Sometimes it's hard to think of inspiration for a new blog post. Scouring the medical news items and awareness day updates for ideas helps, at times. Then last night the unexpected and unwanted arrival of a 12cm long centipede in our bedroom gave me the kickstart I needed to down multiple cups of tea and get writing.
Over here we are preparing for the rainy season. Boats are being pulled out of the sea, extra layers of weather-proof paint added to the hotels, and sadly CCTV being installed at our house due to increased risk of burglaries. So it's strange to see the optimistic threads from friends and family on social media with the recent sunshine and start of good weather.
How can I rain on their parade? My evil, jealous side thought...well, not really. But last night's venomous visitor made me think on the subject of insect bites and all the unpleasant summer experiences that can happen, and that often present to us GPs.
So let's start with insect bites. You are unlikely to be facing the intense pain of a centipede bite (which is meant to be horrendous and treated with pain relief, anti-histamines and steroids, or by rubbing on raw red onion according to local advice -I know which I'd prefer) but may well suffer from troublesome bites from gnats, midges and mosquitoes.
As a general rule any redness and swelling from these occurring in the first 48-72 hours is response to the histamine in the bite and best treated with antihistamine cream or tablets. If there is no improvement after this or if the redness is spreading then it's worth seeing a GP to consider if the bite has caused a skin infection.
We frequently get asked how to prevent bites and reactions, and to be honest, there's not much apart from cover up and use repellent (and I'm not entirely convinced repellent does much). I am a fan of taking a regular hayfever tablet daily if you're on holiday and prone to reacting to bites.
What does need to see a doctor is a tick bite. These tiny creatures can carry Lyme disease, so if you get bitten by one and develop the classic target rash or any flu-like symptoms in the next 30 days you need to see a doctor. (photo from pediatricdoc.com)
Another common complaint we see is sun burn and sun stroke. First of all these don't need to see a GP. Really. Sorry if I sound grumpy but these should be pretty easy to manage at home, save the appointments for those who really need them guys.
With both of these prevention is so much easier than treatment. Invest in good quality, high factor suncream. You'll not just be glad of it when you are pain free rather than a red, blistering, burning Brit, but it'll keep your skin youthful and dewy and prevent skin cancer. (and please don't try to convince us you need a prescription to save a few pounds, sunscreen on prescription is only for a tiny proportion of people, and your dermatologist will tell you if you are one of them. Haven't needed to see a dermatologist? Then you don't need prescription-strength sunscreen)
Cover up in the hottest times of day, wear a hat an drink plenty of water (not just beer) it really is simple.
If you do get caught out then there is no magical cure. Simple paracetamol or ibuprofen will counter the pain of sunburn and the fluey symptoms of sunstroke then just hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and give it time.
Summer is also the time of barbecues. To much wine and not enough heat on the sausages can make for some poorly guests. Most of the time gastroenteritis is an unpleasant but brief illness that clears itself in seven days. If you've had it for under a week then just drink plenty of fluids and only see your doctor if you are passing blood or have a lot of pain. Also avoid treatments like Imodium unless absolutely necessary as they can prolong your recovery.
Have you got a holiday booked? Flying somewhere exotic? Fantastic, have a lovely, lovely time, but please remember it takes a month for vaccines to build up to their full strength so book your travel clinic appointment with plenty of time to spare (most vaccines will cover you for at least a year, so you can't really book it too early) and please don't try to plead for an emergency appointment the friday before you fly.
You can get more information on what is needed at http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/home.
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