insect bites

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aymes

aymes

Senior Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I suffer terribly from these, they flare up horribly, very itchy and last for ages. I currently have 3 on the back of my leg, joined together to be the size of a tennis ball, and two joined together on the front, now the size of a golf ball!!

Had them for a few days now, antihistimines and creams aren't working so I've just bought one of those electric clicker things. However I didn't read the label and it says diabetics should consult a doctor before using it. I'm guessing the concern is with neuropathy rather than a general thing but I just wondered if anyone has had any experience using them?

(at the moment I'm being a bit of a wimp and havn't dared press the button yet!)
 
Sounds bad aymes, not that I am any source of information, but give it a go!!
I hope your leg doesn't fall off mind!
Maybe some dutch courage first?
Good luck.

Then again maybe you should ignore this and ask someone with knowledge??
 
I noticed last night when i got out of the bath i had red marks on my arm and on leg and they where itchy i just put it down to insect bite and leave them to dissapear , sounds like you got a bad case there tho , its best to check out with doc first if it does say consult him , hope it sorts itself soon x
 
Insect biites during the summer months are awful - I come out in VERY itchy red weals.

One piece of advice I was given, which I tried and it DID help, was to take over the counter hay fever remedies.

It does not stop insect bites - but it does take the intense itch out of them.

Hazel
 
Me too Aymes, its terrible this year - been working on the garden last week sorting the topsoil and today laying the turf.

The blinkin things are at me like anything, found a great tube of goo from Savlin - for bites and stings, takes the edge off it.

My problem is any cut or sore on my legs takes ages to heal - neuropathy is bad, at least with no feeling in my legs, the bites aren't so annoying.

However, my arms, back, chest and last week my chin were terrible - I have an inflimation the size of my fist under my chin - and I have biggish hands!

I don't know what it is this year, I know my HbA1C was a little higher this time round, but now I've found a meter I can use my levels are back in line..

Odd....
 
I have found my local pharmacist very helpful when it comes to insect bite relief, so it may pay you to chat to the local chemist.

I used to get something called pyrethrum from the healthfood shop which seemed to deter biting insects, they also don't like citronella. I am not sure how good they are for diabetics, so please take advice first.

When we have doors and windows open I burn incense sticks near places that are open, the smoke is said to imitate a wood fire and puts the insects off, which would explain why smokers seem not to get bitten so much.
 
I find that eating certain foods in certain countries (as per the locals) puts insects off - but you need it in your blood on a constant basis - such as lemon grass.

In addition smoking the pipe or a cigar in the garden tends to keep them away :D
 
Thanks everyone, at least I know I'm not the only one suffering! The clicker thing worked for a few hours, but the itching is back with a vengence now! I'm taking strong antihistimines that the pharmacist advised for me, plus a cream they reccommended, so hopefully something will start working soon.

I'm not sure I'm going to take up smoking to avoid them in the future but I'll look into some of the other things!
 
Generally for bites I leave them alone unless they're quite bad, then I start hitting them with some antihistamine cream. That sorts them out normally though for me they do take ages to go, that and I have the annoying habit of really scratching the ones that itch.
 
I have found i get more bites since being a diabetic, i think they must like insulin, i got 10 the other day. All over my body, horrid.
I only ever use E45 on my skin made no difference, just had to ride it out.
They are still there but not affecting me any more, fingers crossed we get no more 🙂
xxx

Oh Aymes i love your display picture its well cool 🙂
 
I'm not sure what attracts insects to us as a group more than anyone else. My dad always gets badly bitten and one year his feet and ankles looked like balloons. It was only because my mum called the doctor that my dad would admit there was a problem.

I have found staying i n the shade and using incense sticks helps, but it doesn't work for everyone
 
I always get bitten badly too.
It's sooo annoying and can make life miserable for a while.

I would use the 'click don't scratch' thing - they don't hurt and do work. You could consult a doctor but I'm sure it's worth it, unless you are concerned for neuropathic (right word?) reasons.

USP
x
 
If I remeber when I take he dog for a walk, I sprinkle tea tree oil on my shorts, I also use it on any bites I get.
 
hmm i think insect bites are worse for me now that i have diabetes too. weird! They get quite big and take ages to dissapear, even though I don't touch them!
 
argh, I've been bitten alive again. Three this time, each gone to golf ball size. The clicky thing was working fine but I've just been swimming, think I may have aggravated them....oops!!
 
aymes said:
argh, I've been bitten alive again. Three this time, each gone to golf ball size. The clicky thing was working fine but I've just been swimming, think I may have aggravated them....oops!!
Click to expand...

I've had a few lately - got one on my ankle that drove me mad night and day! I feel your pain!

Actually, the worst thing I ever saw (thankfully it didn't happen to me), was when I was in St Petersburg (Leningrad as it was then). We were students in a hostel and one girl got bitten so badly by bedbugs that she had to go to hospital 😱 Her fellow students took her mattress outside and burned it! We discovered that blowing foul-smelling Russian cigarette smoke into the corners of the bed would stop them from biting! Probably only worked on Soviet bedbugs though...😉

Hope they settle down soon!
 
VINEGAR! VINEGAR! VINEGAR! Its the only thing that stops the itch - you might pong a bit - but you will stop scratching!🙂Bev
 
sorry to go native on you all over this but vinigar is the best treatment for insect bites. rub it on with some rough paper i.e kitchen roll but the rough side (underside of it) so it sort of breaks the skin but not to much and the vinigar takes the sting out of it. works for me 🙂

mike
 
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