INSECT BITES: I find it interesting that no-one seems t...

My kids and I routinely get staph infections after insect bites. There seems to be one kind of spider that does it. I've been told many times that no, spiders do NOT carry staph, but I think in some years they will find out that some spiders do carry bacteria! Anyway, what we found that works:

1) Infrared heating pads. The heat travels into the skin for amount, and staph hates heat. That's one reason you get infections in your legs or feet, where temps are cooler. We use the pads for long periods of time. They are high-quality heating pads with good temperature control (Thermotech). If the heat is started when the bite is new, it heals very quickly.

2) Tincture of iodine. Not everyone tolerates it I guess, but it's used routinely on farm animals for infections, and it works. It shouldn't be tightly covered. I'm not sure why it went out of favor for humans, but iodine sinks into the skin and kills fungus as well as bacteria. Povidone iodine also works (and doesn't sting) but it doesn't get absorbed as much.

My case was not induced by an insect bite but through a cut (coinciding with puffy ankles), initiated with violent fever and trembling and had massive yellow blister (with smaller ones) after 3 days of orals. Went to ER and spent next 7 days in hospital with 2 bags of drip IV each day. This is my 3rd day out, back on orals and supplements. Kind of freaked by reading how long this may or may not clear.

I think chances of you making a better recovery if your circulation is good (no broken veins around your ankles). I'm on the no sugar, no grain or dairy diet to help reduce the inflammation and help heal from the inside out. I have my next dr appt on Friday.

I've suffered cellulitis from insect bites every summer for around 15 years.  This followed a few years of increasingly bad reactions to insect bites.  I need fluxocallin ASAP.  My first bout was so severe I couldn't walk to go to the gP or A&E and the out of hours service did not believe me - my leg was swollen from thigh to foot and red, hard and burning.  

I used to use Anthisan cream but find it no longer works - my GP said it's not strong enough for serious reactions.  Betnovate doesn't work either.

This year I've had it twice and last year and the year before it was on the face which was scary.

I do find that I am usually safe early in the summer and early in the day.  I need to try the Avon cream to see if it helps.  Does wearing trousers and long sleeves help?  I still get bitten on the face.  Avoiding the garden is not the total answer either as I've been bitten walking down the street and in the car.

Luckily I have so far responded well to the Fluxocallin - am currently on day 4 of my recent infection and it is much improved though the swelling has spread from knee to ankle.  My sympathies to everyone else suffering.

Hello!  I am happy to have found someone with similiar experiences with cellulitis and insect bites.  I have given up with Doctors and nurses shrugging and shaking their heads - even a dermatologis. The first time around I saw the celluitis appear on my lower legs and shins and thought it odd.  I was told it was common among those who are growing old and also told there is no cure.  I took ibuprofen every day for the inflammation but then it got much much worse... why? Well, I live in S. Californis where there has been a terrible drought for some time. I had lived in Arizona with my cats and never ever encountered a flea bite on me or my animals. But during a hot summer after I moved here, i got the fleas. .  I lost 2 of them and one was saved after 2 flea dips and 2 insect bombs in the house. One day my daughter saw blood on my leg and called an ambulance.  At the hospital I was told I had cellulitus and needed  antibiotics and hospitalization.  They ignored the flea bite story. I had used calamine lotion on my skin and they just applied some "wound" ointment and wrapped my legs with bandages.  I expected the antibiotics to work but I was there and in a rehab place for 20 days. From then on I still had cellulitus but the next summer the same thing happened. Fleas and other flying insects that sting, invaded and made my legs worse. No broken skin or bleeding occurred but I didn't go to the hospital. I suffered thru the summer and used ibuprofen and calamine lotion and Cortisome creme in abundance.  I've had bloodwork done, but no infection appeared except the thyroid secretions were out of balance. Caused by - bug bites...what!  Now I have bumpy red skin thatoesn't hurt and large weeping blisters that are shrinking slowly.  I don't want to spend another 20 days in a rehab again.  It is like a prison.  So, Iust suffer silence.  I am so glad I read your report. Any ideas?

I'm definately in the same boat as you, i got attacked mercilessly by mosquitoes last summer, and I got celluitis in my leg but that wasn't the only place that was affected I have a 3in by 3in patch on my left arm,it's not very deep just insanely itchy, a small mark on my right forearm and a mark in my right leg that is slowly closing, I've used things like ozonol, salicic acid creams, polysporin, including a expensive Mayan cream, I've had the most relief and improvement from 100% concentrate of lavender and tea tree oils while using only ur gloved hands so u feel the contours of the skin damage and scrub it in as deep as u can withstand trust me I've done extensive research after suffering and recovered from a sml necrotizing celluitis, as of now I keep the marks and patch covered with a coating of both the lavender oil and ozonol, it's slowly shrinking, I wash it twice a day sometimes 3times it's oozing lots lately, but with the eye-cores removed I'm not getting the push filled weird acne bumps anymore, so here's hoping it may help anothers mild case, mine isn't as deep I can feel it in just the superficial layers of my skin so perhaps my Feb it'll be gone

Hi, Iam a 55 year old male,going back 5-6 years ago had a Umbilical Hernia Op going strangulated and was operated on and within 24 hours got sever case of lymphedema. I had a great big plaster on my area of my operation this turned a purple/red colour and was painful, went to my local doctor and was immediatly taken too hospital where i spent a weekend.   I was then administered a strong antibiotic intruvenously called Teicoplanin all weekend as well as paracetemol and Ibruvine.

    This went on for 10 days twice a day in which it helped tremendosly, this infection had spread to my right side of my body neck down to my right foot.  I then sustained a very bad lung infection and was given 6 small steroid tablets every day for 10 days also, i eventually got better.  Come that summer i got a load of insect bites mainly little mosquito ones, this has happened every year in the summer for the past 5-6 years going through the same process. I have to take a constant dosage of antibiotics but not the penecillin ones, my immunity system has not been good now diagnosed with type 2 diabetas which is genetic from my mother and father. So i think you can now proberly see in reading my post reply where i am coming from.

   Is there any type of insect repellant i can use in the summer time months?

Hi there. Just want to let you know that I currently have cellulitis in my left foot from getting a mosquito bite on my ankle. I've been through 9 days of cephalexin (500mg 4xday) and have now developed strep throat and my ankle is still swollen and warm! In the last 4 years I've developed severe reactions to mosquito bites but this is the first time I got cellulitis!

Thanks for writing in. Good to know we're not alone!

Good luck to you!

Lisa L.

Hi. Sorry to hear about your pain! Ugh. I got a bug bite on my lower leg in May 2017 and, over a year later, am still dealing with pain and fatigue -- though not nearly what it was since doing three rounds of antibiotics, then some Chinese herbs (very helpful, from an acupuncturist). Am onto another doctor now, this one seems to believe me when I complain of pain (because there is nothing to see, just the speck of an old bug bite). Sometimes it feels like my blood is on fire, and inflammation to my back (which then triggers headaches). All blood work has checked out as fine, am going to have another ultrasound on my leg, and am finally booked to see a lymphatic drainage specialist. A homeopath recommended pyrogenium, but I think it may cause added itching -- still trying to navigate that.