like good advice. The worst incident I've had with welts was during a visit to Pennsylvania--I guess I was Southwestern dining for them. Our Arizona skeeters don't seem to affect me as badly (and are not nearly as common).

Link to comment

That same thing happened to me on a trip to Florida many years ago. The Colorado mosquitos I was used to didn't bother me at all. But, oh those Florida mosquitos. :laughing: They created huge welts that itched for days. :) I'm glad I live where insects are not usually a problem . . . except for those darn ticks . . . :laughing:

Link to comment

Spunkmeyer, Great info. I am glad someone put the right info out. People, use bug spay, cover your legs and amrs with clothing. If you have an allergic reaction to mosquitos and know it, where netting hats around your head too.

West Nile can be DEADLY! mosquitos, mostly Cullus mosquitos in COLO and WY can carry it.

 

Cellulitis from a bite that has been itched and scratched can be taken care of if you get to the doc, or ER in time.

 

MRSA is VERY hard to fight in the hospital.

It is call a noscomial infection if you get it while in the hospital. We just use to many dadgum antibiotics for non-bacterial infections, (but doctor, my son/daughter always gets the pink stuff when his/her ear hurts).

 

COLDS ARE VIRUSES! You don't need antibiotics.

 

This causes antibiotic resistance, as well as changing/evolving DNA of bacteria (superbugs).

 

I know I am on my soapbox again. But, hey I just got done with a 12 hour shift and I had a patient that was close to death and will probably loose a leg due to a mosquito bite she didn't take care of at first sign of infection and now her whole leg is infected and has gangrene. I work in 2 ER's in COLO. We don't mind when you come in for the right reasons!!!!!!! Thanks all. Off soapbox. Take care ! :D

Link to comment

Team FIREBOY: I don't mind you climbing up on that particular soapbox. Of all the dumb stuff that people worry and scold and whine about, the abuse of antibiotics and the resultant selective breeding of superbugs is actually important. Between docs prescribing them as shut-up pills, people demanding them for viral infections, and patients discontinuing treatment as soon as they feel a little better, we couldn't design a better plan to brew up a plague.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...