Daddy Daycare: Chiggers

Itchy!

Hubby has been insanely itchy for the last seven days. Last Thursday he and Mr. B did a lot of yard work and mowed the grass {weeds!}. That night he noticed several bug bites but thought nothing of it. He went to bed only to wake to insane itching. He had bumps from head to toe.

My first thought was hives based on his symptoms. But they really didn’t look like hives. The next guess was mosquito bites. However, he had bumps on body parts that were not exposed- his abdomen and groin. Hubby was really complaining, like his skin was crawling on fire. It’s not like him to complain, so I knew it was really bothersome.

Upon a little research {thanks google!}, we determined he had been bitten by chiggers. They must be very active right now as two of my coworkers recently had chigger bites too. The picture above is from several days after the initial bite. The skin is broken open now due to itching!

There is an old wives tail that chiggers burrow into the skin. The old fashioned remedies were to apply something to suffocate them such as nail polish. From the research we have done, chiggers do not burrow and thus the old fashioned remedies are ineffective.

There is very little treatment for chiggers. Hubby has used benadryl, calamine lotion and cortisone cream with only minor relief. The calamine seemed to be his preferred choice for relief. He was able to sleep for a few hours after he applied it. The first three days, he was pretty miserable.

Mr. B had a few bites on his behind. Thankfully he was not covered like hubby. The bumps are present for about two weeks.

Tips for preventing chigger bites:

Wash with soap and water after being outdoors.
Wash clothing you wore outdoors.
Apply bug repellent.

So, if you ever have an intense itch with raised bumps and you were recently outdoors, you may have chiggers!

Hubby is currently a stay at home dad to our two boys. Capt. M is 5 and in 1st grade and Mr. B is 4 and loves staying home with daddy all day. Join us as we chronicle our journey adjusting to daddy daycare.

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.