mosquito bites that swell???? huh??

WCM · by **WCM** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 5:38 pm

we were up island this weekend, and last night DD was bitten in 4 spots by mosquitoes. one is right below her eye, two on her back, one on her arm. when she was bitten I noticed how weird and un-bite-like they looked. not a small raised circular bump, but a wide, square white hump on her arm, the one near her eye is like a sideways teardrop shape, the two on her back huge and not round. we aveeno'd them and go to bed. now today, the one below her eye is so swollen she can hardly see, and it hurts. I've given her benadryl twice today, but it's no different. What kind of wacked out bites are these????????

eastsooker · by **eastsooker** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 5:40 pm

in alberta we were bit by horsefly's. Did your DD scream when it bit? Usually hurts like heck. Maybe its allergies? Or maybe it reacted to the Aveeno?

LilyVon · by **LilyVon** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 5:43 pm

She's probably just allergic. I'm allergic to mosquito bites. My bites swell up to the size of a twoonie sometimes. After bite and things like that will take the itch away, but they don't decrease the size (at least for me). I also get huge welts from hay, and some types of bush and grass. It's annoying, but nothing too worrisome.

s5 · by s5 on Sun Aug 17, 2008 5:44 pm

when we were in Sask last yr, our 10 yr old got a number of bites on his legs - and his ankles became VERY swollen. The theory was that because he had so little exposure to mosquitoes, his system over-reacted a bit (hence the swelling). Do you think that is possible with your DD, or do you think it was a non-mosquito bite?

WCM · by **WCM** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 6:19 pm

she's definitly not really exposed to mosquitoes. I mean, we always dump out water buckets around here, so none are at our house. when we camp it's at the sea or in other non-mosquito areas . . . it def looks like an allergic reacton, I just didn't know that happened to folks. her eye is worse now, but I guess the only action is to wait it out. it looks awful.

Teresa R · by **Teresa R** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 6:29 pm

Last year was the first year I took my youngest camping and she got bit like crazy and swelled up at all the sites. I went and got her some antihistamine and it did help a little with the itchiness. At night though, it was like her skin was crawling because she was so itchy. Tough to sleep like that. Again, this year she got bit and swelled horribly. Some kids are just more allergic than others. I must have sour blood because I didn't get a single bite while both kids got eaten (even with bug spray).

tinkerbelle · by **tinkerbelle** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 6:35 pm

Benadryl is short acting you may want to try Reactin also. Maybe ask the pharmacist if you can piggy-back them as you would Tylenol/Advil. Maybe lightly trace the swelling in case you need to seek medical attention, if the swelling worsens to give them an idea on the progression.

My son had a pretty bad reaction at 5 and hasn't since, so, let's hope it's the same here.

by **Guest** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 6:47 pm

my dd got her first two mosquito bites of her life this weekend too. They both swelled right up. So bad I had to call my mother over because I was second guessing them being mosquito bites.
That was friday and now they are pretty much gone.

jmcd · by **jmcd** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:06 pm

Go to the doctor. My daughter had a mosquito bite that got infected & she needed antibiotics.

multimom · by **multimom** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 7:15 pm

That happens to me sometimes. It is the histamine reaction causing the swelling so maybe try an antihistamine like Reactine that is supposed to work relatively quickly. It helps me and I hope your little one feels better soon!

crazycat · by **crazycat** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:03 pm

I react badly to mosquito bites. Not sure if an actual allergy as I've never gone into shock over them, and never had a Dr. classify as an allergy, BUT, they swell up huge on me. And I mean HUGE!
Obviously, the first thing is to try not to scratch them. Much easier said than done I know, but it does limit the spread of the bite. There is a product out there called 'After Bite' which is like a pen thing that you dab on. Contains ammonia and really does smell like pee, but it takes itch away.

I had a really bad experience several years ago, when I got bitten so badly, I had over 150 swollen bites over me (my mum lost count..!). They bit through my t-shirt, but couldn't get through my bra, so just bit around it. When I undressed, you could see the outline of my bra, outlined in swollen bites!!

I currently have a big swelling on my arm, and one on my back which must have looked lovely at the pool today...

I try to get through without using anti-histamines if its just a couple, I would get things checked out if they swell that bad, or if it affects vision/breathing though.

PS, they usually bite girls as we have the sweetest blood :shock:

Nausicaa · by **Nausicaa** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:16 pm

I'm allergic to mosquito bites, too. They swell up 3-4cm in diameter, and are rock hard. Really not fun. For me, only time makes them go away.

After Bite helps to relieve the itching (but if you've already broken the skin from scratching, it stings like crazy! :shock:

)

by **Guest** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:24 pm

It is common for mosquito bites to swell it doesn't necessarily mean an allergy. I thought it actually depended on more of the type of mosquito you are bitten bby. I would give the benadryl as the box says (some are every 4 hrs (waking) and this will help subside the itching either way. I would also take her to the Doctor as the one near the eye should at least be checked. Also try and make sure she doesn't sratch them no matter how itchy they are as this is how the infections come about.

Sunnygirl · by **Sunnygirl** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:44 pm

We all do react differently to bites, but it is also I think the type of bite, size of bug and area of bite. We got tons up island too this weekend - and dd got some whoppers too :-(

(as well as smaller ones)

I know when I was pregnant the no-see-ums focussed on my ankles and each would swell the diameter of a golf ball.

by **Guest** on Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:05 pm

LilyVon wrote:She's probably just allergic. I'm allergic to mosquito bites. My bites swell up to the size of a twoonie sometimes. After bite and things like that will take the itch away, but they don't decrease the size (at least for me). I also get huge welts from hay, and some types of bush and grass. It's annoying, but nothing too worrisome.

Yes, I am allergic to them too and so is my DD. Her and I get ones the size of large hives. They don't decrease in size for about 3-5 days. I was in Duncan and was bitten on my legs and WOW. I look like I am covered in welts.

They also itch like crazy.

In Montreal we had Citronella Oil for skin to repel them that worked really well but I cannot find it here.

The ONLY thing that seems to take the itch away is After Bite for KIDS. It is a cream unlike the adult version so it doesn't evaporate. It really works far better. I have tried everything from calamine to 1% hydrocortizone which do nothing.

Cheers,
Lara