Bloomin' fire ants!!!

**Joolz** · 16-03-2004, 03:47

Can you believe it??? I am still feeling sick after 80 fire ant bites- and now I may have serum sickness.....my GP [uk] hadnt heard of them and so weve been looking on the internet for info -and at last have found some- I now have to be referred to consultant and he is ringing the Hospital for tropical disease- all sounds a bit melodramatic doesnt it!!!
But the real shocker is that he has suggested ...sorry warned me that he thought it best not to go to Florida again.....!!!!!!!![msnoo][msnoo][msnoo]
because the risk of having a worse reaction to new bites would be quite high....
I am hoping that the consultant can help to sort this out...
Has anyone else heard of this serum sickness- or had it??
Presumably residents of Florida get it so they must have some way of coping with it.
My top tip for people viewing newly built villas is to make sure that you look where you tread...and wear sox!!

SG · 16-03-2004, 11:52

Oh dear what an awful thing to happen! Really sorry to hear this. Surely you cannot be the only person to be affected, what about the builders on the site where the ants were? Were you aware that you were being bitten at the time?

**bellaepovera** · 16-03-2004, 12:22

I once received several bites from them also but did not have such a drastic reaction, but they did leave scars!

**Carla** · 16-03-2004, 14:23

Joolz, yours was a really unusual situation. Most tourists never get anywhere near a fire ant. You stood in ground that had been worked over and cleared ready for building, so they would have been all around you!!! The only time that I got bitten by them was when I stood on our building lot!!!!

If you just do the normal tourist things, like vacation at a villa and visit the Parks, on your next trip, then I am absolutely sure that you will be fine and won't even be aware that these ants exist.

**Claire M** · 16-03-2004, 15:07

Hi everyone

What should I be looking for, so as to avoid being bit![msncry]

Claire

**steph_goodrum** · 16-03-2004, 15:12

Allergic reactions can be funny things to predict and aren't always as straightforward as it seems. My nieces husband (24) has been hospitalised 3 times in UK after being bitten by mosquitos and suffering anaphylactic shock, but he has been bitten many other times with no reaction and they couldn't figure out why until the last time they tried to see if there was a common denominator, and figured out a possible trigger. He works as a manager in a sports centre and is very active taking football coaching etc so is prone to getting minor bruises and sprains for which he takes Nurofen, and they realised that on each of the occasions he suffered a reaction he had taken Nurofen for pain relief. So obviously one of the ingredients in that appears to cause a particular sensitivity to the mossie bites, he has to take an epipen with him now with adrenalin but since he changed painkillers he hasn't (touch wood) as had any more occurences.

The main thing as with any bite though is to try not to scratch it as the secondary infections are often worse than the bite itself.

**fiona** · 16-03-2004, 15:13

If you wear trainers and socks when visiting places that take you off the pavements (sidewalks) you should be ok, never had any problems myself with these, only mossies when on the Gulf Coast, and then I and the gals were bitten for England. Luckily had some anti histamines from the doc anyway so that took some of the sting out, but got some cream at the local chemist which was excellent and took some of the swellings down.

**Claire M** · 16-03-2004, 15:20

Hi

So basically what you are saying is only walk on the paths! Do they look like our ant hills? The problem is I have a 2 year old boy who will not listen to what I tell him[}

] (he knows best).

Thanks for the advice

Claire

**Joolz** · 16-03-2004, 15:43

Claire
If he wears socks he should be ok..
It is a severe and unusal reaction Ive had.. so Im sure there is no reason t be alarmed
we went out twice before and never saw an ant... well not that I noticed anyway..

I should think the disney sites have regular and closely monitered pest control - so I dont think it d be a prob on disney property.

from what ive read...if the stings/ bites are treated within 1st 15 mins then this is supposed to work really well (allergies aside) so Id take some anti bite cream/spray and make a note of the nearest walgreaves...
The ant hill was just like ours not really a hill just a sandy bit of ground with lots of ants in !!!