SKL Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Miss E is allergic to bug bites. She will get a big nasty welt, general swelling, and feel sick and miserable after she is bitten. I'm sick of it ruining our good times. If any of your kids have this problem, what do you use to deal with it? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 DD121 responds well to Benedryl. We also use Calamine lotion on the bites themselves, which seems to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I would put her in light weight pants and a long sleeve shirt. Spray her clothing with bug spray. Don't forget socks. Hands and face will need a natural repellant put on frequently or the regular spray but on carefully. Wash it all off well with soap and wash cloth when she come in. Or better yet, play hard all day and stay in come evening. It's a pain. I'm so sorry. I'm for trying the benadryl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 We put apple cider vinegar on bites as soon as possible. It seems to really help with both itch and swelling, although I would say that I'm sensitive to a lot of different insect bites, but not truly allergic to them, so the vinegar might be useless to a person with a "real" allergy. (It's nothing short of a miracle for bee stings, though -- if you ever get stung, dump some vinegar on the area and the stinging will stop almost instantly!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 +1 on oral Benadryl at the max dosage ASAP -- truly as soon as you see the bite. Keep it on hand. I keep it in cars, etc. I have a topical steroid called Triamcinolone that works very well for us. It is not crazy strong, but it is strong enough to be very effective for me. It is prescription, and I have a big tube on hand at all times as I get hives from various allergies. Anyway, I use it sparingly on any family member that has a bad sting/welt, and it works very well for all of us. I would ask your DR for something like that. Personally, I only use Triamcinolone, lol, as it is my savior. I once had a 1 pound tub of it!! :) Now I just use big toothpaste size tubes, and it lasts for years. It is also very cheap. Calamine lotion (the pink liquid) is also great topically for anti-itch. We only use steroid ointment 2x/day, so we will dab the calamine on whenever it itches throughout the day. I have had doctors tell me that the Benadryl ointment is bad news, but I didn't pay attention to why, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 My mom has a bad allergy to bug bites. Ammonia put on it as soon as it happens helps a lot. We have a spray bottle of it at our house or you can buy a tube of After Bite which is a small bottle with an applicator of ammonia. By the way it works on things like jellyfish as well. Ammonia works of bites for us as well, but it has kept my mom from having to go to the Doctor after getting a bite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I used to experience the same symptoms, baseball-sized swelling, feeling sick/tired. I've slept through many vacations in the past. Calamine, camphophenique, nothing gave any relief. The only things that's ever worked for me is Sting-Eze. I find it in the camping sections at Walmart and Target. It's a yellow and green bottle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Miss E is allergic to bug bites. She will get a big nasty welt, general swelling, and feel sick and miserable after she is bitten. I'm sick of it ruining our good times. If any of your kids have this problem, what do you use to deal with it? Thanks! What kind of bugs are you referring to? What kind of swelling? My ds is allergic to mosquitoes and gets swelling and redness at bite sites that are about half dollar size! he does not get sick feeling. Our allergist said to give zyrtec prophylactically if we are going to be in high mosquito area. obviously clothing and DEET can help as well. Since you are describing "feeling sick" I would want to see an allergist for professional advice as well since some reactions to bug bites necessitate carrying an epi-pen at all times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 As a preventative, you could spray dd's clothing with Permethrin. It has a long-lasting (through several washes) repellent effect. It's available in camping stores. As a pp mentioned, you could also spray clothing with Deet right before she goes out. I presume that dd is not using scented soap/shampoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 My daughter reacts similarly and thinks the Calydryl clear lotion works best after a bite. If she has several bites I give her oral Benadryl, which helps to relieve symptoms a great deal for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Oh no. One of my sons is like that. It's awful. Simple chigger or mosquito bites swell up like cigarette burns. If he got them near his eyes, it would swell his eye shut. :.( Preventive: long pants and sleeves. Socks over cuffs of pants. Shirt tucked in. Cuffed sleeves at the wrists vs open and loose. Spray clothing. And he still get bites, but far less. When everyone else goes out with no protection and get maybe two bites, he goes out with all protection and gets swarmed. Apple cider vinegar helps. Also Orajel! I keep this in my purse with some quips in a ziplock. A teeny bit applied with a qtip provides almost instant long lasting relief. Yes. I know it's not what it's intended for. That's another issue. It's better than risking ACV on acne or near eyes. Ouch!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I would always ask the doc before giving esp . multiple meds to children, but my doc has given me a cocktail of loratadine, zyrtec, and cimetidine when I was covered with poison ivy rash. I wouldn't give three meds simultaneously to a child, but zyrtec and loratadine would be very effective for mosquito bites. Call the doc, though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acadie Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 My dd is like this too. For itching we use Calamine. She also gets grumpy for a few days after getting several bites. Does Benadryl make anyone else's kid spacey and drowsy? I'm wondering if I should try it for the grumps, but I can't see giving it to her for days--she seems really drugged on it. I guess I could try decreasing the dose, but we're not using a high dose to begin with... Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 All the allergy meds don't work for mine do far. Headaches, nose bleeds, nausea, drowsiness and or more result. That's also why I don't give Benadryl very often. It makes them very sleepy and therefore cranky. For my son it all was such a PITA that even at age 5 he would just decide playing outside with everyone wasn't worth it. It's worth a try. But sometimes it just isn't worth continuing the med route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Take her to the doctor. I have to get an rx for cream and oral medications to help him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 I'm skeptical of the doctor route because they almost never help. Once I did take her when she had a bite near her eye - it looked like someone had punched her ("suspicious"), so I didn't want people to say I wasn't doing anything for her. What the doc did (meds prescription) was not helpful and I don't want to go that route again, unless it seems the kid is in some kind of danger. To be more descriptive, the problem varies depending on what bit her. Spiders seem to be the worst, but mosquitos bother her a lot too. The area around the bite gets hot, swollen, sometimes red, and sometimes leaky, over a space up to 5" in diameter. Sometimes her whole limb swells up as well, temporarily. Last night, her affected leg looked about 1/3 bigger than the other one. Nothing to freak out about, but you can imagine the discomfort. She will get very irritated, distracted, and cry when it gets really bad. Unfortunately this has happened at the worst possible times. It ruined our trips to Tikal and the Taj Mahal. It just sucks. Worst thing is that I don't even realize there are bugs around because they are all busy attacking her. :( I don't think it's anything we put on her, since her sister does not have this problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 SKL - That's exactly how my son's reactions can be. I took him to the dr as a CYA move, to see if maybe there was something we could try (We tried lots of thing that didn't work, but it was worth trying in case it would have.) and to see if we should consider an epi pen for him. Alas it ended up mostly a waste for us, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't help someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 A dermatologist will be able to look at the skin and tell if it is a bite or a bruise resulting from an injury. DS have been followed for the bug bit reaction for almost 2 years and has had several different creams before they found one that works. They start off with a cream that is lower in strength and gradully increase the strength of the cream until they find one that works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 There was an article yesterday in the NY Times about a low tech way to avoid bites -- an electric fan set up on patio, porch, etc.. Apparently, mosquitoes are too weak to fly in wind, plus a breeze throws them off the scent. (Sorry, can't link, on iPad.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I just came back from the Dominican Republic and I'm very allergic to bug bites. I only got 2 bites because I wore OFF! The entire time. Prevention really is best way and Benadryl cream for any bites that do occur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 I keep a fan on the patio but it only works to keep them about 3-5 feet away. It sure doesn't do anything for them on the swings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 My in laws had this installed around their house on an acre. http://www.spiderbegone.com/index.php They say it's tremendously helpful and supposedly "natural" and safe. I'm skeptical. It is only around there house, not the entire property, so I still followed my usual protocol for the kids playing out in the yard. I will say that around the house there were very few flies and Mosquitos. Far less than in my burb yard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 We have discovered lemon eucalyptus oil works great and doesn't smell that terrible. Cutter has a products with it, I bought it on Amazon, as well as others. It has even worked to repel ticks, so far. We have to walk a lot of land with clients and end up with a lot of tick removal at th end of the day. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Dp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 For the itching, Lanacane is amazing. The kind in the tube with 20% benzocaine. It has the same numbing qualities as Orajel so if I am out of Lanacane I will use Orajel. For a while when we were getting bitten by something really bad, we used the prescription Triaminicinaline that someone mentioned, which cleared up the bites amazingly fast, with Lanacane which stopped the itching almost immediately. After an experience with terrible hives for six weeks after having my first son and having no relief, I can't stand any form of itching and I make sure I always have it on hand. Of course that is just the superficial, but sometimes getting that surface itching or pain cleared up will make dealing with other symptoms a lot easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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