Horse fly bite help! Pictures so be warned!

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Flowers187

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I've reacted badly to horsefly bites for the past 2 years, but this is getting ridiculous now! its like they are attracted to me. I work with horses and have my own horses so a bite here and there is inevitable but this is my 2nd 'bad' bite in a week, I actually have 4 on me and the moment but not as severe as this one.

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Its very hot and painfully/itchy! Ive been taking disolvable asprin, 2 diffrent types of antihistamine and apply the hydrocortisone cream. Going to my docs again tomorrow as feel I need some antibiotics for this one. Its starting to blister and they make me feel like crap when I get one this big. Makes my very tired and almost delirious at times and impossible to function! Any advice or tips would be much appreciated! Not very nice for a 20 year old who just wants to get my legs out in the sunshine without feeling embarrassed :(
 
Looks dreadful, poor you. Funnily enough driving home from supper at a friend's house tonight this Radio 4 programme had a section on insect bites - bit general but may be something helpful - it was on towards the end of the programme so probably about 22 mins or something.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b048l0sm
 
MochaDun said:
Looks dreadful, poor you. Funnily enough driving home from supper at a friend's house tonight this Radio 4 programme had a section on insect bites - bit general but may be something helpful - it was on towards the end of the programme so probably about 22 mins or something.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b048l0sm
Click to expand...

I caught a bit of that on way back from yard where someone was saying even the Army use Skin So Soft as an insect repellant. I have visions of all the fragrant soldiers trying to look manly in battledress but smelling gorgeous lol.

Anyway, it might be worth a try.. for bites that bad anything has to be worth a try. Hope it gets better soon.
 
Ouch, looks like ABs are needed. Ive always reacted to them too, needing ABs regular and was told by a doctor to draw a line round them and if the redness goes past that line or trails then ABS it is. I got bit today, on my finger??,first one this year thank god, mind you I look like a nutter avoiding them and touch wood although sore red swollen and itchy Im thinking I might have got away with it. Last year was the first year I didnt have ABs for them but I read that they go for Eostogen (sp) and mines been tested as low now (my age lol) so Im hoping this may be the beguinning of the end of the horrid reactions :) Also read wearing light clothes helps. Hope its ok and good luck.
 
I have had them like that its horrible, I have two on my leg at the moment but they are not too bad, I found a cold flannel press really helps, and just apply the cream as much as you need it, I hate the things and luckily i feel them land on me and always feel them bite so I manage to knock them off before they get really nasty.
 
Please see a doctor, i was stung by something last year and reacted like you have, the swelling spread from thumb to shoulder and developed cellulitis, i was admitted to hospital for 3 days and put on an IV of some serious antibiotcs.
 
I react exactly the same way and have ended up in A & E before with one after it tracked its way from my big toe up to my knee! I keep a bag of frozen peas that get refrozen every time they get melted from the searing heat that comes off the bites. Ice it and the itching will subside to a bearable level. If it doesn't get better I would go to doctors asap especially as the swelling is approaching a joint, I usually get given flucloxacillin and that kicks in pretty quick.
 
I react similarly, it's miserable. Agree with others that if it's infected you'll need antibiotics so best to get it checked out. Blood poisoning is no fun. To take the swelling down I've found the best thing is ice (or frozen peas). Antihistamines don't work for me but ice really helps. It does take a few hours and repeat applications.

For future bites there's some stuff called afterbite, you can get it from boots. Stinks of ammonia and stings exquisitely if you've scratched a bite but it's the best stuff I've found to stop bites from escalating to dinner plate proportions.
 
Thanks guys, going to go to docs today as its started to blister bad. Eww its so gross :( I have pcos so maybe thats why they love me if its to do with hormone levels in your blood
 
I am glad to read you are popping into the Dr’s I would be drawing a line around it and this will show the Dr if it is continuing to spread. I would as much as possible to get your foot elevated above the hight of your bottom.

This was the advice I was given by NHS direct when I had a similar reaction to bee string. OH took me to A&E when he got back and I had to have antibiotics for a week. Now have to make sure I have antihistamines with me at all times in the summer. They were also taking about EpiPen I did not know that you can build up intolerance to bee stings.

Hope you recover quickly.
 
Definitely carry After Bite with you all the time at the moment, several applications immediately after the bite and the horrible swelling starts to go down very quickly. I am sure they are worst this year than ever. My poor Husband had one bite his cheek in two places while he was driving yesterday!
 
I get them like that too. They're horrible just warm and itchy and usually the place that's been bitten goes rock solid for me. So far this year I've not had any bad ones, I got a few yesterday and find they're more itchy the day after. I have been putting witch hazel on them straight away so I'm not sure if this is helping them!
 
My young son had a bite. Redness started to track up leg. Ended up on ward on drip for anti biotic. Think it's cellulitis? Blood poisoning. Go to GP for anti biotic
 
That could easily turn into cellulitis and you'd end up on IV ABs in hospital for a few days like someone I know who reacted badly to a spiderbite . He had a bite on his elbow and it deteriorated over 2 days into whole hand/arm/shoulder/side of neck grossly swollen, heart palpitations and breathing problems as his airways started closing and semi-consciousness. When he came out of hospital he was on strong ABs for a while. Every time he's bitten by an insect now, he gets flu-like symptoms for a few days and feels dreadful.

Get your doctor to give you an epipen to keep for emergency use too.
Forget the sun and tanned legs - keep your arms and legs covered up as your body clearly can't afford to be bitten.

I hope you feel better very soon.
 
Go to the GP for this to sort it.

Use Skin so soft....it is genuinely amazing.

Always have afterbite on you just in case you do get bitten so that you can apply straight away.

You poor thing :(
 
I too react like you to horse-fly and insect bites bites;
My approach- spray myself everyday with boots insect repellant (with DEET), if bitten use afterbite as soon as possible, this does seem to work- more so if it really stings when you put it on!!!
This year I have managed to avoid swelling up but I always apply the repellant even if it is raining/windy/cloudy etc.
Thing is that horseflies do not actually sting, they really do bite....a small triangular hole in your skin so that they can drink your blood, it is the females that do this as they need the blood for egg production. They also cleverly apply a small amount of local anaesthetic in their saliva as they do this, so you do not actually feel them until it is too late! Of course anything else that is in their saliva depends very much on where they were eating before you came along.....so it is a really good way of introducing nasties to your body and scratching when it itches just spreads it further! - Antibiotics- definately required!
 
I'm another sufferer and only discovered After Bite last year and it has been like a miracle "cure" for me. It doesn't stop them biting me but I know that I can manage the itch, heat and swelling so I'm not so fearful any more. I read recently that horseflies have no sense of smell (and are attracted by movement) so won't be deterred by fly repellent, however I do find that Superdrug's own brand seems to keep everything away from me so the jury is out on that one......
 
Doctor said cellulitus and given me two different courses of anti biotics! She also drew a line around it and told me to come back if it gets bigger. Bit worried now though as just checked it, and there is blood in the blister and under the skin and I know its very easy to get into the bloodstream. Will keep and eye on it anyway. Thanks! Will definitely be buying some afterbite! And I'm always covered in 2 diffrent fly repellents and have me thick jods on or jeans and in this case I had be long leather boots on so god knows how it still managed to bite me there!
 
If they offer you an epi pen please please, take it and make sure to carry it. We that react badly to bites/stings build intolerance the more we get bitten/stung so it could well save our lives one day. I will try to find pics of my arm so u don't feel alone in the icky ness xx
 
Well the bite on my finger finally got the better of me, really swollen with a huge blister and the dreaded redness starting to trail, so a trip to the walk in centre and ABs for me too :( Hope your feeling better
 
Glad you went back to the doctor op, my worst bites were always on the lower leg like yours which is why i prefer to wear long boots when riding, and i find the invisble sun spray helps keep them away as it has an oil feel on the skin which they dont like.
 
Yuck and ouch. Glad you've got sorted now though. I used to react really badly, just like you have to horsefly bites. Now I have advanced in years I seem to have built up an immunity (although I get bitten by the barstewards on a daily basis numerous times) and don't react like I did.
 
Oh wow that's looks terrible!!

Years ago I got bit in pretty much the same place, just a tiny bit higher and a bit further back. I couldn't bend my leg for a week but still had to wear my jobs for work. It was so painful I wanted to punch someone.

2 weeks later I got bit on the side of my neck and then couldn't turn my head!! It looked like my head grew right out of my shoulder, my neck and jaw were so swollen.

I honestly didn't realise that horse fly bites were so serious until reading this thread, just thought I was unlucky. If it's even a little bit worse by morning you should go back to the doctor I think. I hope the AB's do the job quickly but don't take any chances with it.
 
Well guys! I took a leaf out of how to treat mudfever and caked my leg in sudocrem last night! Seems to have done the trick the whole things gone down by about 75%! God I love sudocreme! Is there not end to its uses!
 
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