One Method to Alleviate the Itch of Mosquito Bites

[rusty_armour]

Maybe it's because it's the first day of school, but I want to share a discovery I made in the very early hours of the morning. During my Sunday afternoon visit to Edwards Garden, I received two gigantic mosquito bites on the back of my left upper arm. At first, the itch wasn't too bad when I applied the cortizone cream I keep onhand for allergic rashes, etc. However, last night, it just started itching like crazy. In fact, I found that I kept waking up to scratch the bites. Anyhoo, by around 2:00 AM, I couldn't take it anymore and decided to rinse the bites with cold water. While this provided some relief, it didn't rid me of the itch, so I decided to apply this little gel pack from my freezer that I used to use after allergy shots. This also didn't cut it, which is when I decided to get out the big guns.

I went back to my freezer and pulled out the ice pack my mom kindly bought me when I sprained my ankle a couple of years ago. By using a tension bandage, I was able to tie the freezer pack around my arm and, lo and behold, that got rid of the itch! It also left this large red mark on my arm due to freezer burn -- a mark I'm still sporting. However, the itch is gone and, fortunately, I could find a light top with sleeves that covered the freezer burn. Uh, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do if the burn is still there tomorrow, but I'll just cross that proverbial bridge when I get to it.

Comments

[njc2007.livejournal.com]

After my breast reduction I applied ice packs (frozen peas) because the gazillion stitches were itchy. I was reading at the time and got really, really into a raunchy book and lost track of time. Long story short: don't leave ice on for more than 20 minutes. My "pointy bits" turned black and I was afraid they'd fall off. I barely slept for a week, just worried about it.

Perhaps a tube of Afterbite would be useful. I've heard the a slice of raw potato helps; but I haven't verified it. I can verify that I have found absolutely nothing to help with menopausal itch. *scratches*

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Yikes! That's terrifying! I don't blame you for being scared! :-( Well, I only kept the ice pack on for about 10 minutes, but apparently that was enough for freezer burn. Last night, I was more careful and only held the ice pack to the mosquito bites for a couple of minutes. I'm happy to say that the only red marks on my arm today are from the bites themselves.

I have used Afterbite in the past and it's pretty good stuff. I should probably buy a tube to have on hand the next time I'm bitten by something.

[njc2007.livejournal.com]

Are you applying the ice pack directly to the skin? If so, that would account for the freezer burn. You should always use a thin damp towel between your skin and the ice pack.

Oh, and I left the peas on for about 90 minutes. It was a really good book. ;)

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Whoops. Yes, a towel would be a good idea, wouldn't it? *g* I remember using a towel with the ice pack when I sprained my ankle, so I don't know why I forgot when it came to the mosquito bite. Well, actually, I'm guessing it had something to do with it being 2:00 in the morning...

I can understand how you forgot about the frozen peas if you were engrossed in your book. It's easy to do that when you've got a really good read.

[tazzles.livejournal.com]

Wow. They must have been quite itchy to go to those lengths! Such a big ice pack! Ouch. I hope the freezer burn is gone.

I find antihistamines work well, if you don't mind taking drugs.

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

Wow. They must have been quite itchy to go to those lengths! Such a big ice pack! Ouch. I hope the freezer burn is gone.

They were big and quite itchy. I, uh, didn't mean to inflict freezer burn on myself. I just wasn't thinking too clearly. The ice pack is a "Deep Cold" ice pack, so it's pretty heavy duty. And, obviously, very, very cold. ;-)

I find antihistamines work well, if you don't mind taking drugs.

Unfortunately, I don't mind taking drugs at all. I take a Claritin every morning, not to mention decongestants. *g*

[tazzles.livejournal.com]

And the clarityne didn't help?!?!?! Damn, that does suck!
I admit, I prefer Telfast 180mg when I get some sort of allergic reaction (I'm allergic to various deodrants - yay me!) or bites, the larger dosage helps.

[rusty-armour.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if they have Telfast in Canada. I should check that out. It really sucks that you're allergic to certain deoderants. While I used to be allergic to perfume (and still avoid it), I haven't run into any problems with deoderants.