londoneye Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Now I've had plenty of mossie bites in my time, large ones at that. But this is something else. Two days ago something must have bitten me on my elbow, started to itch, as per mossie bite, did the normal gave it a good scratching. Woke up next morning and my elbow was bigger than my knee with a bright red, boiling hot, swollen lump from half way up my forearm to halfway to my shoulder. Never seen anything like it - went to pharmacy and they gave me some cortisone cream; today about 75% of swelling has gone, and now not quite so hot to the touch.Anyone else in 87 had same thing, and any idea what might have caused it. Definitely not a wasp/bee or anything like that or I would have felt it (I would have thought anyway). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Ouch - sounds like a horsefly bite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted September 18, 2007 Author Share Posted September 18, 2007 We are near farms so that sounds a possibility. Will google so I know what to look out for !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 [quote user="londoneye"] ...Woke up next morning and my elbow was bigger than my knee with a bright red, boiling hot, swollen lump from half way up my forearm to halfway to my shoulder. Never seen anything like it - went to pharmacy and they gave me some cortisone cream; today about 75% of swelling has gone, and now not quite so hot to the touch.Anyone else in 87 had same thing, and any idea what might have caused it. Definitely not a wasp/bee or anything like that or I would have felt it (I would have thought anyway).[/quote] Had something similar during June. The bite was near my ear but my face swelled so badly it was difficult to recognise in the mirror. Under my chin wobbled like Robert Morley, but the cream worked wonders by next day. Would like to know myself [:@] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted September 18, 2007 Author Share Posted September 18, 2007 Oh no, your face !! I couldn't bear it, I think you were brave just to go to pharmacy !! Poor thing. Robert Morley - hmmmmmmmm - not nice !Mind you, be thankful for small mercies, the skin on my arm was stretched so tight, it looked like my right arm was 20 years old again, albeit a bit (well a lot !) on the porky side !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Anglia Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Spider bite? Horsefly? Bot fly? Centipede?Allergic reaction to mossie? My dad had similar at Versailles once, while camping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suze01 Posted September 18, 2007 Share Posted September 18, 2007 I've had 3 nasty allergic reaction to bites this summer. The last one was on my arm like yours, the underside of my arm swollen from elbow to armpit and very hot. After a couple of days of antihistamine treament and cortisode cream it wasn't much better and the pain had gone into my glands in my neck. It took over a week to heal and for me to feel 'right'. No idea what bit me but shortly after I had a 'thon' (sp? - you get them around horses) bite my other arm (which didn't react). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 I got this quote from Wikipedia re the Horse Fly "Unlike insects which surreptitiously puncture the skin with needle-like organs, horse flies have mandibles like tiny serrated scimitars, which they use to rip and/or slice flesh apart. This causes the blood to seep out as the horsefly licks it up. They may even carve a chunk completely out of the victim, to be digested at its leisure."Sounds nice doesn't it? Having been cutting the grass in our field which hadn't been done for a few years, I thought it could have been, however it was a while before I realised where the actual sting/bite was so in view of the description it seems unlikely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Believe me, if you're bitten by a horsefly you notice straight away... along the lines of "whoooooa, eeeek, what the hell was that, ouchy ouch, get off you monster".Or perhaps it's just me [blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Nah its just you coz you're a Girly. Wouldn't catch us blokes behaving like that.And I would just like to clarify that when I got bitten by one, the only reason I was running around the garden slapping at my arm and shouting 'GERROFFYERLITTLEB*$**D' then demanding symtathy and lots of 'there there' was that I was just showing my 'feminine' side [Www] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 I'm famous for my aversion to all things medical (doctors and hospitals) and thus have developed a particularly high pain threshold (!!). However, not so much that I wouldn't have felt it .... must have been something else.We had noticed a funny little spider hopping along the table outside that day - well it was kind of a jumping spider, about 1 cm long all told. Trying to remember if I had my elbow resting on table. I don't like spiders but he was actually quite cute - and he hung around a long time, perhaps it was he ? Won't be so cute if I get my hands on him in future .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Little 1 cm jumping spider put me in hospital wth anaphalactic shock.You should see two small puncture marks if it was that.That will teach you to rest your elbows on the table, did your Mother never tell you......[:P] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 My wife reminded me of the conversation we had earlier this year at the chemist. I've always been susceptible to stings and bites and the lady pharmacist here in Boots said I shouldn't drink when I go on holiday [:D] (what sort of holiday's that then!) I said that I'm not going on holiday, I'm going to do some renovation work. So I suppose that's what I got for being a smart ***se.[Www] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted September 20, 2007 Author Share Posted September 20, 2007 I have two puncture wounds !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now the swelling etc has completely gone I can see them.Any idea what these spiders are, anyone ?? Ref arms on table, I wasn't actually eating, loafing around and drinking ...... so my mother would probably have let me off that one - well, maybe not the drinking part ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 [quote user="londoneye"]I have two puncture wounds !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now the swelling etc has completely gone I can see them.Any idea what these spiders are, anyone ?? Ref arms on table, I wasn't actually eating, loafing around and drinking ...... so my mother would probably have let me off that one - well, maybe not the drinking part ![/quote]The "official" categorisation is :- Nasty little toxic ba****ds that should be totally eliminated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted September 20, 2007 Author Share Posted September 20, 2007 Hmmm - googled that and came up with loads of stuff (and people !) but no spiders. Never mind, I shall try to avoid them in future, now that I know what they look like (assuming they were the culprit).Ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgina Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 I think it's vampires, cos I have three sets of double puncture wounds 1cm apart. Yikes!!! Where's the garlic!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 [quote user="Georgina"]I think it's vampires, cos I have three sets of double puncture wounds 1cm apart. Yikes!!! Where's the garlic!![/quote] I wouldn't worry, you obviously have a hell of an immune system.One set makes Londoneye swell up, one set put me in hospital,Three sets should be terminal!!!!!!!You are obviously indestructible [8-|] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted September 21, 2007 Author Share Posted September 21, 2007 This made me laugh so much, and I know you will think I am making it up, but I told OH about this last evening, when walking dog, and announced I had two puncture wounds. Let's look he said (difficult to see back of your own elbow). Nope, he said, you have four lots of two !Thereby I declare that I come into the 'almost indestructable' range !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jehe Posted September 21, 2007 Share Posted September 21, 2007 I had a similar problem earlier this year whilst clearing dead wood from around our lake. Both forearms swelled and I felt quite unwell for a couple of days. My arms were very hot and itchy as well as twice their normal size. It turned out that I had 2 spider bites on one arm and 3 on the other. From what I could find out the culprit(s) was a brown wood spider.As a point of interest a retired doctor friend suggested that I wrap my arms in bandages soaked in chilled gin...............it worked a treat although it got messy when I tried adding some tonic !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoneye Posted September 22, 2007 Author Share Posted September 22, 2007 Ok - you had to go one better ! Like the gin idea though - who needs a spider bite to try it though !I am going to see if I can find the name of the little b*gg**s and will only post again if I do !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 Interesting concept, gin direct into the bloodstream via the punctures. Wonder if Bacardi works, I dont like Gin !!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Toadstool Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 I have also used gin as an insect repellent - only by wiping it on the skin - not drinking it - but hey - that might work too! Mosquitos love me but the gin stopped me getting bitten at all when I was in Greece - didn't put off the boyfriend either! (Many years ago dears!)[:P]Apparently the nastiest and cheapest gin is the most repellent - so don't waste the Bombay Sapphire!Pix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony F Dordogne Posted September 22, 2007 Share Posted September 22, 2007 My MiL and her family who were all born and bred in India swore by gin - but with tonic - as a mozzy repellant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Toadstool Posted September 23, 2007 Share Posted September 23, 2007 The tonic has quinine in it which is an anti-malarial drug - but did your MIL drink it or rub it on?Pix[8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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