Need Bug Bite Help!

Hi! I am 42 and have the exact same reaction to bug bites. I have scars from them that take at least 2 years to go away. It's horrible. I found an Avon product that prevents this from happening. It's called Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus. I have very dry skin and have always had to put lotion on my legs when I get out of the bath or shower. I began using this daily instead of my plain lotion. I NEVER get bit anymore. This stuff has been a miracle worker for me. It's also a 30spf sunscreen, so I'm safe from the sun. I apply it everywhere if I'm going swimming. But, for now, everyday use is strictly on my legs since that's what would get so badly bitten a few years ago. Here's a link to what I buy. I highly recommend it. http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.asp?pf_id=31774&fro... Good luck!!!

Benadryl by mouth, cortisone cream for the itch.

The only real risk is the possibility that the kid will scratch until it gets infected - then stop the cortisone and use antibiotic. I love Altabax - it's prescription only, but it works better than anything I've ever seen and doesn't carry the mycin risk like most OTC.

S.

Try cutting a clove of garlic and putting it on the bite. Put a bandage over it to hold it on. It's worked for many.

Hi M. - I don't have experience with this, but I googled "mosquito bite blisters" and it came up with this. lots of info and some helpful hints. http://www.drgreene.com/21_38.html

I don't know if an allergist might help, but that might be the way to go. Good luck!

When I was a youngster, I was alergic to red bug bites. Similar reaction to your son's problem. I outgrew the problem. Later in life, I read that you could apply clear finger polish to bites. Also, you could cleanse the bites with perioxide. Kills the bacteria.

Good luck.

I can't help with any advice for after-the-bite, however, I am loving a new kid-safe repellant that I found at Sprouts in Southlake. I don't have it with me right now, but I think the name is SunSwat or something close to that. It is in a small yellow pump bottle. It smells good ~ and has been working well for me.

I have a great HOME REMEDY for other bites, and have used it successfully for red wasp, honey bee, and jelly fish stings on my children. Any pain and crying is gone immediately, like magic, as soon as I apply this home remedy! I even used it successfully on a brown-recluse spider bite. (My husband came in from the barn and we all saw the spider crawl up his chest on his white t-shirt. He swatted at it, but it crawled under the neckline and he actually felt it bite the top of his shoulder. When he pulled off the shirt, we positively identified the dead spider as a brown recluse.) I rubbed this stuff into his spider bite and the next morning, you couldn't even see where he had been bit. So now, I always keep it in my first-aid kit: ADOLF'S MEAT TENDERIZER!! Make a paste with water and rub into the sting. Don't know if it would work on mosquito bites. Never tried it.

If the bites are still really swollen by Monday morning i would call the doctor and take him in. My 22 month old son had his first chigger bites and had a bad reaction to them, the doctor said it may be a hypersensitivity that hopefully he will outgrow, anyway, they were so swollen and huge so i took him to the doctor and come to find out they had caused a staph infection from him scratching, after 10 days on antibiotics and 3 days on steroids he is doing fine, but like i said you should take him if they are still bad, they may be infected.

Good luck!

M.,
This is advice my dh learned from a physician years ago and it really works. Take a daily Vitamin B tablet -- any brand, just take it daily as directed. Mosquitos don't like the taste of Vit B. It will make the urine a little darker yellow, so don't be alarmed. It really works for my husband!!
A.

The same thing happens to me and I am 38 so I didnt outgrow it. My Dr says the same about it being a skin reaction not necessarily an allergy, although she admits that a skin reaction and an allergic reaction are similar when it is topical. I am allergic to wasps and hornets, but that is completely different. Anaphylaxis caused by a sting from a bee, wasp or hornet is different than a topical skin issue. One is a reaction caused by wasp, hornet or bee venom and one is an irritaion to the skin tissue from the mosquito saliva. I would be vigilant around wasps etc, but not worry about the two types of bites being related. There is not much you can do other than benadryl and tylenol. You might take pictures of the blisters so you could show the Dr on your next visit.

I have a 12 year old that when he was young had the same problem and still when he is bitten getts prtty good size welps on him. We have found that if we carry around one of the itch sticks that benadryl has and apply this as soon as he is bitten the blisters will not show and he dose not scratch them as bad and of course we always have to make sure that he is coverd with some sort of repellent.

Hi M.! I just got in from the yard from watering late in the evening and was covered with misquito bites. I have had trememdous success using tea tree oil on the bites. It almost immediately makes them stop itching and the whelps start to disappear pretty quickly. I'm sure that you can get this oil from any health food store, but the one that I use is from the Melaleuca company. It is also good for burns, scrapes, cuts and also any kind of insect bites. I wouldn't be without it. I call it my miracle oil.
Hopes this helps.
B.

I know if sounds weired, but you can usually find home remedies for drawing out toxins. My 3 year old is very allergic to bites and recently got what we believe was a spider bite and it was horribly red and swollen and blistered. The pediatrician said there was nothing we could do. A friend told me she made a paste to draw out toxins. Since I am an Arbonne consultant, I used our detox sea soak and mixed in water and flour to make a paste. We spread some on and covered it with a bandaid and by morning it was almost gone. I'd be happy to loan you some of our sea soak, but I'd be willing to bet there are other things that would draw out the toxins too that you could mix flour and water with that you already have in your house. I think my friend said she used a vitamin c caplet. Good luck!

Sincerely,
A. Wheeler
____@____.com

Hello! One of my twins suffers from the same thing! Mosquitos drive her skin crazy! The last one she recieved was on her wrist, I was so huge and swollen she couldn't bend her wrist! I usually alternate between Benadryl crean extra stength and a baking soda paste. You just mix a tad of baking soda with water. This helps ease the itching and the length of time the are there. Every once in a while, if she gets many bites I also give her a Benadryl tablet too! But those aren't very often thank goodness! My friend has a twin that also suffers from the same problem! Very anoying! I have noticed that my daughters reactions to bites are worse if her immune system is weak...if she has a cold, sniffles..etc. May have something to do woth her bodys ability to fight off the bite! I hope you find something that works! Just be watchful to see if the bite area gets hot...meaning t has fever or if it gets red streaks...meaning infection. Then see you doctor!

Try B1. It sends out an odor that bugs don't like. We of course can't smell it. It really works!

ok, I have a 3 year old who was going through the same thing and had chronic loose stools. He suffers greatly from ant bites also and worse then the mosquitos. Yellow flies tear him up. I finally insisted he go to a pediatric allergist and took photos of the bites with me. They usually do not test for allergies at this age but the one I went to did and he had severs allergies and now has to get 3 shots a week. The good news is the loose stools are gone and a mosquito bite is a normal bite. I keep benadryl oral and topical with me all the time and give him the recommended dose for him (you need to ask the nurse) and when he gets bit I put the cream on the bite and give him the oral med. At night I put balmex the white creamy one one them to heal them quick. I tried other creams but balmex is the best for everything. Hope this helps and be persistant with the doc. Yes it is alot to go through with them on the allergy test but worth it for long term health. Good Luck

Try Hydrocortisone [any brand] cream. Not only does it take the swelling down it stops the itching immediately.

If you can get them to swallow garlic (non odorus)gelcaps, you can avoid the problem entirely. Not only will garlic capsules every day keep the vampires away (mosquitos), it will keep them healthier too. I take garlic daily, as does my daughter, and we have yet to be bitten. A friend of mine uses it religiously while doing mission work in Honduras to avoid malaria. A neat side effect? I have yet to get another sinus infection... Garlic helps with that too! Neat bonus!
This works like a charm without any drug side effects or putting harmful chemicals on your child. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE ODOR FREE KIND! LOL!!!

Have you tried alcohol wipes. I use it on myself when I get bit,tends to try up the bite and make it heal faster, I am diabetic and I take forever for any cut or bite to go away. It also helps get rid of the itching. And then u can do it as much as you need to since I know u can only use benedryl cream a certain amount of times. Maybe you could alternate.

Hello!
This has happened to me some so I can sympathize!I googled this and got several answers to natural remedies to deter mosquitos, from taking garlic tablets, etc! I do not remember them all, but you can google them. Taking multivitamins help. Having plenty of vitamin B helps!
Blessings to you from another Stay at home Mom.
My children are older so I am praying and believing to be able to start a business out of my home soon!
BLessings! You will find help for your children! Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
C. N

My daughter had the same reaction when she was little. It doesn't happen as often now, but sometimes still does. She is 5. I ended up taking her to the Dr. and he prescribed a cortizone cream that can only be applied twice per day. It worked wonders. We have kept a tube on hand at all times. My daughters welps would also get very hard like a knot, red and hot. And the funny thing is that all misquitos don't do that to her, just some of them. Good luck!
B.

My daughter has the same reaction to mosquito bites. I put hydrocortisone 1% on them once I see them. I bought the Walgreens brand with Aloe. If you are wanting a doctor to look at them (and it is the weekend) I recommend ACute Kids Urgent Care - I was in and out in 30 minutes. There is location in McKinney on 121. Good Luck!

My son also gets huge welts when he is bitten by mosquitos, although he does not get the blisters. We have taken him to the dr and he suggested bug spray to help prevent the bites and to go ahead and put him on Benadryl to help the reaction when you know he will be outside and can't prevent a bite. Also, we were instructed to keep him on Motrin until the swelling went down. Then, once the bite occurs, put Lanocane on the bites to help.

This really scared us the first couple of times, but we are better prepared for it now. They said it could be an allergic reaction or just a sensitivity to the bites. We hope he outgrows it soon. He recently was bitten on the top of his ear and that ear doubled in size....he looked a little freaky :o) Good Luck!

go with the AVON Skin So Soft. It works and use it before you let them go outside.

My youngest has been put on steroids for bug bites the past two summers due to his swelling and reactions. I do not like putting him on the med so I called every grandmother I knew and found out you can make a paste out of baking soda and water and put it on the bits allow it to dry them wash it off. Also bath them in Epsom Salt. It is a miracle cure just do not let them get the water in their mouth because it also works great as a laxative. This has been amazing for my and knock on wood no steroids this summer!!!!!!!!

you can give them liquid Benedryl for the itching and swelling and also check with the health stores to see if they carry a liquid vitamin B1 and the bugs won't bite. I am allergic to bees and any other biting insect and that is what my doctor told me to take.

Dear M.,
What I have foud out on any kind of bite is put roll deodorant. Any iche it will also work on it.Then I Spray Listerine on to provent mosquito bites.
Hope this helps and God Bless
J. G

This happens with my boys not my daughter. The doctor suggested when it happens to give him Benadryl to help with irritation as well as pain meds. Then just give them children's claritin during that time. The doctor does not call it an allergy either, but calls it sensitivity. Good luck!

I can't tell you how to not get bit, because they always seem to find me. I also have allergic reactions to ant bites (regular ants, not just fire ants), so I'm super aware of bug bites. The best thing I've found for relief from itching is Burt's Bees Bug Bite Stick. You can get it at Target in the make-up section. It looks like a fat stick of chapstick. It's about $5 and we pretty much take it wherever we go. It takes the itch out of all of them for me.

First--find another doctor---an allergist who specializes with children (if possible)----this growing out of it--in my opinion -- is a cop-out--or advice from a doctor who is in an HMO and doesn't want to justify a referral---not to be an alarmist--but your concern about being stung by a hornet is very legitimate----and it may be too late when it happens---get them both checked out by an allergist!

Me--a mother of two and a grandmother of three!!

my twin daughters, now 5, had lots of trouble with mosquito bites. my husband made me take the to the dr every time, which made me lose half a day of work, just for the dr to shake his head and say, "Well, looks like a mosquito bite to me..." Ours never had the big blisters, but what I will tell you is that you should consider giving him some Benadryl orally. Give it at night before sleeping since it does make one sleepy, and by morning it will be much better. Additionally we use cortizone 10 itch cream. If we did have big blisters like that, I would probably put some cortizone on it and put a bandaid on it, so he would not scratch at it so much. Like yours, one of my girls has sort of grown out of it, the other still has big reactions to mosquito bites, but not as bad. And we have not had much luck at keeping the bites away. I have found that the repellent wipes are better than the spray; seems you can better make sure you cover everything. good luck.

Hello M.,

great advice so far. how about you put on bug repellent before daddy gets to watch them. just don't tell your husband. He probably feels bad about it already. =)
(¨*•.¸´•. Have a GREAT weekend!!.•´¸.•*¨)

~C.~

My son gets the same thing with ants and it is definately an allergic reaction. Some kids, as you stated, outgrow it, but others do not.

I usually have to take my son in to see a doctor and get on an antibiotic. Once his little arm swelled up from the hand to the elbow (gradually, like a balloon).

He has somewhat outgrown it and only swells slightly, but we have to keep an eye on it. (So glad he is outgrowing it because I can NOT convince my mother-in-law that she needs to treat her yard. I'm to the point of not allowing my son to go over in the summer. [grrr])

Keep a close watch and, if it gets worse or he runs a FEVER, take him in ASAP.

Blessings,

P. <><

Good morning,
I do not want to scare you in any way. Just wanted to throw out an option that I just went through. I have just recently went through this or at least it sounds like the same thing I just experienced. My son also had 3 mosquito bites on his knee and just treated it with normal OTC meds to heal and stop the itch. A couple of days after he came hom from daycare they too were really huge and had blisters. My son never reacted like that with bites before. He then started to say they really hurt and it made him limp a little because he said it hurt to bend when walking. I took him to the doctor with the germ freak I am to find out what was going on. I asked the doctor to please test for MRSA b/c with all of that now days being on the news for daycares , locker rooms etc with them not cleaning good enough. And because he has never reacted to bites with swelling and puss . The doctor agreed and drained the sores , gave him two shots and started him on antibiotics ( Cleocin pills ) - I belive is what it was called. Two days later the nurse called me and informed me he was positive for MRSA. The nurse then informed me to continue meds and doctor the knee three times a day with peroxide and med cream they gave me - then cover with bandaide to avoid anything else getting in there infecting it more. I called the daycare after he ended up positive and they informed they had three other cases !!!!!!! But I was not informed of this. Because they were careless my son got it and then my daughter because they share everything. Has to be skin to skin contact like sharing towels , blankets , hand touches knee and then the infected person touch there hand when like playing basketball or something. And that boy had a scrape or cut on one of his fingers - then the other boy/girl gets infected. You really cant do anything these days without children touching something and getting the flu , pink eye or something funky because kids do not take time to wash their hands. They just want to play :) I wish you the very best with your boys . And again I hope my story did not make you panic - just a thought. Call your doctor/nurse to get advice from them in what they feel it could be or at least some suggestions on what you could do for the boys. Have a great day :)

Hello M.,

My daughter has the very same reaction. I give her one teaspoon of Claritin (over the counter for children - generic is Loratadine and it works great) everyday during mosquito season. When she has this in her system, if she gets a bite, the bites are like a normal bite and go away very quickly. You could even give your boys some now, and it will help heal the bites. I am so sorry for yall - I know it is truely miserable. Hope this will help your sons as much as it has helped my family.

Hydrocortisone cream works very well when applied to the bites. Oral Benadryl and oral Tylenol or Ibuprofen works well for pain and itch too and can bring down some of the swelling.If you use Benadryl cream, make sure you are not giving him oral Benadryl as well as he could overdose if given both.
Best wishes,
E.

Hello M.,

My daughter- 3 years old as of last month also does this. I was told the same thing-that it was not a true allergy and that she would grow out of it.

3 days ago she still had 4 different bites that had been bothering her for a week and half. I don't think that is a very normal reaction. She was scratching off the tops of them-and yes-it's gross to see what comes out.

It was bedtime and I wanted to ease her itching. So I gave her 1/2 a tsp. of regular Benadryl. Bottle says 1 to 2 tsp. for 6 and older. So I figured that to half it again at the lower dose would be about right. Not only did she sleep well-but the blisters were basically non-existant the next morning! In fact, if I hadn't known I wouldn't have thought they were mosquito bites at all-maybe just carpet burns or scrapes since the skin was scratched off.

I have tried all sorts of things before this-like Caladryl, topical Bendadryl gel, Hydrocortizone, a natural ointment, baking soda paste...nothing worked like this did. I did not check with a doctor first but the results were so great that it is my feeling that it must be an allergic reaction since the benadryl worked. If you try it just be cautious with the amount you use. My 3 yr old is 36 pounds..My 6 year old is about 58 lbs so I had a weight range to go by and both of my children grow about the same rate so I figured it'd be about right for half a tsp. for my 3 yr old's weight.

Hope this may help you if no one else has suggested it.

God's Blessings to you and your sweet little boys. :)

My youngest daughter and I react this way to ant bites. During the summer I always have two things handy: Benadryl cream (not cortisone) and a bottle of Caladryl (I keep mine in the fridge - the cooling effect is wonderful!). I try to get the cream on as soon as we're bitten and it seems to prevent a more severe reaction. It's happened once or twice that my daughter received multiple bites - in those cases, I also give her a dose of oral Benadryl to minimize the reaction. Good luck!

I use Ichthamol Ointment and a bandaid. It's an old-fashioned remedy, a dark & smelly salve that draws the toxins out of the skin. I put a tiny dab of it on the bites and cover it with a bandaid, and the swelling is usually gone in 12-24 hours. You need to ask the pharmacist where they keep it, since it's usually behind the counter (no prescription necessary). It's best on mosquito bites, but is marginally effective with fire ant bites, too, as long as the bandaid stays on a little longer. Beats having loads of scabs on the kids!

Try using Lye Soap...I bought some in Arkansas for chigger bites and it works for mosquito bites too. It repels, and works as a soother for bites. My family, kids included, bathes in it during camping trips...try to Google it and you will find places that sell it online.

My daughter used to have the same problem but now that she is 17 she has somewhat outgrown it as well. Her doctor said it was a reaction/allergy as well. I used benedryl (sp?) cream on hers and then she had a reaction to the cream as she has very sensitive skin. I had to give her the liquid which helped her.

Hopefully he will outgrow it as well.

What I used for my boys was Clorex wipes. I'd rub their little legs with the wipes and that would stop the itching. Mosquitos didn't seem to like the smell. My kids never had a reaction to the clorex. This is what worked for me. Good luck.

G.

this would happen with my daughter, you can use benadryl for the swelling and Whole Foods have some great products to use when they are outside to prevent the bugs from biting. I use them when we go out like to the zoo where there is so many trees and at night if we go out and this stuff really works, it is all natural w/o the stickiness or smell.

My kids do not have this problem, but my best friend does and has since we were babies. She is allergic to mosquito saliva. It sounds like that is also what's wrong with your boy. My friend wears a lot of bug protection and uses Benadryl cream. She says it helps.

My son used to have the same reaction. He even had to have several of his huge whelps lanced and drained. Our doctor had us give benadryl every 4 hours from as soon as we noticed the bites until the swelling and whelps went away. Benadryl cream can also be rubbed directly on the bite or cortizone cream to relieve the itching. We also kept our son on zyrtec which helped alot. Our doctor also said if he ever got stung by an ant, bee, wasp, etc to bring him immediately to the ER because with a such a bad reaction to small bites a bigger sting could cause major problems. Like he said, better safe than sorry. My son outgrew these bad reactions around kindergarten.

Another tip just for your sons comfort you can let them rub ice on the bites. It keeps their little hands from scratching and soothes the itch of the bite.

Don't count on him outgrowing the adverse reaction ... our son never die, and he is 42! His has grown less threatening, but a sting or contact with poison ivy or stinging nettles can still raise large red whelps and/or clear blisters on him. Benadryl or other antihistamine and all of the suggested potions help ... do always keep an eye out for the extreme reaction ... breathing difficulty, etc. That is a medical emergency that requires immediate attention from the pros and should be addressed as such. Never got that bad with our son ... but we were warned early on to be prepared and to act quickly if it did.

Hang in there ... and keep the meds handy! Grandma GiGi

M.,

I have a skin care, health and wellness company. We have an excellent product in our baby care line that helps with all kinds of bug bites, rashes and eczema. The product is our diaper rash cream. It stops the itching.

Please let me know if you'd like more information.

Thanks and God Bless!

M.

Hi, M.. I know you have already taken your son to the dr. but a park ranger once told me to use the original (brown) Listerine on any bites. My son got bitten by an asp, his arm swelled up along with numbness. We were going to take him to the hospital and a park ranger came up and saw how swollen his arm was and he suggested and had the listerine. It went down within minutes and the redness was gone. He also said it works great with ant bites!

M.

My daughter has the same kind of reaction to mosquito bites. It has gotten a little better as she has gotten older. She has also had multiple bites in the same area and it also did the same thing. We just treat it with benadryl cream or ointment. This helps with the itch and the swelling. Good luck!

my 2 year old has the same problem...and I have same response as others; however, watch b/c my daughters did get infected even though we were keeping them clean. On one occassion we had to do antibiotics. You might ask your pediatrician or even a dermatologist if there is a prescription cream you can get so you have it on hand.