Reaction to mosquitoe bites

[Jade313]

So I’m currently on holiday in Egypt ( been a few times over the years ) anyway on day 2 I ended up covered in mosquito bites on my legs which went very red , itchy and some a little swollen. Day 3-4 a couple were oozing a little bit but not overly sore or anything. I saw the clinic in Egypt who reckons I have had a bad reaction ( allergy) to the bites and so iv been taking antihistamines and antibiotic cream which has helped and slowly are improving. I have never reacted like this before , does anyone else suffer like this ?

As I’ve got older I’ve begun to react very badly to insect bites and stings. I find that if I manage not to scratch at all, not one tiny scratch, they don’t flare up quite so much. The problem is that sometimes I don’t realise I’ve been bitten, scratch and realise it’s a bite.

One of the things that was suggested by our local pharmacist (France, never had this suggested in the UK) was to apply cotton wool soaked in surgical alcohol. It’s actually very cooling and sometimes more effective than antihistamine ointment. Oral antihistamines do help a lot.

I always use decent insect repellent and I have a repellent thingy in the bedroom as well….I like an open window and often find I get bitten in the night. I’ve tried natural repellent bracelets and stickers and found them to be a total waste of time and money unfortunately!

Allergy to insect bites is very common and can start at any time - so you didn't have it before and now you do.

Equally it may just be Egyptian mosquitos for you - I wonder what Italian mosquitos eat when I'm not there as they seem to love me so much.

Yes always. I hate them.

I am allergic to bites I take a daily antihistamines in the summer!

I have skeeter syndrome - have a google

Yes I have the same. Now take antihistamines before a holiday and the cream as well. It’s an allergy.

They look painful OP. I react quite strongly to all forms of bites, and the ones you have look how I might react too. Firstly are you certain they are mosquitoes and not bed bug bites ?
Secondly I am not sure what species of Mosquitoes they have in Egypt, but the bites do vary depending on the type. Dd was in Spain this Spring and in spite of strong repellents she had some nasty bites, larger than the ones on your legs, as did some of the team she was with. They were from Asian Tiger Mosquitoes otherwise known as stripey bastards, they have spread across Europe. One of the men with her (it was a work thing connected with her Masters) had a bite that swelled up bigger than a saucer, he went to see a Doctor and got treated. Doc said that it’s quite common to react like that to Tiger mosquito bites. So you may be reacting more than usual as it’s a different type of mosquito to the ones you may have encountered before.
A friend used to go to Egypt every year and she always got badly bitten with huge bites.

Oh dear, once they have got to that stage there's not much you can do beyond the antihistamine and antibiotic. Try not to let anything touch them and beware in future!

Avoid getting bitten in future by covering up with loose clothing in the evening, in the shade and near shrubs & plants. Double up with the strongest repellent you can find, often there is a local brand that works well.

Sorry!

I always react like that. Thought it was normal

I get this reaction every time I even meet a mosquito, OP, but the ones in Egypt are belters. There's nothing you can do, OP, just wait for them to get better. Have a G&T and 2 Nurofen at bedtime, so at least you'll fall asleep before the itching kicks in!

Yes, you aren't alone, although I've always suffered. It can be quite miserable as it is weeks of feeling like I've biting ants crawling under my skin.

The hot spoon method or the hot ceramic device (shaped like a pen) are the best I've found to alleviate the intense itch.

@MabelAnderson And I thought mine were bad , that sounds awful!
iv been to Egypt about 5 times and rarely ever have I been bitten but i guess like you said it depends on the species.
well clinic said mosquitoe bites because of the itching etc iv just reacted badly to it unfortunately!

@BalakayAARon iv heard about the hot spoon but not sure if it’s to late for that now , the itching has mostly subsided , it just looks awful :( I didn’t even want to get my legs out anymore !

Yes. I take antihistamines before I go as well as whilst I'm away. You can also get a gadget that sends an electrical pulse through them and it breaks down the venom

Yep mine always look like that and mine stay for weeks 🙁

Yes, that's what my mosquito bites look like. As someone else mentioned, have a look at Skeeter syndrome.
I bloody hate mosquitos (and they love me!).