Yesterday I was walking & accidently stepped into a fire ant nest. I have about 15-25 bites on my right foot. Once I looked down & saw the ants crawling on my foot, I ditched my shoe & ran dragging my foot through the grass. There was a lot of burning. About 30 -60 min later I got home & washed my foot with cold water & soap. I didnt think it was a big deal & didnt look into it more, but I put Lanabiotic (bacitracin, neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B sulfate, pramoxine HCl, aloe, benzoic acid, mineral oil, petrolatum, silica, tocopheryl acetate) on the bites the same day i got them.
Its been 1 day & I can confirm i dont have a serious allergy to fire ant bites but the swelling hasnt gone down and I havent gotten the pustules yet... all articles i read said that pustules formed about 30-60 minutes after the bite? I put bleach and water on my foot (perhaps too late to work now) and more Lanabiotic. I'm putting baking soda + water on my foot after the bleach settles in. What else can i do?
2007-09-14 07:17:30 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ First Aid
Also I havent experienced any stinging from the sites of the bites except just when I got stung by the ants. My only problem is swelling/itching. I experience occasional burning but its not much and it actually feels quite good (seems to sooth the itching - idk if its the medicine or the venom)
2007-09-14 07:25:53 · update #1
I also was bit by fire ants, my sympathy goes out to you. The only thing that helped me was to put ice on it to take away the pain and swelling. You could also try white willow bark, it relieves pain and reduces inflamation.
2007-09-14 07:27:17 · answer #1 · answered by CR 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Benedryl, benedryl, benedryl. Anytime you don't have to drive, 50 mg of benedryl every 4 hours. It helps the swelling go down and helps the pain a lot.
You may think that you don't have an allergy, but even at this stage, your body could react to the ant bites. So keeping the antihistamine in your system will prevent any anaphylactic reaction from occurring.
We are all somewhat allergic to the bites--otherwise we wouldn't react with swelling, pain, itching, etc. I have never had a pustule form in less than 24 hours. The bleach works best when applied immediately.
TX Mom
not an expert
2007-09-21 11:56:55 · answer #2 · answered by TX Mom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yowee yes they are all over. The bite is the injection of the toxin, and the mandibles are pretty tiny, but the worse of it is the after affect and some Benadryl creame to help the itch. Wear boots outdoors. Commercial home use products are OK, I'd choose Amdro in what you offer, but lots of home stuff works too. All the poisons usually do is kill the guards. I think the companies that make the stuff want us to believe that it tastes like ant candy and is shared by the whole nest. That's BS. They sacrifice a few for the survival of the many, and just relocate. Dallas Living with them all my life
2016-03-18 05:57:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Being someone who is severly allergic, I feel your pain. My pustules normally dont show up for at least 12-24 hours. Usually, I use an old remedy my granny used to use. Snuff or Chewing tobacco. Moistened and applied to your foot. Leave it on until it dries. Somehow it seems to suck out the toxins and ease the itching. Then I use caladryl until the bites go away, usually 1week to 10 days.
I also burst the pustules and sqeeze them til they stop oozing. Sounds gross, don't know if it does any good or not, but make me feel better about it!
Good luck!
2007-09-14 07:28:26 · answer #4 · answered by Concerned P 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ok first off stop using the bleach, it is very toxic, and soaks right into your skin, nerves, and cells. Stop it now! The baking soda was a good idea, Epson salt to soak your foot in room temp. water is good, and then put some ice on it 3 or 4 times a day. Will be gone before you know it.
www.smartlivingsense.com
2007-09-21 12:50:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
At this point I would say just keep your foot elevated and apply Ice. This should help with the swelling. Other than that if it does not cause you any pain, then don't worry about it. Trust me your body will lwt you know if something is wrong with it. (usually through pain :-\)
2007-09-14 11:31:44 · answer #6 · answered by "McRib" NREMT-P 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i got bite by fire ants sunday n monday. i also had swelling. i would say you might want to put neosporin on it. bc i didnt and then when it still hurt and stuff i asked my bio med teacher who was a nurse for many years and thats what she said to do bc i might be infected. she alos told me to ice and ibprofin for pain and swelling
2007-09-14 10:03:50 · answer #7 · answered by gousa1991 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would buy Neosporin because when I had a deep deep paper cut my mom sais "why don't you put some Neosporin on it and it should heel 4 days faster" and I said "okay".
2007-09-21 12:40:10 · answer #8 · answered by savanna m 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Witch hazel, aloe vera gel,apple cider vinegar are some home remedies used for relieving itches.Check out http://ie0.org for more information.
2007-09-22 02:37:02 · answer #9 · answered by Sita P 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Also take bathes or just soak foot in very warm water with Epsom salt and take benedryl at night. I hope you feel better soon.
2007-09-19 23:55:49 · answer #10 · answered by Renee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋