Allergic
Some years ago, I don't remember how many exactly but I remember it was a year in Budapest where my boyfriend had a business trip to Holland and was gone for a full week. The evening before, I was invited to meet some cool lady I met on the other platform and her husband because they were in Budapest and even close to my home. I was actually planning on spending the last night with my boyfriend because he was leaving next day but I was also happy to meet up with them so I took their invite and we went to this great steak restaurant. Their food was SO good!
Under attack
The only downside was that we sat outside, and that I was under extreme attack of a bunch of mosquitoes. I don't ever remember being this attacked in my life, they were so aggressive that it was madness. I couldn't keep them away and it was actually the first time that I felt like leaving before finishing my food because it drove me mad. Instant itching and it was very distracting.
Good company
Nevertheless, I was in good company and I managed to sit it out. They were a lovely bunch! The people I mean, not the mosquitoes, they were horrible and marked my first year of having extreme mosquito bites that I've never experienced before, and since that year, it never changed. I was marked for life, so it seems.
Not possible not to scratch
The reaction to these bites was so extreme that it wasn't possible not to scratch. We quickly went to the pharmacy opened on a Sunday before he was flying out to Holland so that I had something to hopefully avoid me being bit more often. They asked me: the kind that makes you drowsy or the one that doesn't? I said the one that doesn't. I wondered why anyone would pick the drowsy version anyway. After several months, I understood that the non drowsy ones aren't meant for people with such extreme reactions, lol. They do nothing.
Scars
I still have scars from that year, and it was shocking to see how my legs looked from so many bites, whatever I did, I went nuts and had a hard time to distract myself. No over the counter ointments would help at that point and I felt very limited until these slowly faded. Which btw, took forever because they'd bite me again on the same spots, causing another heavy reaction again.
Every summer
Fast forward to every summer since and I've not been spared once, I noticed things got worse over the year and in 2022 I remember moving back to Spain and the very first mosquito bite happened in the first days of our AirBnB and that thing stayed visible even 6 months later. I'm definitely beyond the point of using ointments after it happens because the allergic response happens so quickly that I can't even keep up using these.
Loaded up with pre and after care stuff
The year in Budapest with the extreme reaction on my legs was the first year I took antihistamine tablets in my life. I was motivated taking them because it seemed to make the allergic response at least a bit more bearable. I just didn't do well on the non-drowsiness ones and had to move to one of these instead. Which I hated because I don't like feeling like a zombie half of the day. I slowly started using more repellent and ointments afterwards and was happy when they left. I had some pretty bad scars from year 1 though.
Other stuff available per country
In Budapest I could choose between 2 things only, and that's it. I used the one that helped best and never saw a doctor because of the shitty pandemic waiting times and not so great doctor we had. I dealt with it as it happened. Then we moved back to Spain and some other stuff was available so I tried another over the counter one, which didn't work, so that was a waste of money. I bought some cream that should give relief afterwards, besides it feeling cool for a bit, that was it, itch comes back really fast. I was so fed up at some point, especially when I found out that my daughter now also started to get these huge bumps when they bit her, we definitely had one or more tiger mosquito nests in front of our windows in the other apartment thanks to the aircos water dripping in front of the window.
Mosquito nets
We tried covering the windows with mosquito nets but these are only handy if you can either leave them as they are, without constantly having to open or close the windows. This was not the case because we lived at a public stairs where they were constantly smoking (weed) in front of our living room and bedroom window which was making it impossible to leave the window open at night. Constantly taking the net on and off the strip, would cause them to fall down out of the blue and it was a shit show.
My friend
Who is just as allergic to them as I am recommended some quite expensive repellent which I ordered immediately and some ointment which my doctor prescribed me along with another tablet. This tablet I have used most of the summer last year, and even though I had a few "drowsy moments" I never experienced what I did today. The repellent also didn't work btw, I still got bitten every time but I will still use it as the bottle is still this full, maybe it's another breed this year, lol. These tiger mosquitoes seem to be a nasty version and even need a tiny bit of water to survive.
Fast forward to this year
Where I already fried the first mosquito (a loner, thankfully) in my bedroom a month ago! And had one locked inside the car last week, which very conveniently for the mosquito managed to bite me just before I shoved it out of the window. I instantly started to have an itch and white spot first, slowly getting more inflamed and unable not to scratch. I found some very short relief in a topical ointment and then hoped this was the odd one out for now.
Until we went out for a quick tapas that is, yesterday I was under freaking attack once again, even through my clothes, gosh I hate these freaking vampires and they always get to me first, ugh.
Time to start the anti histamine
Luckily for me, I still had a close to full box from last summer because I took out a new recipe and it was a big box of 50 tablets. I really don't remember ever getting this high from that stuff as I did this time though. It may have been the timing (I took it in the evening) but it surely wasn't caused by the back medication as yesterday I didn't take any. I woke up high as a kite and when I tried to walk, it quickly became clear that I surely wasn't supposed to drive a vehicle, lol. I started talking to my boyfriend asking him to please bring her, he noticed that was probably smart, and when he left, not after he had a few good laughs about the situation, of course, he told me just stay in this chair until I get back. Just for safety matters..
Funny, but not funny at the same time
I swear we had many laughs, although I didn't feel comfortable at all, let's say the high was not a nice one that I want to repeat. So I could try to break the tablets (they have a break line) and take them in the morning this weekend, so at least I won't have to drive, lol. But I also read about black cumin seed oil being a natural repellent. That's what I'm going to dive into these days because I'm hoping that will be my go-to this year instead of these tablets.
I wish I could show you videos or pictures but I can't, you have to take my word on it, I was flying high all day from a stupid tablet of antihistamine, all for a few vampires who decide they like to attack me.
Currently, I'm writing this post just after 7PM and I'm still not 100% back to normal but at least I can function again. It felt like that took forever though..
Natural repellent stories
If you are one of the lucky ones that has these bad responses like I do, and have good results from natural remedies, PLEASE, I beg you (well, almost) share them in the comment section as I really don't want to buy another thing that's way overpriced (the repellent and ointment I have now surely was) that's just not making it any better, in that case, I better just continue with these.
My whole day is wasted because of 1 tablet, it wasn't a Friday for me, but a FriYAAAAAAAAAY. ;)