Thread: Insect that causes blistering rash?

Originally Posted by LATAH

What makes you think it was spider bites? Any idea what type of spider?

Hope it gets better soon. Mine is all gone now...it only lasted a few days. I can still see a small mark...kind of looks like I've peeled from sunburn.

I think its spider bites because the bumps are huge, much bigger than mosquito bites, and its been over a few days and they haven't gone away. Very itchy and skin is all irritated, it could be spider bites or a really bad rash, its all in same place on the back of my leg, painful. I REALLY hope it goes away soon! Very soon! I'm happy to hear yours are gone (it gives me hope!)

Originally Posted by pollyanna

Natasha, is there any chance that you've brought bed bugs home from travelling or that a guest brought them into your house? Here is a link to Wiki about bed bugs that shows a picture of the rash. They are spreading at a rapid rate around the world and last week I noticed a bed bug detection kit at Ace Hardware.

I don't think its bed bugs cause usually they bite in lines and cover large areas of the body and the bites are rather small, plus it would just continue until linens & mattress were cleaned and changed, in this case it was just 2 nights of getting terrible big bites. Unfortunately its right on the back of my leg so with the humidity and sitting, its taking forever to heal and super itchy!!! Putting hot compresses helps, plus I found some Caladine lotion, so hopefully that will speed the healing up.

Years ago I worked at a hostel in Australia and part of my job was checking the mattresses daily for bed bugs-- if anyone thinks they have bed bugs best to inspect the seam around the top & bottom edges of the mattress, they are usually hiding in the crevice/fold of the seam, they are small black tear chaped bugs-- not fun if you get them. My brother once brought them back to Canada from South America and it took over a month to get rid of them!

Here is a few tips I hope may help anybody in the future,

If you recieve a bite and you feel something may be in it put on Magnaplasm. It is available in Indonesia but hard to find so try get an aussie to bring it over. Its a paste you place on the site and it draws everything out of the inflamed skin. (Great for ingrown hairs also)

Antihistamines to reduce your itching, itching causes irritation, irritation can lead to cellulitus.

The third is a steroid based creame - cortisone, personally I wouldnever use it for long periods of time (more than 3 weeks) because of the side effects but it helps clear most skin conditions up and reduce itching.

Of course, seek doctors advice before doing this but I have never had this fail me or anyone I know.

Originally Posted by JohnnyCool

If you wake up with a big hairy Hunstman sitting on your nose, it might regard your trying to brush it off as an attack. It might even bite.

Johnny,

If I woke up with a big hairy Huntsman sitting on my nose, I might regard it as an affront to my sanity and it would be damn right to consider my reaction as an attack! I wouldn't be giving it the simple brush off either!

Originally Posted by soontobeexpat

Here is a few tips I hope may help anybody in the future,

If you recieve a bite and you feel something may be in it put on Magnaplasm. It is available in Indonesia but hard to find so try get an aussie to bring it over. Its a paste you place on the site and it draws everything out of the inflamed skin. (Great for ingrown hairs also)

Antihistamines to reduce your itching, itching causes irritation, irritation can lead to cellulitus.

The third is a steroid based creame - cortisone, personally I wouldnever use it for long periods of time (more than 3 weeks) because of the side effects but it helps clear most skin conditions up and reduce itching.

Of course, seek doctors advice before doing this but I have never had this fail me or anyone I know.

Great advice Soontobe.

Natasha...how are your bites/rash doing? Your description of your bites also reminded me of sandflies, probably not though. Bloody nasty little shits..they are! Anyone ever experienced sandflies at any beaches in Bali?

Originally Posted by pollyanna

This morning I was wondering about more uses for bokashi oil and found this site. Reading about the mites that cause bamboo rash made me think of this discussion. I'd heard from other expats about this problem with rattan chairs but had forgotten about it.

Last year I was at an internet place in Kuta and within a few minutes the back of my legs were painful itchy and soon to be covered in bites from mites in the chairs, it was extremely painful! Good to know about the bokashi oil because at the time nothing helped!

Originally Posted by LATAH

Great advice Soontobe.

Natasha...how are your bites/rash doing? Your description of your bites also reminded me of sandflies, probably not though. Bloody nasty little shits..they are! Anyone ever experienced sandflies at any beaches in Bali?

Thanks Latah for thinking of me-- its taking forever to heal, already a week and still not healed. No longer itchy, but the inflammation and bites has yet to go. Hopefully soon!

I know this is an oldish thread, but it seems an appropriate place to post this.
My brother in law has just developed this strange rash and it appears to be lengthening [bit like a growing snake] anyone seen anything like this before? Doctors and chemists here are being little or no help. He has it in other places [arms and legs] and the local village people are saying it's 'black magic' and if it encircles an arm or leg he will die. I am trying to reassure him this is not the case but he is understandingly very worried. Could this be the previously mentioned 'Bamboo rash' ?