Bad bug bite - do I need a doctor?

[New_Natural_Mom]

Friday afternoon as we were setting up camp I got a mosquito bite on my inner arm near the elbow. It was pretty big right away. The actual bite site was about the size of a dime and the surrounding red was about the size of a silver dollar. It is now Monday morning and it isn't any better. I immediately wiped it with rubbing alcohol and put Hyland's homeopathic after bite on it (and have continued to do that since.) I even put Bacitricin on it in desperation. The actual bite site has shrunk to the size of a large pimple, but the surrounding red has not gotten any smaller. It itches and is tender. I am 99% sure it was a mosquito. I attract them like nobody's business and I can't feel when they bite, so I am a prime target. I got this within 5 minutes of stepping out of the truck and all I had done was walk with DS from our campsite to the park.

How long until this should show some improvement? I don't have any other symptoms. It's just making me nervous.

[A&A]

I've had wicked mosquito bite reactions that I never went to a doc for. But of course you have to do what makes you comfortable.

[neetling]

I swell up huge with mosquito bites too. I take benadryl orally to help with the itch and swelling. I find that once I start scratching one I will get a huge histamine reaction in my body and will scratch myself raw all over. (because I am not one of those people who can NOT scratch something that itches. I have scars from mosquito bites from when I lived in the south)

[CarrieMF]

I'd take some benedryl either orally or topically. When I react like that(and mine get HOT) it usually takes a good week or so before the red starts to go away & the swelling go down.

[kkd]

So - what happened with the bite? Did it get better with time or did you have to do something? I just came looking to post almost the same question...I got what I think is a mosquito bite on the side of my hand yesterday and the top of my hand is swollen, hot and red. I haven't had a reaction like this before to a mosquito bite...so I don't know if it's something else or if I need to do something about it?

[balancedmama]

That sounds like a typical mosquito bite for me. For some reason they also tend to be more reactive near my joints. As long as it doesn't seem infected I wouldn't be concerned, for myself.

To the PP with one that is swollen, hot, and red - that sounds more like a spider bite or an infection.