5 1/2 Weeks

I apologize if any of you were eating when you opened this. (Eww! Gross old lady legs!)

I use Bitey Dog as sort of a personal journal. This post is for myself so later I can look back and remember what this stupid tick bite was like.

What does it feel like? It is like having a deep tissue bruise on top of a giant mosquito bite. When I’m reclining it feels better. Standing makes it ache. It nearly always itches. Heat makes everything much worse. (Hard to avoid heat in the summer! 😆)

Why don’t I take antihistamines? There are very few antihistamines I can take. When I’ve tried them in the past, they made me sleepy and gave me dry mouth, but they didn’t really affect the allergic reaction.

What about steroids? Topical ones make things worse (increased itching). I don’t know about oral steroids. There are none that I can take because they all contain corn.

Would you get that thing out of my face already?!? I told you how we dogs feel about ticks.

Years ago I was bitten by several spiders. If I remember correctly, it took around eight weeks for the symptoms to fade. It looks like I have close to three weeks more of this to go. ☹️.

I wish I could use my experience to pressure pharma companies to diversify the bases for products. I know I’m not the only person in a situation where we would likely benefit from medication but can’t take it.

34 Comments

  2. ssnowdrops's avatar

    DARLING GIRL I FEEL DESPERATELY FOR YOU

    TRY COLD GELL PACKS. I TOO DONT DO WELL THE MEDS ! ALSO A COOL PACK CAN HELP A LITTLE

    PLEASE TAKE CARE

    LOVE AND HUGS

    ME AND THE TRIBE

    (AM IN THE MIDDLE OF 3 WEEKS TWICE A WEEK OF IRON INFUSIONS !

    • Bitey Dog's avatar

      Thank you for the sympathy!

      What you can’t see is how miserable my whole body from the reaction. I’m sure you know the feeling. I’ve been like a zombie lately.

      What is it like getting the infusions? Do you get them every day? Are you feeling better? I’m trying to increase iron to help with the Willis-Ekbom. We’ll see how that goes.

      Hugs to your furry Tribe! 💕

          • ssnowdrops's avatar

            SADLY THE IRON JUST ADDRESSES THE ANEMIA. THE FEEL WELL DOSENT MAKE IT TO ALL ELSE. I AM IN CRIPPLING PAIN MOST OF THE TIME NOW. JUST HAD A REALLY BAD 2 WEEKS. NO PAIN MEDS ARE ALLOWED TO BE GIVEN AND NOTHING MUCH WORKS ANYWAY . I KNOW YOU UNDERSTAND “END OF TETHER” NEITHER OF US IS SERVES WELL BY ANY OF THIS HUGSSSSSSSSSSSS

            • Bitey Dog's avatar

              Oh gosh, I don’t know how I made it through this past week. I’m sure I’m only going through a fraction of what you are, but it’s still more than I can handle.

              I talked to a friend recently. When I told her about how rough things are for me, I was pleased that she didn’t give me some stupid, sugar-coated, happy-days-are-just-around-the-corner speech. Instead what she said touched me. She said that sometimes all you can do is find a place of peace to wait for the end to come.

  4. doesitevenmatter3's avatar

    Oh, that looks and sounds so painful! 😦 I’m so sorry to hear you are still dealing with this. 😦 I hope and wish and pray you get healing and some relief soon. ❤️
    I, too, wish, along with you, that something could be done to help people in situations like this. You’d think someone could’ve come up with something by 2025!
    Many gentle (((HUGS))) and much love! ❤️❤️❤️

  5. martywal's avatar

    Aw, I can’t really relate, but I can feel so sorry for what you’re going through. It sounds (and looks!) awful. After prayer, the only thing I can offer is to suggest a cold compress. Neuropathy plays itchy games with me, and a cold smack on the ankle (or wherever) often gives me a temporary victory.

  6. Unknown's avatar

    My gosh! The veins are concerning, especially with that huge circle of inflammation and/or infection. What did your doctor say? While a spider or tick bite may not (always) transmit a specific disease the infection from a bite can be wicked bad and require antibiotics. The traveling lines (unless this is on both legs) looks like something that reminds me of sepsis onset.

    It’s awful that you have to get up and go to work in this condition. I do think it might not be a bad idea if you might try applying for Social Security Disability. You might be pleasantly surprised what a good legal counsel could do on your behalf.

    If you’re trying to increase your iron I’ve had good luck with organic beef liver. Soak it in milk overnight, line a cookie sheet with tin foil, and bake in the oven until brown or the odor makes you feel sick (such a horrible odor); this is a powerhouse food. I cut it into strips, throw in a freezer zippy bag and pull out a strip or two, microwave it and choke it down. I figure it’s better than medical intervention and certainly cheaper. You don’t want to overdue it, and fortunately with the awful flavor and texture of beef liver it’s impossible to do that!

    As a depressing aside, the Lonestar tick is now in the area. The guy who is renovating one of my bathrooms showed up at my house in the morning, took off his jacket and saw something on his arm. Started shouting and cursing “get it off! get it off!”, then he grabbed the needle nose plyers! Uggghh… got the tick tweezers and took it off for him. Clearly a lonestar tick, which for so much added fun can transmit Alpha-Gal Syndrome, which has the potential to make a human deathly allergic to red meat, beef, bison, collagen, etc. Shipped the little worthless arachnid off to East Stroudsburg University TickLab.org (free service for PA residents) and they test it for what they can (alpha gal isn’t possible to test due to it being in the saliva and not DNA of the tick). My one question, as far as evolution goes, is why would a parasite evolve to have the ability to make it’s human host allergic to red meat? I called and (as a point of curiosity) asked the lady at the University Tick Lab and she said presumably there is a reason, they just haven’t discovered it yet.

    I have to agree with your friend: find a place of peace to wait for the end to come. Although, as long as I have The Terrier , neither peace nor the end will be happening anytime soon. I wish the same chaotic, beautiful life for you and your boy, too. I truly hope you feel better soon.

    Anony-mouse and The Terrier

    • Bitey Dog's avatar

      Sorry! Those veins are just my ugly old lady veins. They always look like that.

      So far I am showing no signs of any infections – not bacterial, lyme or alpha-gal. (One of my dogs had that but with no symptoms.). On top of this lovely bite, I have been having a flare since New Year’s, plus I have several fresh ant bites (which I am also allergic to). My immune system doesn’t know if it’s coming or going at the moment.

      I applied for disability years ago when I was in very bad shape. I did have counsel. When I went to the government doctor, he told me that basically if I can lift my arms above my head, I will be denied. The judge laughed me out of the room when he heard what my complaints were. Based on that experience, I don’t put much faith in SSD.

      Hmm, I may have to try that beef liver trick. It does sound awful, but as you said, it will keep people from overdosing. 😂. (I may havea to fight Murphy off, though.)

      Many happy returns to both you ahd The Terrier! I’m glad that you’ve found each other and can bring sunshine to each others’ days! 🌞

    • LDSVenus's avatar

      My dad use to simmer liver in a somewhat thinned out tomato paste so the flavor wasn’t so strong. But I like liver anyway, it was for my siblings who didn’t :P. I fry chicken livers once in a while when I can find them in the grocery store, and feel like cooking, because I miss liver :P. It does make you wonder why a tick would carry something that would make you allergic to meat, hmmm, after the virus that must not be named, I have my own theories.

  9. LDSVenus's avatar

    I know people are probably tired of hearing me say, for itchy things (hives, rashes, bug bites (especially mosquitoes), and ouchies when they are healing and itchy, tho I also use it for minor cuts and scrapes for pain. I use doTERRA lavender essential oil (diluted with fractionated coconut oil – I use a 15ml, brown for light blocking, roller ball bottle – putting 12 drops of the lavender in it then filling the rest of the bottle with the oil)- if you’re allergic to nuts don’t use the coconut oil. Olive oil would probably work fine) on the itchy parts. Usually after a min or so the itching for hives etc, is gone and I re-apply as needed. In a pinch a little alcohol applied with a cotton ball will also make itching subside, I discovered that when I had allergy shots and would get hives at the injection site, but it drys out the skin.

    Several years ago, I got a spider bite one night on my big toe as I slept. That morning, I could see the tiny marks and it was swollen. I went to the dr (even tho I told her it looked like a spider bite to me) who thought it might be gout because it was close to my big toes middle joint, (it was above that not on it.) The test came back negative (I’ve never had gout) and nothing else was done from the dr except to tell me if it got worse to come back. My foot was very painful at the bite area (lol, yes I used lavender for the pain at the bite site) and the top half of my foot was very swollen. It’s been fine since, but it didn’t help my fear of spiders at all!! That tiny little leggy thing will keep me feet away from it, lol.

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