To ask for help about these bites

[hardheadedwoman]

My DD19 has developed these over the past 48 hours - she says they are incredibly itchy and feel like bites. She’s using antihistamine cream but it’s driving her mad

I’ve checked her bed for bed bugs - no sign. I can’t be sure they are bites or a rash. GP doesn’t have an appointment til next week

Any advice or knowledge of what this might be or if there is anything better than antihistamine she could use?

Thanks in advance

Is it fleas? My mum's cat got fleas and DD was like that, covered.
Any pets?

Yes cats - I’m pretty sure they are flea free but will check this eve

A trip to the chemist to speak to a pharmacist maybe?

Sorry can't help identify the bites myself and my children always seem to get random bites which I always assume is from the hundreds of midges in the garden! But Eurax cream is brilliant instant relief.

If it could be fleas, don't just check the cats, check the sofas, rugs and carpets, throws etc. My cat had them 3 years ago ago and I am still waging an intermittent war with the fuckers.

Flea bites tend to be in clusters like that I know from experience.

Thanks all - off to get Eurax !

They are in clusters...

Luckily I have flea spray for furniture from when the cats got fleas years ago. The cats gets to flea stuff every month but I realise it’s not failproof

I had that exact same pattern appear one night last summer. Sorry, no idea what caused it, but interested to see what others say.

In my case I don't think it was fleas or bed bugs because they all appeared the same night. Not had anything similar since. I assumed maybe it was a spider or something that had come in through the window.

FWIW - I had eight bites. Seven of them disappeared after about a month, the eighth one turned pus-y and has left a smallish scar.

Take an antihistamine tablet too. Work the inside and the out. Standard hayfever tablet will do the trick and you can use a cooking ice pack to ease the itching too.

If you've got cats I'd definitely treat it as flea bites until/if you find the cause. Even if the cat seems flea free itself they can be around the house.

It's a pain but we got them after family visited with thier dog and its been a battle ever since, hoover thoroughly and treat the whole house, id recommend indorex spray which you can get off amazon.

Great thanks all. I have antihistamine tablets at home and just bought a big tube of Eurax - thankfully I am near a pharmacy. V helpful - appreciated

I can’t see clearly from the photos but just want to mention a rash called Pityriasis rosea. It starts with a ‘herald’ patch and very quickly spreads ALL over the body. My daughter had it last year and we thought it was something else. After a week of applying creams, I took her to the doctors who knew exactly what it was. No treatment needed, it will just clear up by itself. And it’s not contagious.

Indorex is amazing.
It was the only thing that cleared my mum's house. We'd used all the OTC stuff but then one can of Indorex and all gone.
Open your windows though!

Fleas. Treat the cats and get some indorex spray for the house. They can lay dormant over winter in carpets then reappear in the spring, absolute twats. Anti histamines for the bites and calamine cream.

I get really big, intense allergic reactions to mosquito bites. The best treatment I have found is a hot spoon!

You run a metal spoon under the hot tap (hopefully 50 - 60 degrees) and then immediately press against the bite for a few seconds. It feels like it brings the itch to the surface for a couple of seconds, then disappears, giving relief for hours.

I had already tried various combinations of: ice packs, Anthisan antihistamine cream, hydrocortisone cream, piriton tablets, cetirizine tablets and even got a private prescription for Telfast pills.

An alternative to the hot spoon is a little device I bought online called Bite Away that also uses heat, but is more convenient.

Do you have any oak trees nearby? If you’re in the south east (don’t think they’ve made it up north yet) could it be due to this
www.surreycc.gov.uk/land-planning-and-development/countryside/advice/oak-processionary-moth
If so I think antihistamines are the only option but the itching almost made be cry it was so annoying! I can’t remember exactly what the rash looked like when I had it, just the itching!!!

Thanks all. Not really near oak trees and it’s so itchy I think I need to conclude probably flea bites!
Checked cats and can’t see any sign of fleas but did an extra treatment anyway.
Have sprayed furniture and washed bedding. Thank you for the @PivotPivotPivottt it’s really helped

@HugeAckmansWife

If it could be fleas, don't just check the cats, check the sofas, rugs and carpets, throws etc. My cat had them 3 years ago ago and I am still waging an intermittent war with the fuckers.

I'm going to agree with 'HugeAckmansWife' here! fleas and bed bugs can get literally everywhere, and rugs are a common breeding ground! Do you hoover your rugs regularly? If you have any in your home that is! I appreciate it can be a difficult task because you don't want to damage your rug, but these tips should help:www.landofrugs.com/blog/vacuuming-your-rug-top-tips/