Sunday 4 August 2019

Pass the lavender

It's that time of year and I've been bitten to buggery.

So I've got the lavender oil out, wiped it around the window openings and anointed the bites with the oil, not on broken skin though as it stings.

I have two bites that instantly blistered and popped, one in my eyebrow and one on my finger where I wrap the yarn round when I'm knitting.

The other bites are just lumpy and itchy but I have so many on one hand I am struggling to bend my fingers.

17 comments:

readlisten said...

Goodness Gracious! What insect is causing such a horrible reaction?

Hard up Hester said...

I've no idea Read, but I frequently get a bad reaction to bites so I'm taking antihistamines.

Rambler said...

That sounds awful. I hope theu clear up quickly and whatever is doing the biting soon disappears. Is Steve not affected? Although I got bitten in the Summer months (ants, horse flies, etc) my husband never did. He said I must have sweet-tasting skin!!!

Hard up Hester said...

Steve has one bite compared to my twenty plus.

Col said...

I have always reacted really badly to bites, as did my grandmother and an auntie. A good few years ago I bought an Aspivenin; it's like a backwards syringe, you put it over the bite a.s.a.p. push the plunger and the poison and skin surrounding the bite or sting pulls up, dragging the venom out!
There are four sizes of top for different sized bites stings etc, the smaller two tend to drag the skin up in such a way as to make it look like a spare nipple!!
Have a look at them, they're not the cheapest of things, (around £20 i think), but mine's saved me from a lot of pain, itching, and sleepless nights. They're also brilliant for extracting wasp or bee stings from children, and splinters too! I carry a small pair of tweezers in the box, useful for grabbing stings.
Anti histamines make me drowsy, even the non drowsy ones, so this is far preferable!

Lyssa Medana said...

You must be extra tasty for them, but lavender is the good stuff. Sending hugs and good vibes.

Living Alone in Your 60's said...

Poor you, I know how you feel. Like Col I react badly and cantvmake antihistamine. I use lemon on my skin and string repellent.

Hard up Hester said...

Col, I'll look for one of those.

Thanks Lyssa.

Oh dear Going It, I'm lucky I can take anti h.

JanF said...

I just read this in today's Seattle Times.
For those reacting strongly to bug bites- the best way to overcome such reactions is with topical prescription strength corticosteroid, like trimcinolone. The soon applied after a bite, the better.
Oral prednisone is sometimes warrented in the case of an extreme reaction.
Hope this helps.

Hard up Hester said...

Thanks Jan

Carol Caldwell said...

Every year we get bitten by the midges which are small itchy bites but also by horse fly which used to swell and ooze and were very painful. I started putting savlon (or any antiseptic cream) on the horse fly bite straight away and it makes a world of difference. Not sure if it would help your bites but it really does work for horse fly bites. It stops the bite getting infected and no swelling or oozing.

Anonymous said...

Try citrus shower gel.

I used to get bitten to death each summer but since I've started using lemon shower gel (I use Lemon Source which can often be found on offer in the various pound shops and on occasion in Lidl or Aldi at 99p rather than £2+ a pop) I now barely get touched any more. Apparently the citrus oils are a natural insect repellent.

I went to Oz 3 years ago and whilst my uncle who lives there was having to slather on lashings of mozzie repellent every evening I didn't use it once and wasn't bitten at all.

jeannemarie said...

I had been avoiding being outside because it was like posting a ‘fresh meat’ sign. Can’t use Deet because it makes my skin crawl. My Son worked for a mosquito abatement program as a summer job, and they made them wear 20% picardin. I tried it,and have been outside all summer. No skin problems, and don’t get eaten alive.

Sue said...

I've been bitten to buggery this year too ... on one occasion just one walk around our paddock wearing shorts resulted in 7 horsefly bites which all blistered and burst after a few hours, leaving me an itching wreck. I get changed into jeans and a long-sleeved shirt now every time I go out.

Ulvmor said...

I have inherited this bad reaction to bites from my mother. We found a relief we called snake oil (that's how much we had faith in it), but it is usually Tiger balsam (white) or Dragon balsam, I have no idea what poison it has in it, but it does have at least menthol. It doesn't keep insects away, but it stops swelling and itching, even horseflybites. Many people can't use it, it burns their skin or irritates nose/throat. Smell is really strong.
Corticosteroids didn'n help, nor antiseptics. My sister gets some help from antihistamines, but I didn't find them useful.

Hard up Hester said...

I think I have some lemon source shower gel somewhere.

I definitely have Tiger Balm.

I'm also being generous with the Avon Skin so Soft.

TrishWish said...

Me too! I have found own brand cheap ibaprofen gel (or voltarol but that's expensive) helps take the swelling and itching down. Why does it get worse the moment you get in bed.

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