Bug bites!

Discussion in 'Health' started by mountaingirl sara, Jun 25, 2019.


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  1. mountaingirl sara

    mountaingirl sara iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    So Cal
    Name:
    Sara
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley
    So on my bike ride today I noticed something biting me, like a bee sting kind of pain, I looked down and on my ankle was what looked like a large tick:eek:! I swiped it off but the pain stayed and some redness and swelling as well. Now I know that little guy couldn’t have been on me for long, maybe 10-15 min at the most because I’d just started the ride and would have noticed something like that on my ankle.
    Now it’s about 7 hrs after the bite and the affected site is still in a lot of pain, it’s a little splotchy red and hot. I wouldn’t be complaining about something like this normally but the pain is pretty high, and IMO I have a highish pain tolerance.
    Looking for someone with a similar bug bite experience who knows what kind of insect this might be and hopefully a treatment :)
    Thanks in advance!
    Off to work:thumbsup:
     
    herzalot, ~JB~, Faust29 and 9 others like this.
  2. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    Without a pic of the hitchhiker it's hard to say. If it was a tick and was there long enough, you may have just detached the thorax with the swipe and still have the head in there.:eek:

    Otherwise I'd go with it being an alien probe. :p
     
  3. buggravy

    buggravy iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Calabasas
    Name:
    Matt
    Current Bike:
    Transition Sentinel
    Small scorpion maybe?
     
  4. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    Sorry to hear about this @mountaingirl sara . If it was a tick, they look like this and I have attached a typical bite image as well. Note the red ring around it.

    Ticks carry bad stuff. I'd go see a doctor, especially if it has or develops a red ring around the bite area in the next day or so.

    Share a picture of your bite.

    aDT2.jpg

    aDT3.jpg
     
  5. knucklebuster

    knucklebuster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    34.2295° N, 117.2257° W
    Name:
    Dave
    Current Bike:
    Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail
    A couple years ago I had a tick bite and it developed a 1-2 inch red circle on my skin. Went to doc, he gave me doxycycline anti-biotic that targets Lyme disease, just as a precaution. I'm still alive so there's that
     
  6. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    I say not a tick. Ticks have that analgesic spit so you can't feel when they start chewing – a lovely survival adaptation. I've had numerous ticks latched onto me for up to two days (one got really buried). Immediate pain I've never felt from a tick. It's more of an irritation, but not right away. They don't really bite per se; they feed, chewing on the host flesh until something stops them. Ticks are small, borderline too small to ID positively on your ankle unless you stopped to look closely at it.

    What was it? I'm going with nano-attack-robot. :geek:
     
  7. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    If it wasn't a tick, then the list of offenders is immense. :eek:
     
  8. Bill

    Bill Member

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    Bill
    Current Bike:
    it's black
  9. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    Woke up Sunday after GE to this. Not sure what to think. Never felt a thing and didn't notice till I bent over to put my socks on.Just a small scab now.
    IMG_9433.jpg
     
    herzalot, ~JB~, Faust29 and 11 others like this.
  10. Luis

    Luis iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Sylmar
    Name:
    Luis
    Current Bike:
    La Diabla
    I’m with @mike and @Bill on this one. Like Mike said you wouldn’t feel a tick burrowing into you. You can sometimes feel them crawling on your skin as they seek a good spot to feed.
    Sounds like a fire ant. I’ve had those bite my ankle through my sock and it hurt like a mofo. Had a irritating welt for a good couple of days.
    There’s also biting flies
    And fleas
    And scorpions
    :D
     
  11. Luis

    Luis iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Sylmar
    Name:
    Luis
    Current Bike:
    La Diabla
    Time for a new bike!
    Oops wrong thread :speechless:
     
  12. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    And lets not get started with the mythical creatures that are out there ready to bite an unsuspecting victim.

    bAab438.jpg
     
    Old&InTheWay, Faust29, Luis and 7 others like this.
  13. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    Tom, that's an ingrown hair!
     
  14. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    I was thinking syphilis, but that's a good guess as well!
     
  15. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    Thought that since I never felt it. So it’s not good for a new bike like @Luis suggests?
     
  16. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    LOL! Oh, it could be.... if you play your cards correctly.... :whistling:
     
  17. buggravy

    buggravy iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Calabasas
    Name:
    Matt
    Current Bike:
    Transition Sentinel
    My shins kind of looked like I got sprayed with buckshot after G.E., though I did do an admirable job of widening the trail in the upper section. I also may or may not have gotten intimate with a prickly bush on the downhill.
     
  18. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    I'm going with a chupacabra.
     
  19. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    @Voodoo Tom, did you get a thorn remnant stuck in there? @buggravy made me think that. And I've had similar myself.

    Biting flies...I despise those fukkers, they get me right through the shirt when it's wet against my skin. They really hurt! Make me like mosquitos.

    Desert or brown recluse spider, check. Scorpion, check. Yellow jacket, paper wasp, bee, many checks. Anybody get stung inside your mouth...on two occasions?? (Or do you ride with your mouth closed all the time? :oops:) Ever taste a bee? Maybe you could guess that they're sweet. :geek: My dentist was like What happened on the side of your tongue?
     
  20. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    There was scorpionweed up there. Short weeds with white flowers. I did my best not to make contact but it was very dense along the sides of the trails in places. That stuff is everywhere this year and I have seen three different types since it popped up.
     
  21. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    I had a biting fly getting me through my glove on one of our break stops during the ride. I guess they got diamond cutter jaws.
     
    ~JB~, Old&InTheWay, Faust29 and 2 others like this.
  22. rossage

    rossage iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    East Sacramento
    Name:
    Ross Lawson
    Current Bike:
    Highball
    Scorpions, crickets, silkworms and grubs.
    Eat bugs, before they eat you.
    Because they will...
     
    ~JB~, Old&InTheWay, Faust29 and 2 others like this.
  23. mountaingirl sara

    mountaingirl sara iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    So Cal
    Name:
    Sara
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley
    Wow, lots of good info and some interesting shenanigans in there too;) thanks y’all!:thumbsup:
    A tick would have to be attached for at least 24 hrs(or is it 48?) to get Lyme, so I’m not worried about that.
    I’ve had several attached over the years but only for a short period of time(few hrs at most) and I always extracted them from the head, not leaving anything behind:sick:
    This was the strangest thing with the immediate intense pain that went on for the rest of the day, it hurt even to stand ..so crazy! It’s feeling better now, I’ve been using lavender oil and some baking soda w AC vinager to pull any toxins out.
    @mike geez man, you’ve had some interesting bug experiences!:eek:
    @SnakeCharmer thos furking flies are brutal! And they seem to be attracted to the color black:gotnothing:
    Do I get a new bike too!?!!?!!:D
     
    herzalot, ~JB~, Old&InTheWay and 9 others like this.
  24. buggravy

    buggravy iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Calabasas
    Name:
    Matt
    Current Bike:
    Transition Sentinel
    Clearly we all need new bikes. We've suffered enough.
     
    herzalot, ~JB~, Old&InTheWay and 5 others like this.
  25. buggravy

    buggravy iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Calabasas
    Name:
    Matt
    Current Bike:
    Transition Sentinel
    I'm sure there's a bit of that too. I've got a sweet looking rash scab combo platter going on right now.
     
  26. mountaingirl sara

    mountaingirl sara iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    So Cal
    Name:
    Sara
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley
    Yay! Let’s all go bike shopping:geek:
     
  27. mountaingirl sara

    mountaingirl sara iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    So Cal
    Name:
    Sara
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley
    I’m trying to think of something you can put on that, baking soda or bentonite clay?
     
    Faust29 likes this.
  28. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    Lower Holy Jim in Orange County had the worst fly swarms I have ever seen, especially at the top of the trail. A head net was absolutely necessary. Since then, I have found a smaller version of "insane fly swarms" trail here in the Crescenta Valley that I avoid like the plague because of it. Each pass through places like those are worth two new bikes for each rider. :eek::D
     
  29. scottay

    scottay Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Gods Country
    Name:
    Scottay

    '
    Vid of the lower section is up, I had a few "brushes with brush" also. It was pretty narrow in spots!
    .
    .
     
    Faust29 and mountaingirl sara like this.
  30. SnakeCharmer

    SnakeCharmer iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Front Range, San Gabes
    Name:
    Mike, aka "Ssnake"
    Current Bike:
    YT Izzo
    Since we are on the topic, there are two bugs we really need to avoid here in the Southwest. The first is the Tarantula Hawk Wasp. In the image, the wasp is battling/holding a tarantula. It has the #2 most painful sting in the Animal Kingdom.

    The other is the Velvet Ant, which is actually a wingless wasp. It comes in two varieties. The most common is bright red or orange in color. The other one looks like a mini-tumble weed. These have the third most painful sting in the Animal Kingdom.

    aTHW1.jpg

    aTHW2.jpg

    aTHW3.jpg
     
    herzalot, DangerDirtyD, ~JB~ and 2 others like this.


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?