A Foot Full of Fire Ant Bites and a Mind Full of Worry

These past two years with almost complete skin clearance from psoriasis is something I do not take for granted. Though I still struggle with mosquito and no-see-um bites as they bring on itching and scratching. Even worse, some bites have brought about plaques and serious infection.

The threat of insect bites

Thirty-some-odd years ago, we didn’t know I had psoriasis or Crohn’s or really anything. My doctors knew my immune system wasn’t like my peers. I picked up infections easily. Ant bites were the bane of my young existence. All it took was one bite to lead to a full-blown infection. These infected bites would bubble up, and the skin around it would become red and hot. I would get raised, red circular areas that looked like maybe they came from bites but were not.

Summertime in Florida was plain dangerous for me. Me walking into a fire ant hill was a pretty common occurrence. This was especially true during trips to the park with summer camp. If there was an anthill around, my foot assuredly would find it. Thankfully, I outgrew that phase. Technically, I stopped going to that summer camp. Therefore, my risk of walking into anthills dropped drastically.

Trigger warning: Beware of the bite

Cut to me three weeks ago. I was out walking the dog and minding my own business. When I went to bend down to pick up my dog’s business, I felt something weird. I looked down and saw my barefoot was covered in tiny moving sprinkles. Something didn’t register until I felt that first sting. And then I felt another sting, and then another.

My dog’s leash went flying out of one hand. The doggy bag flew out of the other. I wonder if anyone saw this on their security video replay that evening. Accidental-ant-hill stomping memories came flooding back as I shrieked and slapped fire ants off of my foot.

I’m pretty careful with my skin. I try not to cause trauma to it because trauma to my skin has led to psoriasis outbreaks. As soon as I killed the last fire ant, I reclaimed the dog’s leash and what was left of my dignity, then hobbled home to assess the damage.

Shockingly enough, there were only four bites that I could find. Considering my entire foot was covered, that wasn’t bad. First, I washed the area. Then, I disinfected with alcohol and coated proceeded to coat with steroid cream. Lastly, I took Benadryl.

Trigger worry

While I didn’t have a recurrence of infection like in the past, there was something beneath the surface. Perhaps you are familiar? It was a deep burning itch that cannot be satisfied. I knew I couldn’t scratch because it could bring a disruption. But I wanted to so badly. The ice packs from the medical cooler that says, “Do not apply to skin” were the only thing that helped. I covered the ice pack in a towel to avoid sticking to the skin. Using an ice pack was the only way I could fall asleep.

I knew it was only a matter of time before thickened, raised skin appeared. My mind was racing. I had just received the great news of having my Crohn’s in remission. Having my skin in decent shape has felt like a double win, and now this happens. I couldn’t help but worry about the “what ifs.” What if I needed to go on antibiotics? What if this sets off an eruption of plaques everywhere?

This is when I knew, the thickened red patches forming away from the bites were more than just an allergic reaction. I took to the interwebz to see if I could do anything holistic. Ironically, the internet told me that synthesized ant bite venom was under investigation to help psoriasis. It’s a good read if you look it up.

Keeping psoriasis triggers in check

A couple of small plaques erupted on the foot with the bites and one rogue plaque on the opposite leg. I kept the skin and bites as moist as possible using ointment. This was to help prevent cracking, bleeding, and infection. At night, I used my prescription steroid cream ice packs to help get some sleep.

Thankfully my biologic treatment came around the time the plaques formed. Within a few days of my shot, the plaques began to subside. Healing wise, it took over two weeks for the ant bites. My worries began to fade as the burning and itching faded away.

Do you have tips on how to protect your skin from a psoriasis outbreak after a bite or sting? How do you manage psoriasis trigger worry? Please share! I’ll be taking notes for the next time I accidentally stumble into a fire ant hill.