Hello all. I’m going to Sorrento in July and am worried about midge bites. Have got some antibioticts to take with me just in case. I am having MLD have had 3 so far but as yet no results although have been told skin is getting softer. Am attending a wedding and arm, elbow to shoulder quite swollen. Hope for some improvement before then but am so fed up as thought I was just starting to get on with life after all this started in Jan 2010. Mastectomy and reconstruction, chemo and radiotherapy. Any advise would be welcome. Have been wearing a sleeve, Mediven shoulder to fingers. Nurse said these are the best type. Hate it but am wearing it most of the day with fingers crossed that it will help. Sorry its a bit jumbled. X
sorry no advise to offer but you could try ringing the help line. Hope all works out well.
Hi this is one of my biggest worries, as midges love me! I can imagine what a mess the arm will be if get bitten. I got a small paper cut on my thumb on Tuesday and it looks worse today than it did when I first did it. So I already have the proof that healing will be a very long slow process. I have also been told to take basic antibiotics with me when I travel but this does not help with the worries. Please let me know what you find out. Thank you. Adi
yeh having the right bits and bobs with you will really help I think - a bit like Norberte’s bag of lymphodema kit stuff - so I now never really go anywhere without mosiguard to prevent bites, anthisan in case I get bitten, tea tree ointment in case of other cuts etc, and if I was travelling antibiotics…hey ho, reminds me of those nappy bag days!
hi mattsmam . i was told a few years ago avon skin so soft dry oil is a fantastic bite deterrant so i tried it its brilliant quite strong smelling the midges and mozzies never came near me
Thank you so much, Ding Dong Avon lady here I come X
hello Mattsman
I can confirm use of skin so soft as a repelent, and Boots do individual repelent wipes which are handy for handbag. I’ve posted this before, some may have seen it. I cut a couple of long sleeved t shirts. Basically I ended up with a single sleeve attatched to the neck, with a section covering right breast and shoulder. I hemmed the cut edge. It looks a bit odd walking around in half a t shirt but I felt protected both from the sun after RADS and from midge when we went to Scotland and Norway the first holiday after surgery etc.A full long sleeve top is too warm and this can be rolled up small and put in handbag for just incase. We have a campervan so we don’t do much dressing for dinner. Not that I worry what other people think.
I have been in to get bites checked at pharmacies etc while on holiday. If you explain about BC and lymphadema they are always very sympathetic and don’t think you are being over fussy. Not sure how you do that in Italian tho.
My son is caviar to midge and he takes brewers yeast before holidays and this seems to help reduce the number of bites.
Happy Hols.
Chinook
I have heard that what you eat affects how you taste to the mozzies, no surprise there, so a change of diet may help; if I remember right it was garlic and/or hot-chilli-peppers that sends them away. Trouble is it would send everyone else away too… I think beer and a good curry was also good, but maybe it just stops you caring??
Hi I couldn’t get Avon skin so soft variety that is recommended to ward off mozzies told it had been discont.Took a small jar of Marmite ( I know love it or hate it) had it on toast every morning and also took Piriton 2mgs daily. Had emergency a-bs too and despite usually seeing the mozzies queueing for a bite at me when the plane doors open only got 1 bite on my ankle last Nov Good Luck have a good hols. J xx
avon.uk.com/PRSuite/showcase_bathandbody.page
Skin so Soft is still available and works a treat.
Enjoy a midge free holiday.
edited
Take all the necessary precautions of course but try not to worry too much.
I live in the countryside near quite a bit of water and I get bitten on a regular basis. Nothing I can do about.
Make sure you have something like a some antiseptic wipes (Superdrug or Boots in the first aid bit), Savlon spray and also some plasters. Any little cuts or bites you can then treat quickly.
But have lots of fun and enjoy your holiday! Elinda x
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You folks who say that you get bitten a lot but it’s ok, just use an antiseptic wipe, obviously don’t react too much!
If you got a 2cm white blister surrounded by a 5cm red lump for every single bite, that itches *intensely*, (and that’'s just for English midges), I think you’d take it more seriously ;o)
I hate insects!
I find Avon Skin so Soft works really well for me abroad. In the last few years I have been to Australia, including tropical North Queensland, Bali, Thailand, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore and Hong Kong. I’m heading to Brazil next year and as always I will be packing the SSS. I also take anti histamine tablets and cream and loads of antiseptic wipes with me. I also try and buy sun screen with a built in insect repelent. So far I have had very few, if any, bites certainly none that caused me any discomfort.
Enjoy your holiday and maybe your tipple of choice should be Gin and Tonic apparently the quinine in the tonic is supposed to help in some way as well. Maybe that’s an urban myth but I always have a G&T incase it’s true 
On the contrary Ninja, my insect bites swell up hugely. Last year at one time I had 10 bites all at once some on my legs, some on my arms and even on my head - I was a mass of huge red, very itchy lumps. That was from must having my window open on a hot night.
I’m not saying don’t take it seriously, what I mean is that there is nothing I can do about so I try not to get too anxious about it with regards to my lymphodema. Otherwise I’d end up completely paranoid and in a complete state each time I got a bite on my arm which I did the first time. Elinda x
Thinking about this subject, I was even bitten badly during my chemo which I had in the summer months.
I used to joke with my husband that there was probably a mutant species evolving after all the toxic blood those critters consumed!
It’s so unfair, isn’t it? My husband never reacts, even to the dreaded Scottish midge! I heard that everyone gets bitten but most folk simply don’t react at all so don’t know about it.
A repellent with DEET in it WILL stop them biting you; I only got bitten last year on my hands after I washed my hands after going to the loo - like you do - and that’s where they got me. They don’t call them ‘wee feckers’ in Scotland for nothing.
I even got attacked by sea ants when scuba diving in the West Indies; I was covered in burning tiny red spots on my hands. The rest of me was covered. And don’t start me on Angel Ants - angels they certainly ain’t!
No it isn’t fair. My husband has only had one bite in the past 4 years!
Thing is I don’t want Deet on me every day all summer. Unless we move house I think it’s something I’ll have to put up with. I would use it though if I was going abroad. Elinda x