MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Hi,
I started this on the bike forum last night so posting again in the right place, in the hope someone can help...
About 10 weeks ago I picked up 9 bites on my lower right leg - I *think* it may have happened while I was taming my back garden. They looked like midge bites, just 'bigger' - a red, raised wheal with a central red dot - and they itched like crazy for about 6 weeks. I am quite reactive to midge bites and usually take benadryl to calm those but it didn't touch these bites - these were so much itchier.
First trip to docs after about 2 weeks and I swapped to Piriton - not much better but when I took them with Benadryl it helped a bit.
Went back a couple weeks later and this doc prescribed Fucibet cream. No improvement straight away but eventually, after about 2 more weeks they started to calm down.
Now, about 10 weeks on, individual bites keep flaring up and getting all itchy and swollen again.
I was at the docs today for an unrelated matter and mentioned these persistant bites to her and she's decided to book me in for fasting blood tests to check I'm not diabetic given the slow healing of the bites.
I tried to explain I've had various cuts, scrapes and zits throughout all this time that have healed up just fine but she didn't seem to get my point - I am quite happy to get the blood tests to eliminate that (hopefully, anyway) but my question is (TFFT you say) does anyone have any idea what insects found in the Uk in September might cause bites that react like this?
I don't think it was a radioactive spider 'cos I still can't climb for toffee...
Thanks, STW hive mind.
Are you familiar with the films 'Alien' and 'The Thing'?
🙂 Cheers, very reassuring.
We wondered about bedbugs (new mattress, so hopefully not) or fleas (we were with my brother in laws dog the day before) but they didn't seem to fit the pattern.
I have no idea, but for this line....
I don't think it was a radioactive spider 'cos I still can't climb for toffee...
you deserve an STW comedy award. Made smile with its subtle understatement, topicality and delivery...
Thank you Pook, I do my best.
Is it the same bites 'reappearing' or new ones arriving?
Maybe mark all of the existing ones with a permanent marker and see if any new ones arrive over a few days?
If it were bed bugs you'd get them all over - lower legs sounds more like opportunistic fleas jumping off carpets or soemthing.
Is it at all possible that during the garden taming you might have got spiked by some nasty plant? Certain plants can cause long term irratation with spikes and hooks....
They are most definitely the same bites flaring back up, wwaswas. That's what's so baffling.
DrRS**** - I never really considered it could be a plant, I was thinking more of bugs jumping off the plants onto my legs - you might be onto something there. Thanks.
(not that it helps me identify what it was, but it does make me feel happier that some plants DO cause this type of reaction. That there may be an explanation for it afterall.)
were they tick or insect bites? any deer in your area?
I don't think they were tick bites - there are 9 of them all on my lower right leg - I'd've maybe expected to see at least one tick still attached afterward if they were. That said, I have never been bitten by a tick so I really don't know.
There are sheep and deer where I go riding, climbing and running, so it is possible.
Do tick bites itch and keep coming and going?