Bites

[ladyofastolat]

Is anyone wise in the ways of insect bites? I know I could Google this, but reputable health sites tend to say "if in doubt, see your doctor," and other sort of sites tend to say, "OMG! You're DYING!" so I prefer to start with the wisdom of the real, sensible people who live in my LJ.



I picked up half a dozen insect bites in Capri. They did nothing out of the ordinary - i.e. they turned into small swollen white lumps which itched like crazy for 2 or 3 days, then slowly faded to pink. However, nearly 2 weeks later, two of them suddenly decided to come back for a second round, this time as battalions. First the site of the initial bite was surrounded by a perfect circle of what looked almost like new bites, although they had no puncture mark. Then the gaps filled in, so now I've got swollen, pinky-yellow lumps over two inches across. Now the other original bites are starting to do the same.

Is this normal? Should I just be patient, and continue to treat with antihistamine, and trust that they will go away in time? Or are they likely to spread even more, unless I take action?

Comments

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

If it were me, I would go to a pharmacist on Monday. Whatever it is, I hope it gets better soon!

[leesa_perrie]

Not an expert by any means, but I'd go to the chemists and ask to see a pharmacist. They're pretty good with this sort of thing and can advise if you should see a doctor or not. Either that, or phone your surgery and ask for a call back?

If you want an answer today, you could try the NHS healthline (whatever its called these days). They can be slow getting back to you, but they could offer some advice. Or there's the walk-in centre option if you have one nearby (not everyone does, though).

I wouldn't leave it, it sounds to me like it should be seen by someone - though tomorrow would probably be fine.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

2 inches and two weeks afterwards does sound quite big and late. If it were me, I'd get it looked at - particularly after my ridiculous infected eczema thing last year, which was entirely down to assuming that a 2-inch itchy patch couldn't possibly be anything major...

You feel such a wally being threatened with hospital for something like that! And the thousand giant orange pills full of Science are not much fun, although admittedly much preferable to swelling up and turning manky.

[chainmailmaiden]

No it's not normal and yes you do need to get someone to check them out. If you don't want to see a doctor straight away, the advice of going to see a pharmacist is good. If it was me though I'd head straight to the doctor. I've had bites get infected in the past and they can get very nasty indeed if you do nothing about them.

[meglorien.livejournal.com]

I don't recognise the pattern you describe, but when we visited Italy, just normal mosquito bites caused huge red circles. And by huge I mean picture the size of your palm.

I hope it's not an infection and that you're well taken care of.

[mific.livejournal.com]

Doesn't sound good. With the delayed worsening it's probably either an infection or you've now become allergic to something in the bite. (Allergies don't develop the very 1st time we encounter something, but on later exposure). Either way, I reckon it's see-a-doctor time.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

How are you now?