Little Bug Burrows Under The Skin
A tiny little bug with a snout digs into my mom's skin, and we don't know what it is.
It's slightly larger than a flea. The tiny bug burrows under the skin and stays there.
She has these bites all over her. At first I thought she was scratching herself, but then she
caught one to show me. Now, I'm very concerned.
Any help as to what they are or a remedy would be great. Also, I should mention that they seem to get her while she is sleeping.
When you say the tiny bug burrows under the skin, do you mean it just stays in that one spot under the skin, or does it travel, leaving a mark or track in it's wake?
Does it cause the skin to itch or have any other reaction?
I assume that it probably DOES itch because you mentioned that you initially thought she was just scratching herself.
Have you been able to rule out anything specific? Bed bugs? Scabies? Ticks?
Bedbugs do bite you like crazy while you are sleeping. However, I don't believe they burrow under the skin. They wouldn't burrow under the skin and stay there.
On the other hand, the scabies mite DOES burrow and leaves very itchy rash-like trails over your body.
You said she has them all over. If it were ticks, there may be a few, but not likely dozens. They generally only burrow their head in the skin and fill up the exposed body by sucking your blood.
Based on your description, my best guess would be the bed bugs. Are you positive that they DO burrow, or are you just assuming that they do because you can't see them?
It would be a good idea for your mom to get some quality tea tree oil, or Indian neem oil, or even oregano oil and place several drops (10-20) in her bath water for a nice soak a couple times per day.
You can usually find those oils at either
Mountain Rose Herbs or
Puritan's Pride
.
This will serve to help soothe the skin, but also to help eliminate the skin parasite if it is scabies or something similar.
If it's bed bugs, you'll really have a fight on your hands. Anyone can get bed bugs, so don't think it's a sign of being dirty or anything.
You'd be amazed at how many hotels are actually infested with bed bugs. It's easy enough for the bed bugs to hitch a ride home with you in your luggage or even on your clothes.
To get rid of them, you'll have to do a lot of washing in hot water and vacuuming every nook and cranny.
Even then, you may need to use some form of cleaning agent. I would look for an all natural solution rather than a chemical based pesticide.
If you'd like to provide me with a bit more specific information about how this tiny bug burrows under the skin, etc., I'll try to provide you with more details and suggestions.
Hope your mom gets some relief soon.
~Angie