Biting Bug Week; how to treat bites and stings

Since this week is Biting Bug Week I am now posting First Aid tips and tricks. As a mother of two boys and an older sister I have come face to face with some weird injuries over the years. Most of these injuries were accompanied by a "You what? Why on Earth why would you try that?" Then of course they always say, "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time." It always seems like a good idea at the time. Silly boys.

This is how I treat Bug bites. This works for mosquito bites, and fly bites.

First thing wash your hands!
The second thing I do I do is clean the wound. It doesn't matter if it's with soap and water or alcohol. Clean it. After it's clean pat the skin dry. Then feel the wound. Is the skin inflamed (the area will be red and often have swelling and may feel hot)? If it is inflamed apply some skin soothing cream like aloe or Benadryl. If there is massive swelling take a over the counter pain reliever and apply an ice pack. NEVER USE HEAT, OR ANY PRODUCT THAT CAUSES HEAT! (Heat will make it worse) Does the wound feel hot? If it does that is a sign of infection. Keep a VERY close eye on the wound. If the bite seems to grow larger (the inflammation spreads, muscle tissue around it becomes sensitive, any flu like symptoms) please see a doctor. These are all serious signs of infection.

NEVER SCRATCH the BITE. When you scratch you are opening the bite again, and you are introducing new bacteria to it.

If it itches apply an over the counter anti itch medication cream like Cortizone 10. If any allergic reactions happen (hives, sever itching, etc) take a Benadryl. Follow the directions on the packaging. You do not want to over do it on the Benadryl. I know from experience. If the the area is extremely inflamed or will not stop itching even after over the counter treatments have been applied use my BAKING SODA treatment that is listed blow under stings. (The baking soda treatment also works on stinging caterpillar wounds)




If it is a STING, like a wasp or bumble bee, check first to see if the stinger is in the wound. If it is remove gently with tweezers. (I always keep a pair of MEDICAL tweezers in my first aide box. They have a pointed tweezers end instead of flat one like the cosmetic tweezers). Make sure to place the stinger in a plastic bag or inside a paper towel so you cannot get stung again.

Clean the area with soap and water or alcohol. Pat dry. If you are allergic to wasps and bees please notify the person taking care of you. And make sure to tell them how allergic. Do you need an Effie pen? That is serious information that could save your life.



After the area is dry I apply a mixture of BAKING SODA and water. Baking Soda is a base and it draws out the acids from the sting, aka the venom. The mixture needs to be like a paste, I usually mix mine 4 parts of baking soda to 1 part water. (4 teaspoons of Baking Soda and 1 teaspoon of water) The water can be tap water, bottled water, distilled water. Any water will do as long as it is clean. (No puddle water please!) Apply the paste and let it dry! This can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a half an hour depending on how thick you apply the paste. This step can be repeated if needed.

If you have an active child and they are stung give them a pain reliever for the pain (I recommend children's Advil) and swelling, a dose of Benadryl and after you have applied the paste cover it with a band-aide. (Remember when treating children if you are calm they will be also. Distraction is worth a million, so get them talking about anything, barbies, monster trucks, fireworks. Whatever distracts them.)

After the paste has dried wash off with Luke warm water. The site of the sting should look normal, no swelling or inflammation. Apply some ointment and cover with a band-aide.

If you don't have Baking Soda on hand dampen a aspirin or Tylenol and apply it to the wound and cover with a band aide. This method takes a bit longer but it works. Leave on for 20 minutes then check the wound. It should have no signs of inflammation or swelling. Then treat like a normal wound with ointment and a covering.

Tick bites can be tricky. First of all you have to remove the tick. Seed ticks can be very difficult to remove due to their small size. I do not try to remove them with tweezers. That usually ends up with me missing the tick and pinching the skin instead. OUCH! I soak a q-tip or a cotton ball or a paper towel in a repellent that has a high content of DEET or with hand sanitizer. Rub the tick with the q-tip and in a few minutes it should fall off. ( I learned this from an R.N. when one of my boys had seed ticks in a "sensitive" area.)The DEET application in this manner is okay to use on children because it is only a small amount and you can wash it off afterwards.

If the tick an adult use a pair of Medical tweezers to pull the tick off. DO NOT PULL the the tick from the BOTTOM. Place your tweezers as close to the your skin as you can near the mouthparts. This way ensures that ALL of the tick comes off. If you pull the bottom of it the tick could splatter(Yuck!) and you could be introducing yourself to a whole slew of bacterica. If the mouth parts do not come out treat it as you would a splinter. Those mouth parts HAVE to come out. If left in it could lead to an infection. Save the tick in a plastic zip lock bag. This is in case you need it for a trip to the ER. (I know it sounds silly especially here in the south where ticks are plentiful, but it is recommended by ER's and doctors.)I always write the date and where the wound was on the bag. Apply some Cortizone or Benadryl cream for itch and it can have ointment applied with a bandage.

Also once the tick is in the bag leave it there. They can live for years without any food in conditions that can widely range from sub-Arctic(freezer) to tropic conditions. If you are worried about the tick living in the bag and your wound is healed put the bag in the microwave for a minute then throw it away.

Remember the quicker a tick is removed the better. (Some ticks infect a person with diseases in as a little as 24 hours)

Always clean the area of the tick bite. I Pefer to clean the bite before and after with alcohol. And remember to clean your tweezers before and afterward with alcohol or with a trip through the dishwasher.

Remember tick bites need to be watched carefully. If inflammation spreads, the wound doesn't seem to heal, or if you get flu like symptoms take your tick in the baggie and seek medical attention A.S.A.P. Also keep an eye out for a bulls-eye pattern around the tick bite. If this happens go to a professional quickly.

I have found that if you are second guessing yourself you are usually right. So if you are thinking the wound needs medical attention from a professional do not hesitate. If the wound is a SNAKE bite seek medical attention and use R.I.C.E (rest, ice, compression and evalation). You can also check out my VENOM WEEK posts for more info on species of snakes in TN.

I hope this week has been helpful. I know that I have learned a lot, and due to Saturday being the Fourth of July I will posy an extra Biting Bug Week post on Monday about Chiggers. They are Nasty little bugs. If you use my any of my methods and they work for you let me know. I love hearing about success stories. These are just tips and tricks and keep in mind that I am NOT a medical professional.

I wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July! Be safe! (For burns remember ALOE! Fireworks are fire!)