MASSIVE insect bite - what to do/use

[hereorthere]

Hi, I hope you can help as this bite is driving me to distraction. I only noticed it yesterday but it's gradually been growing (despite avoiding to scratch it as much as possible) and it really is throbbing too.

It's now red, swollen and has now grown to measure 15cm and seems to be growing still.

I'm taking anti-histamines, using insect bite spray and have even tried some HC cream.

Help!

Might be infected-then you will need a course of antibiotics

Yes If it is 15cm I would get to Walk-in first thing inteh morning.

That would make sense I guess, It actually seems to be growing in front of my eyes and has a weird white outer if that helps!

I can see a trip to the walk in clinic coming along before we go off camping tomorrow....

crossed posts!

It is 15cm - just measured. It looks HUGE!

go to a&e tonight, if you're going camping tomorrow

Just having looked even close (hard when it's at the back og your leg!) and in the centre is a deep deep red bit about 3cm across - like broken blood vessels.

Bum!

We're not going 'til lunchtime so I have got time. I should've gone earlier tonight but it wasn't quite so big then (although was pretty big)

can you think of anything else that might help it tonight??? i've also taken ibuprofen.

Have you got any thing that could suck the poison out? We have a syringe type thing that sucks bites - might release some pressure?

frozen peas! That might bring some of the swelling down. FWIW my mother had similar only her whole foot swelled up too. Refused to take anti-histamines because it had "hayfever tablets" written on the box - she said "i don't have hayfever, if i take those, i will get hayfever!" WTF?? Anyway, two days later and it had gone down.

If it is still swollen and warm to the touch in the morning go to the doctors/hospital.

magnesium sulphate is good for drawing things out

Ooh peas could be good! I'll go and find some!

I regularly take anti-histamines anyway as i'm allergic to quite a few things (hay fever, pets, dust etc) so I nearly always have them in stock.

I'd love to stick something in to relieve the pressure but I haven't got anything short of a sewing needle.

Thanks.

thread about bites also in active convos at the moment!

How quickly is it growing.

If it is growing by more than a couple of cm per hour I think I would ring NHS direct/go and be seen tonight TBH.

Fantastic thread - thank you!

The peas are looovely. It's certainly less red than it was bit it is growing. It's now 16cm but, as i said, it looks less red i'm sure.

Nothing awful's going to happen tonight (apart from the lack of sleep!) so i'll leave it until the morning. I'm so tired (maybe it's all the anti-histamines!) that I am going to try to sleep.

Thank you and night night! x