UKH

I got bitten on Friday by what I’m assuming was a horse or deer fly. I’m in the Frankenjura and have seen a lot landing on me in that area.

72 hours on, my foot/ankle is still really swollen. No pain (I did wonder if I’d rolled it without noticing) or anything, just it’s pretty big.

I have a bite mark about 3 inches above my ankle which has a purple bruise around it about the size of a £1 coin. Also a few mosquito bits on my foot.

Assuming it is a horse or deer fly bite, when would I expect the swelling to die down? Or should I be looking to go to a pharmacy or doctor after a certain amount of time?

I’ve had plenty of bites in the past but none like this with the amount and duration of swelling.

Horse flies are blood feeders, but do not have needle like siphons, but just big cutting mouth parts. It is not uncommon for the bites to be swollen and painful. Deer flies are similar, but smaller. What you describe sounds about right. I would try a tight sock and put your foot in the air.

Had similar years ago, but from memory the severe swelling didn’t last more than a couple of days.

Taking an antihistamine might not be a bad shout if you have any to hand, but suspect the pharmacy is probably a sensible next step if it doesn’t improve in the next day or two.

Best of luck.  

Also, something cold - bag of frozen peas, or ice or similar - to help take the swelling down.  The Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation (RICE) treatment that you'd use for a sprain will help.  Consider Ibuprofen and antihistamines if appropriate.

Nasty things, horsefly bites.  Mine are generally itchy but comparatively small lumps, but my wife reacts quite badly to them and it can take her a week of inventive cursing before she recovers.

T.

I get one of these most years in the spring. About a week of hideous swelling itching burning usually around tennis ball diameter. I guess most of the reaction is a quirk of my immune system, but also, I do wonder what kind of disgusting, diseased flesh it was feasting on before it landed on me.

Never had any long term effects.

I react badly to the nasty little beasties (including one trip to minor injuries in Cortina thanks to a bite that went nasty) and it can take up to a week for the swelling to go down when I get bitten. 

If the swelling keeps getting bigger or you have any red lines radiating out from the swollen area get it looked at pronto as it might be infected.

In terms of what you can do, antihistamines, raise the area, put something cold on it and be patient.

For avoidance, Smidge deters the Scottish ones.

That's changed in current 1st aid guidance - the C has become 'Comfort'. This was due to people bandaging casualties up too tightly.

Didn't know that.  I think reasonable compression will help but there's always going to be someone that thinks that means it should be tight enough to restrict blood flow rather than help delay reinflation.  C for Comfort is probably a decent compromise.

T.

Interestingly, even the use of ice is being questioned now, due to the fact inflammation caused by an injury is a crucial, and natural, first stage of successful repair. 

https://thesportjournal.org/article/the-r-i-c-e-protocol-is-a-myth-a-review...

Appreciate this may not relate to insect bites, but interesting to see how all aspects of the long held RICE method are increasingly coming into question. 

It's still advised, but must be in a bag rather than directly on the skin due to cold burns.  So you can keep a bag of peas in the freezer.

Thanks for all of the replies - it’s been really useful. 4.5 days on the swelling is pretty reduced and looking a lot more normal. My climbing shoe doesn’t have a roll of swollen skin hanging over it now 😂

I definitely feel more informed about the bites now! I’ve had loads over the years but on my arms mainly. They have had really localised swelling which went down quickly. This covered a big area and really lasted in comparison!