Some advice from the hive mind please:

Got an insect bite on my shin last Friday afternoon, somehow through my jeans when I was stood outside (didn't feel it happen, just noticed the itching later).

The bite mark developed into quite a large red area, a good 3 inches long / 2 inches wide, or so. The mark's still there today, albeit a more faded red. I'm slightly worried at the a) the size of the bite area and b) that it's still lingering around 4 days later. Add to that that today I woke up with a irritating mild pain in my left eye lid, and a slightly higher temperature that I could totally be imagining, and I'm concerned that I should see a GP.

I'm going to get myself to the docs tomorrow, hopefully, but wondered if anyone could offer any possibly likelihood that this is / isn't something to be worried about? I know they say if bright lights start to hurt your eyes then it could be something serious, and whilst I don't *think* lights are hurting my eyes, the fact that I've got a sore eye and a slightly raised temp has me a little worried.

?

I don't know if I'm imagining aches in limbs too, or if they're really there.

Same goes for a slightly vacant feeling.

I’d guess a bad reaction to an insect bite plus an unrelated cold.

The eye thing is always a worry, I had a stye a few years ago that ballooned badly, whole eye swollen shut for a week or so, very gunky etc. When that happened it was the exact same slight irritation feeling that I have now, although I also had this same irritation feeling a few months back and it just went away after a day or so without developing further. Am hoping that's the case as I've a party to go to this weekend and don't really want to go with a manky, swollen shut eye.

Have had numerous tests confirming that the balance on my left side is 25% worse than on my right. I noticed the problem most recently when I was on holiday and playing in the sea with Dexter. The rippling water reflecting the sun made me feel really uncomfortable and slightly queasy. So, vestibular rehabilitation starts today.

I recently noticed some blotches on my back, and dry skin under my ears. Doctor reckoned i possibly have 2 different types of psoriasis, so gave me prescription shower gel and ointment to rub in. While i was there though, i mentioned that I've noticed more and more pinhead sized blood blisters appearing on my body. She suggested blood tests, as it could've been something to do with my liver.

Blood tests came back all clear, no changes needed. Anyone got any other ideas what could be causing them? Google's not helped.

yourfavouriteuncle wrote:

With a wound site hanging around for so long and being the size you say then it’s quite likely a horse fly bite. They have to slice your skin to get to your delicious blood - hence wound is quite large and open to infection. We live quite close to a river and so insects in the summer are a real problem. I was bitten on my wrist a couple of years ago by a mosquito. Developed cellulitis pretty quick smart, fell into a fever and woke in a hospital bed 2 days later being told I’d been within around 6 hours of - at the least -losing my arm and perhaps worse. I didn’t want to bother my gp with an insect bite as I thought it was a little trivial.

kinell. I'll myself to the doc tomorrow.

@Tin cheers for the info, is good to know. I've been using hot presses on my eye and it's helped.

I had mine taken out. It was pretty easy, some stitches and then back to eating steak for every meal.

regmcfly wrote:

I had mine taken out. It was pretty easy, some stitches and then back to eating steak for every meal.

I had one lower one taken out. The dental hospital in Bristol is a teaching hospital, so I had a junior give it a go. She was a pretty tiny lady, who spent about 20 minutes giving it all she could to yank the thing out. Then the big burly doc came over and whipped it out with a swift tug.

So hopefully Kaz you'll get a nice strong person! Also, didn't hurt, only the initial injection was painful

You're almost certainly going to die.

Diluted Dante wrote:

You're almost certainly going to die.

Thanks for ruining my afternoon.

I hate my tooth pulled out at the dental school when I was a student.  After seeing one guy, who announced the tooth was growing at right angles to my jaw, and needed to be removed, I was ushered into another room, where I was greeted by a student that I had seen very drunk, dancing half naked at a party the night before.  Given that I'm particularly anxious about dentists, seeing it was her sent my anxiety levels through the roof.
As it was, I didn't even feel the local anaesthetic go in, and she pulled the tooth out insanely quickly.

Had the top two out years ago, they were coming in twisted as fuck, sticking out into my cheek like a wild boar or something. Made it easy for the dentist to whip them out, just a flick of the wrist.

My bottom right gum was swollen as fuck the other week, and it's now got a flap of gum over the tooth which is a bind to keep clean. Sometimes it bleeds when I go at it with my toothbrush, hoping the corsodyl will keep it from infection or anything, but I'll be having a word with my dentist next time I'm in.

Gremill wrote:

My IBS is playing havoc with my life at the moment. Every morning and afternoon is a joy of stomach convulsions like an alien is trying to escape from my body and despite the lansoprazole I’m on eliminating my constant heartburn, every time I eat something it’s the same old misery.

I’m pretty sure a lot of it is stress related - it’s gotten a lot worse over the last 4 or 5 months as things have deteriorated at work. The only thing that really seems to help is weed, the muscle relaxant properties of the herb pretty much eliminates the spasms and removes the nausea too - but unfortunately my work would frown on my being baked at work all day.

To the doctors, I suppose.

I have similar, every morning without fail I have stomach pains that go away after 2 or 3 really good shits. It’s almost like I can’t seem to start the day unless my guts are completely emptied.

It’s the same time every day and then I’m fine so I’m unsure if it’s really IBS or something more mental/stress related.
Or maybe just my body being in a weird routine/habit

That sounds horrible, Grem; my sympathies. Used to get horrible gut aches when I was younger, so I know what a shitter pains there can be.

On a separate issue, I'm starting to think I have an insect or something that's burrowed into my foot.