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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to burn the house down? What’s biting us?

103 replies

LightBe · 09/12/2018 15:21

My boyfriend was travelling by train this summer and was bitten by something on his leg. (It might be relevant to know that a stranger’s dog was sitting on the floor, by my boyfriend’s feet, at the time).

His bite became infected and required multiple rounds of antibiotics.

Since then, we’ve been bitten a further seven times. The bites have always been on our calves apart from one on my lower belly. They leave awful scars.

All of the bites have required antibiotics.

The situation is starting to feel hopeless because we just don’t know what we’re fighting here and, as I have an autoimmune disease, it’s unhelpful to be taking all of these antibiotics.

I’ve attached some pictures of our bites (before the infection really takes hold and becomes gruesome). Can anyone please identify them?

AIBU to burn the house down? What’s biting us?
AIBU to burn the house down? What’s biting us?
AIBU to burn the house down? What’s biting us?
OP posts:
thaegumathteth · 09/12/2018 15:22

Are you sure they’re bites and not infected molluscum?

Kidssendingmenuts · 09/12/2018 15:23

It's not a flea bite as their just red and angry, looks like a spider bite with the white head. Did the doctor not give you an idea of what it could be? X

CharlesChickens · 09/12/2018 15:24

They look like Blandford fly bites. Could be horse fly, odd to get them at this time of year though.

CharlesChickens · 09/12/2018 15:25

Blandford fly bites are usually on calves. Do you walk near water ?

Original poster
LightBe · 09/12/2018 15:33

Thank you for your quick replies.

The bites on my skin look identical to those on my boyfriend - they always take the same form (a puncture mark in the centre, white head and red circle around). They are furiously itchy.

Our GP has said that they look like bites (rather than infected molluscum, a spot, etc), but he does not know what is doing the biting.

I’m not sure if this is relevant but, apart from my boyfriend’s first bite on the train, all of the others have been done at night whilst we were sleeping.

OP posts:
Onestep2 · 09/12/2018 15:39

Something similar happened to us thou it wasn't as bad with bites as your pictures. No idea what it was. But we binned all of out duvets, pillows, bed sheets, covers. Everything. And we bought some bug spray stuff from Amazon and treated the mattress and carpets and it never happened again!

LucieMorningstar · 09/12/2018 15:43

I’d be inclined to wonder if they’re fly larvae (bot fly perhaps?).

Intruiged · 09/12/2018 15:53

They look like bed bugs, at least mine looked like that. Had to get professionals in three times to spray, binned sheets, duvet etc. Train travel is consistent with that. Gp was unable to id it, pest control guy did though. You have my sympathy!!

Aquamarine1029 · 09/12/2018 16:12

I think you have bed bugs. Shock

Lwmommy · 09/12/2018 16:16

Can you put some double sided sticky tape on the bed to see.if you catch any bugs on it.

Maybe on the headboard as near to the mattress as possible o r on the lip around the edge of the bed if there is one.

Busybusybust · 09/12/2018 16:18

I think blandford fly too.

Elphie54 · 09/12/2018 16:21

Are you sure they are bites and not some sort of skin infection (like MRSA)?

Original poster
LightBe · 09/12/2018 16:33

Re: Blandford flies
I hadn’t heard of these before - thank you for the suggestion. I’ll do some research on them. We live in Cambridge, but not anywhere near the river.

Re: Bed Bugs
I’ve worried about whether it might be bed bugs. The majority of our bites have been at night - whilst we are sleeping - as though something has gotten caught in my pyjama leg.

I’ve Googled images of bed bug bites and they seem to always be in clusters or rows of three.

Our bites are only ever singular - for example, I will have a single bite and then nothing else for another 4-6 weeks.

Is that consistent with bed bugs?

OP posts:
giftsonthebrain · 09/12/2018 16:36

Another vote for being an mrsa issue. Bed bugs and fleas multiply and you end up with multiple spots with only random infections.

nemosparents · 09/12/2018 16:42

Looks like a fire ant bite

Original poster
LightBe · 09/12/2018 16:45

The MRSA suggestion is fascinating.

Is it possible for the MRSA to have started with my boyfriend and somehow passed to me? His first bite was horrendously infected - it was as though the wound was cannabilising his leg - and he now has an awful, crater-like scar.

This is going to sound silly, but I often steal and wear his socks. Could it have spread through something as seemingly harmless as that?

OP posts:
LittleMe03 · 09/12/2018 16:49

I honestly have no idea but they look sore OP. I hope you figure it out and are rid soon x

Original poster
LightBe · 09/12/2018 16:50

On the topic of MRSA, it’s probably helpful to also say that I would clean and dress my boyfriend’s original wound.

OP posts:
ReturnofSaturn · 09/12/2018 16:52

Are they definitely bites? Boils?

Ylvamoon · 09/12/2018 16:54

Flea bites can be red and yellow from puss. If they are quite small, I say flea. Have you had animals in your home? Carpet?

Original poster
LightBe · 09/12/2018 16:56

Thank you, LittleMe.

I hope that we can get to the bottom of it. I’ve been feeling so, so upset because it feels like a losing battle and I hate having to take all of these antibiotics.

My boyfriend has had two ‘bites’, in total, but hasn’t been ‘bitten’ for about four months.

I’ve had five ‘bites’ - all causing terrible discomfort and scarring - and three of those have been in the last five weeks.

OP posts:
CharlesChickens · 09/12/2018 17:21

Blandford fly bites do scar and take many months to heal, my friend has a dip on her leg two years later....everything you say fits the Blandford but it isnt Blandford season now, so v odd. Not fleas, then you have many small bites but they very rarely get infected. I dont know about bed bugs but again you would have multiple bites. One single bite suggests a fly is more likely.
I wouldnt know about mrsa .

CharlesChickens · 09/12/2018 17:24

Oh and you live in a Blandford area too.

Original poster
LightBe · 09/12/2018 17:43

I’m not sure if this will help, but I’ve just taken a picture of my most recent ‘bite’.

The white head has cleared away so it looks a bit different to how it began.

My eyes might be playing tricks, but I think that a larger red circle is also forming around the outside.

AIBU to burn the house down? What’s biting us?
OP posts:
yorkshirepud44 · 09/12/2018 17:47

It is, you need to get that checked over.
Sorry, it sounds utterly miserable Sad