Bug bite question

[Shub 78]

So I was clearing weeds on my driveway yesterday and got bitten a few times near both ankles by various unidentified bugs. The bite sites have been itching ever since, sort of like mosquito bites, but this one bite has started hurting like a mofo for about 3-4 hours this evening.

It doesn't look very swollen at all, it's a hot pink/reddish color and it's round, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. I just put an ice pack on it because my wife "ordered" me to but I don't think it's gonna do me any good.

I live in Pennsylvania 20 minutes from the center of Philadelphia, if that helps.

I think I can rule out the possibility that it was a brown recluse since there shouldn't be any of those little bastards in this area as far as I know (?), but I have no idea what it really wa, since I didn't see the culprit.

Any ideas?

[JoeMama 0]

Try any of these and see if it works for you:

Apply a paste made of baking soda and water to the bite.

Apply an unseasoned meat tenderizer containing papain (such as Adolph's) to the bite.

Do not use on small children or babies.

Do not leave on longer than 15 minutes. It can cause skin burns.

Avoid contact with the eyes.

Soak the bite site in Epsom salt and water.

Apply a piece of garlic or onion to the site. Both garlic and onion contain enzymes that break down the substance the body releases in response to pain. For best results, pound or steam the herb (and let it cool) before you apply it to the skin. If the smell of garlic or onion on your skin bothers you, avoid this remedy.

[Shub 78]

Thank you

I wasn't actually looking for pain relief solutions but for ideas as to what the bug could have been

I can deal with the pain but what's killing me is that I don't know what got me!

[JoeMama 0]

It was probably that damn Sasquatch!

[JanaknJanet 0]

Personally having been bit from a Brown Recluse...

within a 4 hour period the bite went from a tiny ingrown looking hair spot.. to a wallop of a swollen red-hot painful area the size larger than a fifty cent piece. then the center began to core.. ouch... .. I ended up getting numerous antibiotic injections in my buttocks.. along with a rather nasty scar on my thigh due to the necrosis of the area which is what happens with Recluse bites..

I looked up locations of the recluse on net... and I do agree.. it seems Phili is not a place where they have been located.

you could possibly have been bitten or stung by any assortment of crawly things.. most obvious is of course the mosquito.. but for the one lonely one that is red and more swollen and causing pain.. could in fact be a bee or some other kind of spider.. without seeing the insect one can only guess...

As long as the swelling and pain does not progress. Taking Tylenol and applying ice or paste of baking soda or some rubbing alcohol .. might just keep it at bay..

If your bite continues to cause pain.. and is hot and swollen.. you should seek some medical attention. could be one of the pesky ones that can cause infection if not treated.. red and hot and continued swelling is not good.. but if it is in control with simple treatments of ice./ Tylenol or any other remedy I would simply just keep my eye on it.

Best of luck...

[nane1104 146]

I have really bad reactions to mosquito and bug bites as well, actually I think I might be allergic. I think it is almost pointless to figure out what exactly bit you.

What helps pretty good for the swelling and redness, itching and so on is Benedryl cream and Caladryl lotion. And yes, ice is good also.

I hope, it goes away fast.

[Imua 0]

Maybe a yellow jacket? They nest underground I think. They're very active in late summer - saw a couple this weekend and they scare the $%^& out of me.

[MissStacey 1]

I got some type of bug bite on the side of my wrist about a month ago that got really bad- It was huge and swollen and was spreading around my wrist and I couldn't stop scratching at it.

We had some friends over for a party and they were concerned about it- I had a red line going up my arm which they said is a sign of blood poisoning. One of them took me to a Clinic that was open- I got a shot of something in my backside and a prescription for antibiotics. I am fine now

I don't think I will ever know what exactly it was that bit me- most people think it was some type of spider.

[QuietMe 0]

How about chigger bites? See the following article. http://science.howstuffworks.com/question488.htm

Treatment: http://pediatrics.about.com/od/dermatology...06_chiggers.htm

- take a bath or shower as soon as possible after any possible exposure to chiggers

- apply your favorite OTC anti-itch medication, such as hydrocortisone, Calamine lotion, Sarna, oatmeal baths, etc.

oral Benadryl

- a prescription strength steroid cream

[john_and_marlene 162]

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/poison-iv...022&slide=2

[MandR 0]

Could be fire-ants

[Clarky and Tarah 0]

It was probably that damn Sasquatch!

[L_n_O 3]

I got a bite in VA about a month ago..

the f-er looked like a cross between a mosquito and a spider..

MESSED UP.

and I remember him being green and black and had wings...

got all swollen up and itchy

(although I always react badly to mosquito bites.. they swell to two inches or more on average)

Edited July 30, 2007 by liz_legend 'n Ol

[Imua 0]

Could be fire-ants

in PA??? That's scary, thought they only lived down south...

[cheeky^Wolf 0]

Could be a bite or a sting from any number of insects. Also, it could very well be a brown recluse, they are known in PA in the summer.

If the bite is still bugging you, you could be having an allergic reaction to it. You could try taking a benedryl to see if that helps. If the symptoms get worse, seek medical help.

If it was a brown recluse, by now you would have pale or blue skin around the bite and a small blister. If this is the case, seek medical help NOW. It only gets worse.

I've just taken an EMT class, insect & spider bites were part of our curriculum!

Hope this helps

Helen