My 2 yr old son was bitten by fire ants on his foot and now his foot is very swollen ....

As you can tell of everyones concern.

Don't wait...Don't hesitate.

Pack him up and get him into Emergency right now.

Enough said...

I hope he responds to treatment quickly.

The swelling of fire ant bites usually lasts 1-3 days. They can then turn into blisters which can take up to 2 weeks to completely heal. Usually these bites are very itchy. Children's Benadryl can help relieve the itch and some of the swelling. Give the pediatrician a call, and ask how much Benadryl you can safely administer your son. There is no medication or anything to counteract the venom...so a trip to the doctor isn't necessary unless you're very concerned. If you think he may be having an allergic reaction as opposed to a normal reaction...then definitely see your doctor! Otherwise...wait for the swelling to go down, and protect his foot as the blisters form to make sure they don't break open or get infected. Hope he feels better!

The venom of a fire ant sting causes stinging and swells into a bump. This can cause much pain and irritation at times, especially when stung repeatedly by several at once. The bump often forms into a white pustule, which is at risk of becoming infected. Some people are allergic to the venom and, as with many allergies, may experience anaphylaxis, which requires emergency treatment.[3] An antihistamine or topical corticosteroids may help reduce the itching.

First aid for fire ant bites includes external treatments and oral medicines.

I pretty much copied and pasted this from wikipedia...So for more info just type in fire ants on the wikipedia search engine.

Your son is having a severe localized reaction. You can try treating it with benadryl. If benadryl doesn't help, then you'll need to call the pediatrician in the morning. They'll prescribe a 3 day course of steroids.

Now that your son has had a reaction like that, he will probably be more sensitive to fire ant stings the next time. If he has a second reaction like that, your pediatrician may refer him to a pediatric allergist who will probably prescribe epi-pens.

My 6 year old is allergic to fire ants too. The first time she was bitten, she had six or 7 stings and her foot swelled up and got very red. She had trouble walking, so I took her to the doctor and he prescribed the steroids. A year later, she got a single fire ant sting and had a reaction that was just as severe. After that, we had to go see the allergist. We've never had to use the pen, but he told us that having a severe localized reaction meant that there was a greater chance of having a severe generalized reaction (like some people do to bee stings), so we would always have to carry the epi-pens with us and be prepared.

One thing that we were told was to try to avoid fire ants...to make sure our daughter wore shoes and socks whenever she went outside, and to treat any fire ant hills we saw in our yard. I've had to keep my daughter home from field trips that sounded like she would be in areas with ants, because her teacher wasn't confident that she would be able to use the epi-pen on my daughter if necessary.

Be concerned right away and take him to a doctor fire ants are not deadly in that amount however he may be having a bad reaction to them but not necessarily an allergic reaction different people have different symptoms. The swelling will stay for a little while, a cold pack or ice will help the swelling subside. But go to a doctor if, when using good parental judgement, it looks bad, and remeber he is 2.

Now...

Get away from the mound if you are outdoors.

Remove any clothing that can have the fire ants on them

Wash the affected area with soap and water; rub with alcohol to remove the venom

Use an ice pack to reduce pain and inflammation.

Apply a hydrocortisone topical ointment or cream such as calamine lotion or StingEze

For ease of pain you may also try a bleach and water or baking soda and water, or meat tenderizer and water paste

Oral antihistamines such as Benadryl will ease the itch and prevent infection.

Never scratch the pustules

If anaphylaxis symptoms; hives, swelling, chest pains, nausea, dizziness, shock or, coma, occur the victim of fire ant bites must be immediately treated by a doctor.

2 yr son bitten fire ants foot foot swollen

I'm sorry. I know that it really hurts. Your poor baby. You can put ice or cold compresses on the swelling. Apply a hydro cortisone cream with aloe vera. You can also try calamine lotion. Also give him some Benadryl. The bites will turn into white pistules. Then they will become itchy. Tell your son not to scratch because that can lead to scarring. He should be feeling much better in a couple of days. First ants are attracted to bright sun in gardens and on golf courses.

External treatments: a topical steroid cream (hydro cortisone), or one containing aloe vera.

Oral medicines: antihistamines

Disinfect the area with alcohol.

Do not break the blisters.

Apply a commercial product to numb the area and relieve itching for a while.

Spraying a topical (cortisone) or taking a systemic (oral) antihistamine (like Benadryl) may help prevent allergic reactions and swelling

Regardless you should take your child to the doctor but, my daughter was stung by a bee in the leg. I watched as her leg doubled and this huge red growing circle developed. We were traveling so I was just trying to make it home. He never felt sick but her leg was hot. I watched for her to have any sort of breathing issues. I called her doctor and they said to be sure she is breathing fine and gave her benadryl. Then I read there is an ingredient in certain deodorants that help and sure enough, it stopped growing and the red receded. Sometimes you have to be patient. Other times, you need to go to the ER. I definitely suggest at least calling the doctor.

You should go see a doctor and see if your son's allergic to fire ants. Because when I got bitten we went to the doctors and the same thing happened to me. My foot was very swollen so the doctor said because i was allergic and u shouldn't be concerned because its all right and dry using aloe.