Is this your symptom?
- Bite from an insect (bug)
- Bees, ticks and spiders are covered in other care guides.
Symptoms of Insect Bites
- Insect bites usually cause a small red bump.
- Often, it looks like localized hives (one large one or several small ones).
- Sometimes, a small water blister occurs in the center of the bump.
- Itchy Insect Bites. Bites of mosquitoes, chiggers (harvest mites), fleas, and bedbugs usually cause itchy, red bumps.
- Painful Insect Bites. Bites of horseflies, deer flies, and gnats usually cause a painful, red bump. Fire ants, harvester ants, blister beetles, and centipedes also cause a painful, red bump. Within a few hours, fire ant bites can change to blisters or pimples.
Cause of Insect Bite Reaction
- The skin bumps are the body's reaction to the insect's saliva.
- While the bug is sucking blood, some of its saliva gets mixed in.
Anaphylaxis With Insect Bites: Very Rare
- A severe life-threatening allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis.
- The main symptoms are trouble breathing and swallowing, starting within 2 hours of the sting. Onset is often within 20 minutes.
- Anaphylaxis can occur with bee, yellow jacket, wasp, or fire ant stings. Anaphylactic reactions are very rare after other insect bites. Reason: other insects don't have venom.
Problems Caused by Insect Bites
- Impetigo is a local bacterial infection. Gives sores, soft scabs and pus. Caused by scratching or picking at the bites. More common in itchy bites.
- Cellulitis. The bacterial infection spreads into the skin. Gives redness spreading out from the bite. The red area is painful to the touch.
- Lymphangitis is a bacterial infection that spreads up the lymph system. Gives a red line that goes up the arm or leg. More serious because the infection can get into the bloodstream (called sepsis). Needs urgent exam and treatment.
When to Call for Insect Bite
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
|
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
|
Self Care at Home
|
Call 911 Now
- Past life-threatening allergic reaction to same insect bite (not just hives) and bitten less than 2 hours ago
- Trouble breathing or wheezing
- You feel dizzy or like fainting
- Hoarse voice, cough, or tightness in the throat or chest
- Fast heartbeat or palpitations
- Trouble swallowing, drooling or slurred speech
- Hard to wake up or acts and talks confused
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Hives or swelling all over the body
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Severe pain
- Fever and bite looks infected (spreading redness)
- You feel weak or very sick
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- New redness around the bite starts more than 24 hours after the bite. Note: infection is rare. It does not start until at least 24-48 hours after the bite.
- More than 48 hours since the bite and redness gets larger
- Redness or red streak around the bite gets larger than 1 inch (2.5 cm)
- Bite or sting and last tetanus shot was more than 10 years ago
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Scab that looks infected (drains pus or gets bigger) and not better with antibiotic ointment
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Normal insect bite
- Questions about insect repellents (such as DEET)
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
