Abraham the pharmacist is coming to you from London today
okay so check this out and I thought to myself actually
I've seen so many patients with insect bites and stings this summer so let's do a video on it
generally speaking insect bites or stings often cause a small red lump on
the skin which can be painful and itchy the good news is that many clear up
within a few hours or a few days and it can be safely treated at home
I do have a bit of a sore throat
now if you didn't see it happen which most people don't it can
be quite difficult to identify whether you've got bit or stung but not to
worry because the treatments are all very similar and we're gonna get to that
a bit later on in the video let's first start with wasps, hornets and bee stings
they cause a sharp pain at first a swollen mark may then form on your skin
which can cover a larger area depending on how much you react but it's not
usually anything you need to worry about a few people however can experience a
very serious allergic reaction called anaphylaxis which causes breathing
difficulties, dizziness, swelling of the face or mouth and if this happens you
need to call 999 immediately for an ambulance now I've left more information in
the description below about anaphylaxis which I'd highly recommend everyone to
read and learn more about, now unlike wasps and hornets, bees tend to leave
their sting in the wound which is it very nice of them but you've got to remove it
and here's how you do it simply brush or scrape the sting outwards using
something with a hard edge like a bank card or a fingernail avoid tweezers as
they can spread the venom now we will get back to cleaning the wound shortly
but next up is a tick bite now they're not very painful so you might not
realise straight away you've been bit but let's say you have realised straight
away that you been bit and it's stuck on your skin well then you need to
remove it and you need to remove it properly so I've left more information
in the description below on how to do this now the symptoms include a small
red lump, swelling, itching and blistering but the picture I've used is one that you
really need to remember if you look at it closely it looks like the bullseye on
a dartboard a bite from a tick can make you quite sick did you see what I did there
[Laughter] I can't do it, it's too bad that joke is terrible, ticks can carry a potentially serious
infection which we call Lyme disease so if you do get the bullseye that we
looked at earlier or a fever then see your GP straight away more information in the
description below about this and lastly we've got the horsefly bites which can
be very painful and it can make your skin red, raised, itchy and leave you
feeling dizzy, weak and wheezy these bites can take a while to heal and can
become infected now with all insect bites or stings
there's always a chance of developing a skin infection so if you start getting
puss from the area or increased pain or the area becomes hot and tender to
touch then speak to your healthcare professional as soon as you can to
reduce the chance of an infection wash the site with soap and water after
getting bit or stung by an insect treatments when it comes to treatments I
think the three parts so to begin with lets start with itching don't itch I
know it's easier said than done but if you itch it's gonna react more and also
you're at a higher risk of it getting infected so speak to your pharmacist
about getting an antihistamine tablet and a steroid cream for quick and easy
relief there is also an antihistamine cream but I prefer antihistamine tablets
for swelling apply a cold compress and an ice pack and
raise the area the antihistamine tablet that we spoke about earlier will also help for
this and if you're in pain or discomfort then speak to your pharmacist about
using paracetamol or ibuprofen with all medication always speak to your
pharmacist and read the information leaflet that comes with it before you take
it and if you're still unsure about an insect bite or a sting or you want a
bit of extra information then speak to your amazing pharmacist and that's it
you're now an insect bite and sting pro and if you have any of your own tips
then leave a comment below because I'd love to read it too hey guys thanks for
watching this week's video make sure to click that like follow or subscribe
button now to stay up to date with new weekly videos it is really bad ok listen
to this a bite from a [Laughter]
got good back definition, "pull ups" pull ups
you might not be able to tell, that I'm not feeling well, but I'm feeling really unwell
[Laughter] I can't, I can't do this seriously it's such a bad joke
I'm definitely improving keeping hydrated but my ears are completely blocked right now I can't hear anything