Ugh. Help me diagnose - sea fleas, bed bugs, or ??? UPDATE

[PrincessMommy]

We were away at a rental all this past week.  Two of my kids (G&T) have bites on their extremeties.  They itch. Some are big and some are little (normal?) bites.

But, they are the only ones and here is the sleeping situations.

Day 1-2 They both slept in the room with my two oldest grandchildren.  Then my oldest son and his family left early and everyone moved around.   My one daughter and her new husband moved to oldest son's vacated room.   G & T moved into the newlywed's vacated room.  Grandkids stayed put and added another grandchild to the room..

Everyone spent some time in the water including G's boyfriend (sleeping elsewhere).

But, only G & T have these bites.   I'll try to get the photos in.

T's bites are first:

 

 

Edited August 9, 2020 by PrincessMommy

[PrincessMommy]

BTW, were all looking at photos online and getting thoroughly grossed out... but can't figure out what it could be.  G does remember getting bit while in the water.   My oldest son had an experience with bedbugs in college, but he cant' tell from the photos.  

[PrincessMommy]

Just now, happysmileylady said:

Where was your rental and what all were you doing?

Honestly, they don't look like bedbugs, just normal bug bites.  My kids often gets bites like this thru the summer.  I wouldn't worry about it.  

Sorry - we were at the beach.   

 

[Farrar]

Are you sure they got them in the bed? Some look like mosquito bites... some look like they could be so many things... Spider bites occurred to me. And that might make sense too. Spiders don't tend to be everywhere but when one gets on you, it can wander around and munch as it goes.

[PrincessMommy]

10 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Are you sure they got them in the bed? Some look like mosquito bites... some look like they could be so many things... Spider bites occurred to me. And that might make sense too. Spiders don't tend to be everywhere but when one gets on you, it can wander around and munch as it goes.

I kind of doubt its mosquito bites.  My one granddaughter is allergic to them and seems to be a mosquito magnet.  She doesn't have any bites at all.  

But, spider is definitely a possibility.  It's just so odd that they are the only ones to get it even though they were sleeping in rooms that had been occupied by other people. 

No- we are not sure they got them in bed.  It could be the ocean or at the beach.  It's just so strange that they are the only ones who have it.

Edited August 9, 2020 by PrincessMommy
added an answer to the question

[pitterpatter]

You weren't visiting Sanibel, were you? My DD got horribly bit up last year while beach combing. She walked next to me and I didn't get one bite. She literally got hundreds. I think they call them no-see-ums. Most of hers were darker/redder than your picture, though.

ETA: Google "Florida no see um bites", then look at the images.

Edited August 9, 2020 by pitterpatter

[PrincessMommy]

17 minutes ago, pitterpatter said:

You weren't visiting Sanibel, were you? My DD got horribly bit up last year while beach combing. She walked next to me and I didn't get one bite. She literally got hundreds. I think they call them no-see-ums. Most of hers were darker/redder than your picture, though.

ETA: Google "Florida no see um bites", then look at the images.

no - mid-Atlantic area.

One reason I want to rule out bedbugs is because I will need to notify the rental owner if they are.  

Of course, now I'm itching and itching LOL. 

 

 

[Ausmumof3]

Mozzies?  Kids seem to be more vulnerable than adults 

[Ausmumof3]

You didn’t happen to have any new clothes?  They look a bit like what I had from a jean dye reaction.

[PrincessMommy]

14 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

You didn’t happen to have any new clothes?  They look a bit like what I had from a jean dye reaction.

no, definitely not T and probably not G. 

 

[Momto6inIN]

Sand fleas or chiggers is what they look like to me.

Horrifically itchy, but if you put clear fingernail polish on the bites they suffocate and die and stop itching more quickly

[Momto6inIN]

Actually you can use any color nail polish, but most people don't like bright splotches of color on their skin LOL

[KungFuPanda]

2 hours ago, PrincessMommy said:

no - mid-Atlantic area.

One reason I want to rule out bedbugs is because I will need to notify the rental owner if they are.  

Of course, now I'm itching and itching LOL. 

 

 

The rental owner might know what it is.  If it's a common, local nuisance the owner could have your answers.

[KatieJ]

They look like chiggars to me. We had them in the lake cottage my parents owned when I was growing up. 

If you rinse  off or use a towel and wipe off immediately and not air dry, you wipe,/rinse off the chiggers.

Only when  you allow the water to dry on your skin do the chiggers have the opportunity to burrow and cause thst reaction. So,depending on who dried off with a towel or air dried, could be the difference between who gets bites or not. They live in the weeds, so could be dependant on where the two with chiggers were playing .

Sorry, they are miserable bites to get over. 

We had bed bugs a few years ago. The bites tend to be around ankles or neck and not up and down the leg. 

 

 

[J-rap]

I don't think they look like bed bugs, or anything worrisome...  Probably some kind of bug from the water or sand, or possibly some little insect nuisances in the room while they were sleeping, or both.  If you can figure out a way to control the itch, I'd just wait it out a couple days.  I would probably rub some kind of tea tree oil ointment on it.  (I've had bed bug bites before, and they were all fairly small and consistent in size, and sometimes I'd wake up with little blood spots on my legs.)

[Jean in Newcastle]

Bed bugs would not be selective in who they bite.    And that's the most worrisome of the possibilities just because you don't want to take them home with you. 

If you have it, I would put tea tree oil on the bites esp. the bigger ones. 

[Tanaqui]

If you're still there, you can go over and look at the bed. Bedbugs, ime, would most likely be clustered just under the seam of the mattress, particularly by the pillow. You might also find them in the seam of the fitted sheet. They can be in other places, but if only certain people got bit they're most likely where those people slept.

You'd also likely find spots of blood all over the sheets and mattress - bedbugs squish very easily once fully fed.

I advise you to do a bedcheck whenever you go someplace new to sleep, every time.

I'm not saying these look particularly like bedbug bites - they're not clustered the way you expect, especially if those big lumps only have one bite apiece. But it's easier to just check than to worry about it.

[PrincessMommy]

Update:  T seems fine.  He has no other bites.   G is worse today.  They're up her arms, neck, and back.  She had a tele-med appt. yesterday and the dr. thought it was ringworm.   She is miserable and itchy.  She took benadryl last night to help her sleep.    She called me in tears this morning.  

She still thinks it's sand-fleas.   I encouraged her to take a cool shower and to put topical stuff on the bites.  She doesn't have tea-tree oil but the dr. did prescribe some topical steroids and anti-fungal.   She's cleaned all her sheets, vacuumed the mattress, and floor as well as all her clothes.  Her boyfriend doesn't have any bites.  What says the hive:  

 

Edited August 9, 2020 by PrincessMommy

[TCB]

35 minutes ago, Margaret in CO said:

Doesn't look like ringworm at all!

I agree.

I've had a ton of bites this year and I've found that spraying them with a calamine and pramoxine spray really helps for a while at least.

[Elizabeth86]

12 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Bed bugs would not be selective in who they bite.    And that's the most worrisome of the possibilities just because you don't want to take them home with you. 

If you have it, I would put tea tree oil on the bites esp. the bigger ones. 

Bed bugs are not selective with who they bite, BUT not everyone bitten reacts.  100% 2 people can share the same bed with only one ending up with bed bug bite marks. Look for blood spots on the sheets and pillow and bed bugs in the seams of mattress and cracks of the bed, baseboards and so on.  There will likely be little tiny black pepper flakes on mattress and furniture (bed bug poop).  I hear they bite in a line and often 3 bites in a line, but not always. Also by the number of bites you are showing us, this would indicate a HUGE infestation.  If you take a quick look around the bed you can be sure you could find evidence.  I'm leaning toward NOT bed bugs. 

Edited August 9, 2020 by Elizabeth86

[PrincessMommy]

1 hour ago, Margaret in CO said:

Doesn't look like ringworm at all!

I agree. that was a weird one.  But, the dr. told her that she has personally had trouble with it and that's what it looked like to her (over the video screen).  

[Jean in Newcastle]

Is everyone home now?  Is it spreading still now that those affected are home?  If it's still spreading then I would suspect something fungal.  If it's not - then whatever bit them was localized to where you vacationed. 

[PrincessMommy]

12 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Is everyone home now?  Is it spreading still now that those affected are home?  If it's still spreading then I would suspect something fungal.  If it's not - then whatever bit them was localized to where you vacationed. 

We're all home.  In fact, G went home on Weds. because of work.  T and the rest of us went home on Saturday. 

 

 

[Sharpie]

Any ringworm we've had hasn't been itchy.   And it hasn't spread that fast in our experience. 

[Jann in TX]

Did you have access to a hot tub?  If so it could be folliculitis-- would make sense if it is still spreading-- so bacterial/fungal

Does not look like chiggers (I"m a chigger magnet!) or bedbugs or sandfleas...

 

[PrincessMommy]

25 minutes ago, Jann in TX said:

Did you have access to a hot tub?  If so it could be folliculitis-- would make sense if it is still spreading-- so bacterial/fungal

Does not look like chiggers (I"m a chigger magnet!) or bedbugs or sandfleas...

 

no hot tub. 

1 minute ago, Seasider too said:

So is she still miserable from old bites or are there new eruptions? Any of them forming a pustule?

The bites are continuing to erupt.  She has more today than yesterday.  I think they started before she left.   She does remember getting bit by something when she was in the water.  That's why she thinks it's sea lice... but I think those are bigger bugs.

They have checked the bed at home thoroughly and haven't seen any evidence of bedbugs at the apartment. 

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Are you sure that they aren’t hives?

[PrincessMommy]

 

8 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Are you sure that they aren’t hives?

 

1 minute ago, Seasider too said:

Yes I’m thinking this or actually a virus. That looks very much like what one of my kids got after a chickenpox exposure. She had the vaccine at 4 and the doctor said it likely didn’t take. Since she got a Vatican booster she hasn’t had another rash like that. 
 

Anyway, since there are new eruptions I’d guess it’s possibly hives or viral. She allergic to shellfish? Or only eat it rarely when at the coast?

That is an interesting theory.  I don't think she had any seafood.

I did just talk with her about the hives theory.  All the bumps from the photo I shared earlier are bigger and puffier.  They're about the size of a dime now.  Mostly on her legs and arms, some on her neck.  None on her back or torso.  They have set some kind of bed-bug traps because she's most worried about that possibility.    I encouraged her to get some Zyrtec, because I remember that that is best for skin allergies. 

She's going to try to go to a doctor tomorrow.  She just moved to the state so she doesn't have a PCP.   She's one of my anxious kids so she said she spent most of today crying and trying not to be freaked out by Dr.Google.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

I hate to mention this but in some instances an early sign of COVID19 is hives. 

[PrincessMommy]

11 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I hate to mention this but in some instances an early sign of COVID19 is hives. 

ugh.  I didn't know that one.  Is it in adults too?   I'm not going to tell her this.  She's already upset and miserable. 

She has no other symptoms so here's hoping.  Hopefully, she'll have better luck with the doctors tomorrow.

 

Edited August 9, 2020 by PrincessMommy
fixed so a kitty wouldn't die

[Jean in Newcastle]

Just now, PrincessMommy said:

ugh.  I didn't know that one.  Is it in adults too?   I'm not going to tell her this.  She's already upset and miserable. 

She has no other symptoms so here's hoping.  Hopefully, she'll have better luck with the doctor's tomorrow.

 

I saw it on one of those "lesser known symptoms of COVID19" lists.  So I don't know how common it is or what ages it affects.  But many viruses can trigger things like hives.  My daughter had a viral pneumonia once that had hives as it's only symptom. 

[PrincessMommy]

13 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

Did any pets go on the trip? They look like flea bites to me. The groupings, and the change from the first pic to the second. Fleas can hitch a ride on anything and could've come in with the suitcases, dirty clothes.....or a pet that accompanied them. Derm dx's are hard and often incorrect even in person, so I hope she has luck with the appointment. 

I would suggest in the meantime she use the Benadryl, AND add in more antihistamines- like a Zyrtec in the morning and Allegra in the afternoon (it's not going to hurt anything if it's fungal by chance, which is doesn't look like any fungus I've ever seen), and use a product called Tech-Nu anti-itch gel, if she can find it. It will relieve the itching, or at least help. It's better than topical Benadryl lotion ime. 

our dog went with us but I gave him his flea meds the day we left.  

Thanks for the tips!

[sassenach]

Looks like hives to me. I have a sensitive skin kid and her reactions can blossom over the course of a week and then take a couple more to resolve. 

Edited August 10, 2020 by sassenach

[itsheresomewhere]

A couple of articles have popped up on my phone today talking about how bad sea lice are in the mid-Atlantic states.  

[PrincessMommy]

Another Update:

She had a tele-med appt with her old doctor here in MD.   This doctor thinks that it is an allergic reaction.  We brought our own sheets/towels though.  She put her on prednisone.    G told me that her bumps are slightly better today and definitely not worse.  She's relieved it isn't bedbugs.  Also, while brainstorming we wondered if the cleaning supplies the rental uses may have triggered a reaction.  She does have sensitive skin.

I told her about the butt paste idea that AtheTexan recommended (I can't link your name) and she's going to try that idea on some of the really itchy ones.  She says she'll get the prednisone but she's going to wait and see how she feels tomorrow before starting on oral steroids.  

Edited August 10, 2020 by PrincessMommy