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Anyone know anything about water bugs?

Lady Lucifer

Lady Lucifer

Rejected Disney Princess
My house has been infested with water bugs for the last few week. And yesterday morning the exterminator came in to put in bug traps in my bathroom. Then as I'm minding my own buisnuess, when a waterbug flies into my bed room! And it bit me too!

And whats weird about this bite is I can't see it. Neither could my cousin. But I can definitely feel a bump on my arm to where it bit me. Then this morning I wake up and my entire arm (muscle) feels sore, when I know I didn't sleep on it. Still no bump, but a lot of muscle pain. I even went to the acupuncturist today and she noticed my arm muscle is extremely tender and it hurt when she rubbed it. Like on a scale one to ten (one being the least painful, ten being the most) its like a five. Kinda sore, but nothing debilitating....yet.

I know I am allergic to bee stings. Like I'm not deathly allergic that I need to go to the hospital. But I was stung once and I remember my entire leg swelled up and my muscles were inflamed. And I had to take IB profin to stop the pain and swelling. But is it possible I'm allergic to water bug stings as well? Advice?
 
The bugs I refer to as water bugs don't fly. I don't know what bug you're talking about. I prefer to avoid bugs as much as possible.

Do you have access to a nurse practitioner or physician? If so, I would consider getting your arm checked.

If I had a bug infestation I think I would have to move.
 
Waterbugs live in water, so its not likely to be those. What most people mistake or call waterbugs are actually cockroaches. They do not normally bite people but can on occasion and can cause an allergic reaction. They do not normally fly, but mature adults can for short distances. Two suggestions.

A more agressive extermination plan, not just a few traps.

Go to doctor for possible allergic reaction and precautions/meds you might take to help.
 
Lady Lucifer said:
My house has been infested with water bugs for the last few week. And yesterday morning the exterminator came in to put in bug traps in my bathroom. Then as I'm minding my own buisnuess, when a waterbug flies into my bed room! And it bit me too!

And whats weird about this bite is I can't see it. Neither could my cousin. But I can definitely feel a bump on my arm to where it bit me. Then this morning I wake up and my entire arm (muscle) feels sore, when I know I didn't sleep on it. Still no bump, but a lot of muscle pain. I even went to the acupuncturist today and she noticed my arm muscle is extremely tender and it hurt when she rubbed it. Like on a scale one to ten (one being the least painful, ten being the most) its like a five. Kinda sore, but nothing debilitating....yet.

I know I am allergic to bee stings. Like I'm not deathly allergic that I need to go to the hospital. But I was stung once and I remember my entire leg swelled up and my muscles were inflamed. And I had to take IB profin to stop the pain and swelling. But is it possible I'm allergic to water bug stings as well? Advice?
Click to expand...
Water bugs in my area are actually outdoor cockroaches that eat leaf matter. Usually they come in if you have a water leak or tree limbs over the top of your house that need trimmed back. But they do not bite. Are you sure you did not get bit by an assassin bug? They carry chagas disease. Can you find a picture of one and post it? Water bugs are harmless but scary looking large oval brownish black bugs.
 
I love roses said:
Water bugs in my area are actually outdoor cockroaches that eat leaf matter. Usually they come in if you have a water leak or tree limbs over the top of your house that need trimmed back. But they do not bite. Are you sure you did not get bit by an assassin bug? They carry chagas disease. Can you find a picture of one and post it? Water bugs are harmless but scary looking large oval brownish black bugs.
Click to expand...
Chagas has to be treated right away. Maybe it was a blister bug Water bugs will fly and land on you and freak you out but they can’t hurt you at all. .they only make you hurt yourself from fright.
 
There are water bugs thatndo bitenin swamp areas. I’ve never seen one . They have large pinchers and inflict a painful bite.
Was it this one?
 
I've lived in Florida 30 years and never seen one. Says they call them Alligator fleas in Florida and I've
never heard that term. Amazing I know nothing of this bug because I'm always out in swampy areas and
preserves as I love to walk in nature.
 
If they're similar to the ones I've encountered in Africa (which the wiki article suggests they are) the bite hurts like hell and swells up but isn't at all dangerous. If you were allergic you would be having a full body reaction which would develop very quickly. Best thing to do is take an anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory painkiller, ice it, rest the limb, and ride it out. It will be better in a few days. Keep an eye on it for infection though, and keep the bite site clean.
 
Interesting, I always thought water bugs were the bugs that can walk/skim on water. Learn something new every day! Looks like from the article they have a painful bite, but you should be alright!
 
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-55_giant_water_bug.htm
“The bite is not considered medically dangerous, unless the victim happens to have an allergic reaction to it.”

The “water bugs” we have in the Chicago USA region do not look or act like these. So I tend to go with entomological web sites instead. “Water bugs” in my region are big black beetles, indoors, and do not harm anyone. The ones I describe in my basements throughout life are blacker, more rounded bodies, with no creepy pincers.

I am not allergic to bee stings, but experience emergency room allergic reactions to “chigger” bites. Mosquito bites swell up to 1.5 inch swellings too.
 
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So back from the trip from the ER. turns out I had a panic attack. There was no visable bite wound. As found the pain in my arm and leg, turns out I slept wrong. They gave me some IB profin and told me to take it easy. Glad I'm safe.
 
When I lived in New Orleans, I constantly dealt with cockroaches and palm beetles which can fly and will hiss if you hit them. The whole city is infested with them because it is on the Mississippi River and swampy terrain. When you walked on poorly lit sidewalks, it sounded like you were walking on potato chips due to the crunching sound. It was pointless to try exterminating them in my house because they'd move right back to my property from the neighbors' properties. We occasionally all joined together to hire an exterminator to simultaneously treat the entire block of houses. That would help for a while but eventually the roaches would return. I love to visit New Orleans but am so glad I no longer live there.

Keep an antihistamine on hand such as Benedryl and take a couple of pills every time you get bitten. I have to take Benedryl when I get mosquito bites because I have a really bad reaction to them. It turns out that mosquitoes are attracted to people with type O blood, like me, so mosquito spray and protective clothing are a must for me in mosquito-prone areas.
 
Lady Lucifer said:
So back from the trip from the ER. turns out I had a panic attack. There was no visable bite wound. As found the pain in my arm and leg, turns out I slept wrong. They gave me some IB profin and told me to take it easy. Glad I'm safe.
Click to expand...
:) Hugs. Glad u ok. Get specticide or ORtho Home defense. kills everything and cheap. just spray perimeters of rooms only. When they walk across it they die belly up instantly. Get at Walmart, Lowe’s, etc.
 
Thanks everyone. I really need the love right now. My mind is still reeling.

Its weird, because when I was in the ER, I didn't feel consciously anxious. Like my mind was really slow, not because of the feeling of the pain because honestly it wasn't that bad of a pain. Like normally, I think in voices (I know the aspies think in pictures, but I think in voices that talk like every day people) and these voices seemed to be slowed down. Like 100%.

My cousin, J (pseudonym) was spending the night anyway for the last two nights. I told him about the leg and arm swelling. He said he didn't see anything but he could feel my muscles were a bit weird. I just wanted to make sure I don't have that disease that Rose brought up or if it was a real allergic reaction and this was just the preliminary stage because I had stuff to do the next day. (today) And we're both hypochondriacs and thought it was a good idea to go to the ER.

And I never passed out because of anxiety before. I've thrown up once. I'm mostly the crying and shaking type. But I just felt so mellow yesterday (and this is before I even get to the hospital BTW)...like even though my arm and leg were sore and I eventually had trouble breathing. My mind was calmly saying "this is nothing. you'll be fine."

The doctor told me that he really couldn't find anything. I started putting the peices together this morning, which is where I declared my diagnosis as a panic attack. Because I've been having lots of PTSD episodes as of recent, that range from mild to moderate. But I was recently put on to a new medication on Monday (started taking it Tuesday) and the episodes seem more severe...even if I'm totally mellow.

Like I've been having hallucinations of waterbugs before the one came into my room on Wednesday, becuase of the infestation. And normally, I just squish bugs and call it a day. (except ants, bees and wasps. Don't mess with those) I don't get scared of bugs, except for bees, wasps, and ants. But this infestation I've been having...this was different.

And so I started doing psychoanalytic theory on myself. And I go back and fourth playing therapist and patient


"why were you afraid all of a sudden?"

"I dunno."

"When was the first time you saw a cock roach or a water bug, because these aren't that common in your life. You've only seen them once in your lifetime..."

"When I was in Texas 7 years ago...."

"Great, what was happening in Texas 7 years ago? Aside from the waterbug in the elevator?"

"I was a freshman in high school. I was going to public school and I was being bullied alot. We went to Texas for friend's bat mitzvah. Mom and dad were fighting. I was very sick and in lots of pain."

Bingo, problem solved. I felt sick and in pain because of the site of the waterbug. I deserve an PhD for that, LOL.

I emailed my psychiatrist about this since I don't want to make this a common thing. Sorry if I rambled a bit, but I just wanted to give the 411. I also had a really weird experience at the hospital, but I'll save that for another thread.
 
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