I know I have whinged about this before, mainly after my holiday last October when I got eaten alive and had visions of needing a doctor in a foreign country because I was worried they were developing into cellulitis ..... but I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS.
My first evening out, in I can't remember how long, on Saturday to a friends BBQ and one of the little *&$%*$£* must have got up my trouser leg for her own dinner (it is only the females that bite, did you know that?). So the bites are really swollen and itching like crazy and this morning I feel like my whole body is suffering histamine overload.
I've done hydrocortisone cream and a cold pack (3:00am I was lying in bed with chiller packs under my leg) but it's not really helped. So I need to take something ..... going to go to the pharmacy this morning with my list of meds and ask for the pharmacist to check what I can have ...... I'd prefer to have something I've taken before (Claritin or Piriton) 'cos I do have a history of a/e's with medications.
So what else can I do?
I've been having a yeast extract drink every day for a few weeks now, partly because I like it and to help me lose some weight and someone told me that B vitamins deter the little *&$%*$£*. So that's worked well, not! Not for either weight loss or mozzie repelling.
The creams, gels, sprays, roll-on's with DEET totally mess up my sensitive psoriasis prone skin.
I've just told my husband to forget any ideas of a foreign holiday revisit this October.
Have never, ever had problems like this before I started biologics. Has any one else noticed they have become mozzie magnets on a bio?
Any practical suggestions (short of moving to the North Pole or starting a new fashion in wearing a head to toe mozzie net) would be appreciated, especially anything which I can do that might make me a permanently less attractive meal.
Isn’t that interesting. Those things can really drive you batty, can’t they? I have not noticed this problem myself. As a matter of fact, I find that poison ivy has become pretty much of a non problem for me now, as I’m less reactive.
I’m sorry about this, there’s nothing worse than being kept up all night.
Hi, Jules! Here in the US we have a great product we officially tested while camping this year which I give two thumbs up to. It’s a fan with the a cartridge of the same stuff you normally put on you but it it clips on or you can set it next to you creating a bubble of repellant around you that you barely notice ( much less smelly than a citronella candle). Made by a company called “Off” check it out less than $20 here and I spent a week out in high risk area and only had a couple bites. My daughter who played and ran around with the other children well she’s in your boat, lol.
Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh. How awful. I would caution you about moving to the North Pole, though: we were doing day hikes in the Canadian Rockies, and we assumed, given the altitude, temperature, lack of tree cover and wind speed, that we wouldn’t be bothered. We left our protection at home, and were accosted by the biggest, nastiest, strongest mosqeez that we’d ever seen. Don’t bank on there being none at The Pole.
We live in a mosquito and black fly zone, but I doubt that I can give you any advice that you haven’t heard already. I hate the spray on protection for the same reason you do, and I have used the OFF! clip on fan-machine-thingy that Rachel recommends, but I can’t say I’m really bothered by the critters. Come to think of it, Stoney, I may be less reactive than I used to be as well. Or maybe, at my advanced age, I’m just less attractive than I used to be. Yes, that must be it.
Stoney and Seenie, I envy you not attracting biting 'things'. Rachael, thanks for the tip about OFF! it looks like I can get it here from Amazon ..... it's a bit more expensive but I will try anything that might help. I have something else to buy from 'my favourite store' so will order both tomorrow.
While I was on there checking the OFF!, a Johnson's Baby Lotion with mosquito control was advertised .... I can't seem to track it down anywhere else in the UK but it's DEET free, recommended for sensitive skin so I'm going to investigate that tomorrow as well. I do wonder if it's similar to Avon's Oh So Soft body oil which contains something to repel mozzies ..... I used that on holiday last year so I can safely say that didn't work for me!
It's so strange because I don't get bitten at home even though we are in the country and have a large pond right outside the house .... probably shouldn't have said that as, no doubt, they are all now making their way to my open bedroom window.
Didn't get to the pharmacy until late this afternoon but checked the drugs.com database for drug reactions with my other meds and decided on Piriton (chlorphenamine) as it might also make me drowsy which will be good for sleeping (hopefully). Right now I could tear at my skin and rip my right leg off!
Hey Jules, just last night I was heard to say "the mosquitoes don't seem to be affecting me as much this year..." Blah blah shut your mouth, Jane. This morning I had itchy welts again all over my legs. We use these mosquito sticks outside on our deck. Unless we don't which is when I get chewed up. I can go outside for just a few seconds and attract them like, well, like flies. We must be super delish!
As for the itchiness, one of the only things that works for me is Afterbite which has lots of ammonia in it.
Mine is the opposite. Before biologics I was bitten all the time, now nothing. I guess I taste badly now. A friend of mine grows citronella in her back yard and swears by it. Though that wouldn't help while traveling. You might look odd carrying a potted planted around. They used to make an off fan. You clipped it to your pants, or whatever and it helped a bit. I used it at art markets.
Where we live, we should get eaten alive by mosquitoes. We have wetland behind our house. But we also have bats, which clearly love to eat mosquitoes, so only occasionally wind up with lots of bites.
Update: Piriton is working wonders to reduce the itch and take down the swelling. It also makes me very drowsy, which is less good during the day but I feel reassured to have something in my meds kit to fall back on.
Going to buy the Off! fan as well as some citronella sticks as preventatives. In case anyone looks up the Johnsons Baby oil I mentioned, I can't find this on the Johnsons product website so I'm concerned it may be imported from a country with less stringent product laws or not what it says on the label!!!!!
Stoney, we have lots of bats in/around our garden too (in fact I love sitting outside watching them in the evening .... they do this crazy figure of eight swooping around our trees to catch the insects) so maybe this is why I don't have a mozzie problem at home in spite of our pond.
On the subject of the pond, I took this snap this afternoon when the heavens opened - my redundant cattery is in the background :(
Where we live, we should get eaten alive by mosquitoes. We have wetland behind our house. But we also have bats, which clearly love to eat mosquitoes, so only occasionally wind up with lots of bites.
Thank you amielynn .... I do love the garden. Just wish I could do more .... but there may be some hope for improving my knees. I am long overdue posting an update on what I've been up to the last few months so I will try and do that soon.
I was thinking your garden was a bit of a mess. You really need to get that sorted Jules. Alternatively I could post a pic of mine for contrast .... I assume we've got some happy hedgehogs out there but hard to tell, anything could be living in that jungle.
Very glad to hear the Piriton is working. May the bats continue to do their good work too, what fabulous creatures they are.
Ha, ha Sybil. I'd like to take the credit but the truth is I'm just very good at directing operations from a chair .... my husband is getting better and we also have a gardener help out as well. But I like 'natural' as well and knowing where you situated a garden that is one with the surrounding countryside ... what could be better?
Ok, just back from the pharmacy again. Got into a conversation with the pharmacist, who was much more experienced than the youngster earlier in the week, who told me that ladies as they age (what me, no, I'm only 21 and a bit .... and a bit!) don't absorb as many B vitamins from our food and that it is a B vit compound excreted through skin/in sweat that is a natural mozzie repellant ...... which must be why I thought a yeast extract drink (Marmite, yum yum) might help. So he recommends taking a B vitamin complex throughout the mozzie season ........ just thought I'd share.
