Fire Ants

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We live in the South where fire ants are terrible. My daughter got bit by a couple of them yesterday. She has been bitten before and always seems to really swell up at the site of the sting. I have been using Benadryl and topical hydrocortisone cream for the itching. I have also used ice packs for swelling on and off. She has never experienced any breathing difficulties or chest pain, but was wondering if she is allergic to the bites or does this swelling happen in everyone??

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

Thank God, I've only been bitten twice, but I did swell up at the site. I remember not being able to sleep at night b/c it itched so bad!

Beware of infection- from the two bites I got, I managed to get cellulitis on my foot. I looked silly, drawing lines around my ankle to track to swelling/redness before I went to the doctor. Simple antibiotic cleared it up. -Andrea

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Specializes in ICU, ED, Transport, Home Care, Mgmnt.

Usually a little local reddness and swelling will occur. You are using the right stuff, she may be sensitive to the bites. Cellulitis is a common problem with these bites. I've had so many over the years that they hardly phase me anymore. I have found over the years that benadryl spray actually works the best to stop the itch.

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We live in the South where fire ants are terrible. My daughter got bit by a couple of them yesterday. She has been bitten before and always seems to really swell up at the site of the sting. I have been using Benadryl and topical hydrocortisone cream for the itching. I have also used ice packs for swelling on and off. She has never experienced any breathing difficulties or chest pain, but was wondering if she is allergic to the bites or does this swelling happen in everyone??

I had been bitten numerous times and experienced the usual symptoms of minor infection and itchness. The I was bitten and had a severe respiratory reaction to just a few bites. I now carry and epi pen. Watch her and at thre first sign of respiratory problems, call 911.

Grannynurse :o

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

This may sound crazy, but I just found out through an experiement of my father something that is cheap and works on these little buggers!

So my dad was faced with a kitchen counter full of sugar ants (I am in the NW, we don't have fire ants thank goodness!) and he grabed the wrong spray and sprayed them with a citrus air freshener. IT WORKED..they all died instantly!!!!

So I tried it on spiders and other ants outside...sure enough the other types of ants dropped dead instantly, the spiders...nope that took longer.

Try it, maybe it is a cheaper way of killing these little suckers. Let us know if it works on fire ants!

I also find the Terro Product for killing ants is the best...the one where you put a drop of the Terro gel on a cardboard cutout. Worked like a charm along with the citrus spray for the ones that didn't get to the terro!

But my brother said when he was in TX, that fire ant stings are horrid! He isn't allergic but boy do they swell up! He also said that where you see one, there are thousands near by and they all will sting! So be very careful (they also come out in tons when an ant has been killed, the dead ant sends out a scent that calls out for the others!).

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I'm in Florida and boy, do I agree about the fire ants! :uhoh21: One of our travel nurses on contract from Canada had such severe cellulitis of her feet that she had to go back home after hospitalization.

These seem benign, but can cause real problems for people--and pets.

Question: can ant bites cause chest pain or arrhythmias? One patient was having PVC's for hours following a fire ant attack. I'd say the patient had about 30 bites altogether, and only the ones on her feet really bothered her.

I wondered if the ant bites had anything to do with her problem.

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

Any poison put into the body can cause a variety of probelms! A PVC can certainly be put into the mix considering the body goes into alert/panic mode!

What we fear is that the heart goes faster leading to poison being circulated faster...so cautious watch and ER is best for anyone feeling SOB, heart beating fast, headache, dizzy, alertness down, feeling 'rummy', stomach ache, etc.

I live in the land of small poisonous spiders (like brown recluse and black widdows) and lots of bees/wasps...we take no chances and love folks with epi pens (even I have one and I am not allergic to bees).

And our little sugar ants do also sting and it can leave areas of deep pitting small wounds (I have one on my arm now that has been there a week...got to keep an eye on it! It is like when a ingrown hair is plucked out and causes a crater..but can spread if not treated, especially in diabetics).

But since I am not an MD, I can't say 100% for sure if the PVC is caused by a sting...it is just in my text books as one of the multiple signs that can occur (like N/V/D/C...lol, kinda like the long lists of side effects from meds..LOL!)...

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

OMG I remember these creatures from hell in Oklahoma. ONE bite sent me into burning hell. I used to use, like suggested above, Benedryl and Dermaplast Antibacterial spray to get control of the bites. I am NOT missing these horrid insects up here in Washington.

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

I got this from a Clemson University field agent....

Take an antiperspirant stick....not the clear ones, but the WHITE ones.

RUB it over the bite ASAP. Do not break the blister. It will stop the pain almost immediately and the bite blister will abate in just a day.

This doesn't discount the need for caution in watching for a reaction etc. This only stops the PAIN.B0007D8E8K.01._SCTHUMBZZZ_.jpg

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My step-father, who is an RN, carries meat tenderizer with him for insect bites. My daughter got into some fire ants. She had bites all over her ankles, at least 10 to 15. The meat tenderizer worked immediately. Has anyone else ever heard of this?

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I am from coastal NC and unfortunately there are fire ants there too! I have heard of putting meat tenderizer on bites. Meat tenderizer is also a favorite of local fishermen for jellyfish stings. I have only been bitten once, about 10-15 bites on one of my feet. Some friends that were with me rubbed colgate(the white kind) on my feet immediately and it really helped. The bites hardly swelled at all and were gone altogether in a few days.

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Is there a certain brand of meat tenderizer to buy? I've seen liquid kind and I've seen the powder/salt. We're going to Hunting Island on vacation next week and I'm making a First Aid kit and would like to have everything covered.

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