How do I speed up healing of these bites? « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

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How do I speed up healing of these bites?

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worma

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Posted 1 year ago
Sat Feb 11 2012 5:38:20
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Hello everyone,

Just yesterday I've been bitten by bedbugs (I know they are bedbugs as I only have a severe allergic reaction to their bites and I have had at least 5 previous cases where I have been bitten by the same insect). The weird thing is that I haven't been bitten for about a year and I just came back from China 5 days ago (I go there annually and I've never been bitten there). The bites only affect me in the house as others have no reaction whatsoever to those bites and since I am the youngest in my family, it means I have a hard time convincing my parents to treat the whole house. I did bomb my room though, and afterwards I sprayed as many cracks and holes with a surface spray and also around the entrance so I don't encounter any more of them crawling in (For the time being).

Anyway, to the main point.

I have had a bad history on bedbug bites. I always get bit about 5 times or more each case and have a very very bad allergic reaction to them (Pictures below). I have not discovered any effective method to speed up healing as I can only use what I found at home and they didn't alter the speed of recovery.

The typical progression of the bites are like this:
When I first get bit, it starts off with a pretty small red itchy bump. During the day (I get bit the night before) the red spot will increase in radius and height with more intense itching. It then will stay generally the same size when I sleep but then when day two comes, it is always the worst day of the scenario and the size of the bites increase more than double of what it was the day before with a small whitehead where it was bit presumably (17cm on my foot, 10cm on my thigh and at least 5cm on the other spots).

The size of it gradually decreases over days and weeks until it becomes a dark spot on the skin and pussing does occur during that period. Over months and years the dark spot/scar will fade into a faint dot which is not really noticeable. Yes I have bites from at least 5 years ago that are still visible to this day (I am 18) and it usually takes 1 year for bites to turn into flat, small dark scars though some bites heal quicker and they completely disappear which makes me so happy at times :).

As you guys can see, I do have a hard time dealing with these bites and I am very kindly requesting help from anyone that might know what type of treatment I might need to be able to speed up the healing process of these horrible bites. I did do some research regarding the type of reaction and I have came to this vague conclusion that I might have developed cellulitis every time I've been bitten (Big swollen red tender patches).
Can anyone please confirm this?

Thank you guys very much in advance.

Here are the pictures (the circles indicate the approximate area of swelling for those who can't see it and some white marks are due to a plaster):

http://imageshack.us/g/190/43921207.jpg/
rovianne

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Posted 1 year ago
Sat Feb 11 2012 6:27:22
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I went to my dermatologist and got a systemic steroid injection which essentially supresses the immune system so you don't get such a bad reaction. The bites I had at the time were very painful and inflamed and within three hours they were like 70 percent better. I was told the injection lasts a week. I would def see a dermatologist if you are able to.
Also I think the experts here would advise against using "bombs" on bedbugs. Ill let them advise on that.
worma

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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Feb 13 2012 18:43:52
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I took some antihistamines and the swelling reduced dramatically and I was recommended to apply some hydrocortisone cream on the bites which also suppresses the immune system. So how long did your bites last before they disappeared? Thanks
Nobugsonme

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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Feb 14 2012 0:10:08
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Your doctor will have to advise you about whether you have cellulitis and what to do about the reactions.

I'm not a health professional or a bed bug professional but I will warn you about two concerns.

First, bombs are not a good treatment for bed bugs. They do not eliminate the problem and can spread them further in the structure. Please read our FAQs.

Second, people have at times had severe allergic reactions to bed bug bites (including anaphylactic shock). In the case I'm personally aware of, this happened after someone had less serious reactions previously (so they can get worse). I don't want to alarm you but it is somethng you and your family should be aware of. If this occurs, please seek emergency medical care immediately.
amanda2040

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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Feb 14 2012 18:45:16
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My bites also get larger on the second day and itch horribly and sometimes last longer than a week or more I've been bathing with the Unscented Aveeno body wash and it was helping but my friend mentioned Tea Tree Oil so with the two together I guess they both dry them out and they fade dramatically.
BugsSkeeveMe

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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Feb 14 2012 19:54:52
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Mine were so bad that yesterday my dr. put me on a very high dose oral steroid. There is a major difference today. I have left my home and more bites from days ago are still showing up but they are normal size, still very itchy. My doctor did not want me in is office and perscribed this via phone and pictures. Be very careful. If your bites are close to your neck and are swelling as mine were seek medical advice rather than advice from a forum. Again, how dare anyone say there are no medical issues associated with this!
cilecto

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Posted 1 year ago
Tue Feb 14 2012 20:20:09
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> how dare anyone say there are no medical issues associated with this!

The way the experts generally phrase this is that "bed bugs are not known to transmit disease. This differentiates them from, say, mosquitoes, who "transmit" infections, such as malaria or West Nile, from person to person. This leaves open the fact that bite reactions are disease, but not transmitted. It also leaves the door open to future discoveries where they might transmit diseases.