Please help...bugbites from OKW

[ez]

We had a beautiful 2 bedroom in building 12 at OKW for 2 nights last week. It was overlooking the golf course. The second night DH and I sat on the balcony till 2 am drinking a bottle of wine, chatting, basically chilling out. Anyway the next morning he realized his feet were covered in bites. I had a few...but now he has an allergic reaction or something and his feet look like the cover of dermatology today magazine. He has at least 100 bites on each foot and they are all oozing and swollen. He couldnt go to work today cause he was up all night again. I have brought him every cream and lotion they have at the store. We didnt feel ourselves getting bit...does anyone know what type of insect this was and what might help. Thanks!

 

[Jenn]

Could be no-see-ums. We were eaten alive at Vero Beach.

I see you are from Florida - if so, you are probably familiar with these bugs.

 

[ez]

yes we are familiar with them and have lived here for many years but to see his feet is unbelievable. I didnt think noseeums could reek such havok. At Vero, were you suffering for days after from those bites?

 

[Disneyrsh]

Try giving him some oral benadryl, should calm it down.

Some people are 'tastier' to bugs than others, also.

 

[Aneille]

Maybe those fire ants they have in Florida. That would make sense then if they were at his feet.

Thats all I could think of.

I have never been bit bythem by I do know people do have reactions like your DH did to them. It happened to my FIL.

Edited: I think though you would feel the ant bite you.

I hope he feels better soon.

 

[dkostel]

Sounds like chigger bugs to me. I suffered this while visiting relatives in Vero Beach. Could be from vegitation around the balcony, or they can attach themselves while you walk around. They come right off when you shower but the itching can last a month. I used benadryl to sleep and a topical anesthetic called Stopain Spray to take away the itch. I've also had fire ant bites but you definitely feel those at the time, it feels like stepping on glass.

I feel for him!

 

[floridafam]

Sounds like no-see-ums. The pain after the bites is unreal.

Benadryl doesn't even work for me. The lifeguards at Vero gave me little things of topical anesthetic that I rubbed on the bites.

They are worse at dawn and dusk and at night in general.

They itch much more severely than a mosquito bite and have brought me to tears a few times.

Sorry this happened to you. Usually, the only thing that prevents the bites is some sort of bug spray with DEET in it.

 

[Jenn]

Hi EZ,

When I was bitten by no-see-ums at Vero, the bites lasted at least a week. I literally scratched them raw - they were so itchy! We found a Benedryl Itch medication in a tube that you rubbed on them and it helped somewhat.

 

[bounceliketigger]

BEDBUGS! I woke up on at least 3 of the 5 nights @ OKW w/ strange bites on my hips, stomach & legs. Not numerous, but very itchy, oozy,etc. No affect on my hubby or little one, who's 3 and slept w/ us in the king bed, but I'm notoriously allergic to spider bites and such. Who knows, maybe it was something in the bed. Nonetheless, it sounds like you got ample advice on how to treat them..

I sooo feel for your DH. Good luck.

 

[Dean]

No-see-ums are mostly coastal so I doubt that is it. With ants of any type, unlikely one would not have known if it were ants. Same for No-see-ums, they tend to sting. I'd say the most likely are fleas and mosquitos given your specifics. Chiggers (redbugs) are possible but come from foliage, not something you would have gotten just sitting on the deck. If it's just feet and ankles and other areas were exposed, that'd shift it away from mosquitos. Did he go out in the grass or bushes barefooted, if so fleas would truly be number one and chiggers second.

Either way sounds like he needs talk with his physician. Questions are whether he has an infection or just a reaction. If just a reaction or natural course of this problem (more likely), he may need oral steroids if it's bothering him that much.

 

[kathleena]

I'm gonna vote for the fire ants too. But I think if they are open wounds and oozing anything - you should really have a doctor check.

As for bedbugs. I had thought that at first, but when you said the bites were around the ankles I thought probably not. I saw a show about bedbugs and they say that they usually leave a distinct line up your leg, in the direction of your veins/arteries, as they are going for blood. Although I supposed anything can happen!

Hope he feels better soon!

 

[jiggerj]

As for bedbugs. I had thought that at first, but when you said the bites were around the ankles I thought probably not. I saw a show about bedbugs and they say that they usually leave a distinct line up your leg, in the direction of your veins/arteries, as they are going for blood. Although I supposed anything can happen!

Hope he feels better soon!

Ugggggh!!!

Last Sept I made the mistake of going down to the beach area at WL to see the EWP. The beach was literally "clouded" with swarming misquitos. DS and I ran for cover under towels but it was too late- He was pretty bit up and the next day both cheeks of his were swollen and bright red.

Hope DH is better soon ez-

 

[Disneyrsh]

Obviously God was in the middle of experimenting with PMS when he/she invented blood sucking insects.

Must have been a bad day in the big bang...

Butterflies were obviously created the same day as sweet baby smell, chocolate, and music...

 

[thegoods]

I am a person that is adored by no-see-ums and fire ants. I once read that running hot water over the bites pulls the histamines from the affected area and stops the itching. I tried this several years ago and I found that this will stop the itching completely for hours at a time. The key is that you have to have the water as hot as you can stand it (without burning yourself) and run it for several minutes.

 

[mjmcca]

We had a beautiful 2 bedroom in building 12 at OKW for 2 nights last week. It was overlooking the golf course. The second night DH and I sat on the balcony till 2 am drinking a bottle of wine, chatting, basically chilling out. Anyway the next morning he realized his feet were covered in bites. I had a few...but now he has an allergic reaction or something and his feet look like the cover of dermatology today magazine. He has at least 100 bites on each foot and they are all oozing and swollen. He couldnt go to work today cause he was up all night again. I have brought him every cream and lotion they have at the store. We didnt feel ourselves getting bit...does anyone know what type of insect this was and what might help. Thanks!

If his feet are as bad as you say then he really should go to the doctor. His feet could become infected from scratching.

 

[floridafam]

How is he doing?

I would also call the Dr.

The noseeum pain does last for days. I thought it was them because you don't feel them biting you.

It could be fire ants but you would feel those instantly (at least I did when they bit me.)

Either way, if the bites are not doing well and he is still having trouble then I would call.

Sorry you had to go through this.

 

[byoung]

I agree about seeing a Doctor.

 

[CarolMN]

...(snip)....Either way sounds like he needs talk with his physician. Questions are whether he has an infection or just a reaction. If just a reaction or natural course of this problem (more likely), he may need oral steroids if it's bothering him that much.

Good advice, here! I'm not a doctor, but Dean is.

A doctor can give him something for the discomfort and make a much more accurate diagnosis than any internet poster can - especially since we can't even see the "problem."

Hope your DH feels better soon.

Best wishes -

 

[dis-happy]

My feet were bit while we sat under the lights, near some bushes, waiting for Spectro a couple of weeks ago. Things got pretty bad. I finally started taking an otc allergy pill (Claritin--24 hr version) which helped me to sleep at night and stopped my body from reacting so badly. Another thing that helped quite a bit topically was Balmex---it's a diaper cream for babies, but it is soothing, stops the itching and for me worked way better than my usual Cortaid application. The past couple of seasons I've had some bad cases of poison ivy and I think my body now over-reacts to everything. If things are really bad your dh might need to go get some steroids from his doctor.

 

[Muushka]

I agree about seeing a doctor. One time my husband had a bug bite that I was 'treating'. It was a bug bite for pity sake! Well, in 2 days that thing was so infected. No more Dr Muushka!

And about the fire ant possibility. I don't know about anyone else, but when I get bit by a fire ant. I know it right away. They don't call it fire for nothing!