Horsefly bites

ILuvCowparsely

ILuvCowparsely

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Never reacted like this before, normally I whack them and roll and flick.#
The barsteward came at me while lunging twice.

1 hr later felt some pain and a bump. Been down pharmacy and she gave me cortisone cream. Mine is on my bra line and looks like (a nipple) Have any of you photos of your bites which reacted badly
 
If you put vinegar on it straight away it really helps. A friend had a very nasty reaction to one last year and her whole lower arm swelled up. They are nasty, horrible creatures!
 
Im on day 3 of a swollen arm and hand due to being bitten for a mili-second on my wrist. I caught the bugger straight away and swatted it, but still it swelled severely! This morning i wake and finally its settled down and reduced in size/non-itchy, no longer burning hot and heavy.
First bites of the season are always worst - but I do seem to react to horseflies than midge bites. Biting insects do carry bacteria in their mouths - ticks carry viruses -so its not uncommon for horsefly bites to swell a lot. Its thenimmune system doing its job.

They say use your spit instantly on the bite the moment youre bitten. Proteins in your spit help to limit the bite effect. Then next wash the bite/disinfect it - iodine is probably a good idea.
Dont itch it, despite the histamine creating itchiness. I slap gently the area when it itches. If youre swollen bad and you itch like mad, you run the risk of the bite becoming infected. Some people put a bandage over the swollen area and/large sticky plaster - to prevent itching.

Because the immune system is going crazy battling the germs at the bite, throwing cytokine cells at the area which cause swelling/fluid build-up you might feel some other symptoms like lack of energy and some nausea bouts here and there - so if youre doing a triathalon or other high focus/stamina event, driving long-distance - it would be wise to get anti-histamines, anti-nausea meds.
I prefer not to interrupt the immune system doing its thing by taking anti-histamines/anti-inflammatories - so only would use them if i really needed to be high stamina/fully focused/or the swelling was outrageously bad - like spreading to another limb/ other body swellings etc.

Google images for swollen horse fly bite - there’s plenty and the swelling can sometimes be a huge area.

drink plenty of fluids /have salt/ plenty orange juice for vit C / rest whenever possible - immune system works faster when we’re not on the go constantly. Hence why the bites are worst at night when we stop our daily activities and rest in the evening. Hope your bite heals soon and you feel better.
 
Heat! If it's a safe area of your body blast it every couple of hours with a hairdryer. Or a very hot teaspoon. Obvs be careful not to burn or scald, but the heat kills the toxins. I used to suffer plate-sized reactions for days, but discovering the heat trick has reduced them to little more than a nasty mozzie bite for 24-48 hours.
 
There is a Biteaway pen - it heats up and when applied to the bite, takes the itchyness and sting away. The sooner you apply it the better though. It takes a bit of getting used to as the pen gets quite hot but it works. You can also heat up a teaspoon and apply to the bite but please be careful if doing this so as no t to scald/burn yourself.
 
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I have used the hot spoon and the bite stick (smells of ammonia) and they do help, but what I find works best is the zapper. It is like a mini taser and seems to cauterise the area. It smells of burning. I use it multiple times.
 
I was bitten by one on Wednesday on my shoulder ? I have a bite pen for mosquito bites, it helps a bit, but not enough. Then I discovered yesterday that I still have some germolene. Put a bit of that on and it has helped against the itching and the redness.
 
I had one on the inside of my finger that swelled very badly. I couldn't move my finger because it scraped against the other finger and really hurt.

I was going to wait for it to pop but it didn't for days so I popped it with a sterilised sewing needle and then used hydrocolloid bandages and plasters to draw out the rest of it as well as Savlon and antiseptic spray.
 
I have a Boots bite relief Click-It. It gives a mild electric shock and it's a marvel at stopping the itchiness. As with all these things, it does better the sooner it's applied, but it's still effective if you use it several days later.
 
Not heard of the bite pens sound like something I should have. I do use the ammonia one and it works quite well if you use it quick enough.
 
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