Last Friday after a night of agitated dreams I awoke thinking that I had a tick bite. I started pacing around nervously and noticed that I had a rash of red small bumps around my hip and upper leg. Prickly heat powder eventually dealt with that and I slept all day the next day. Everything hunky dory.

Now today, Thursday, the wife gets the same thing, she was ratty as hell yesterday. woke up in the night and got the same treatment. She's very tired as I was.

What is this? we didn't eat the same for evening meal on either occasion. No medicaments being taken, No mosquito spray or the like being used, no snake bites recently...

Fleas or bedbugs?

Fleas or bedbugs?

Thanks. They don't set you into a state of nervous anxiety, do they?

Removed a troll post.

Fleas or bedbugs?

You have ruled out food then rule out fleas or bedbugs as suggested above. Next, consider something called contact dermatitis: Laundry detergent, soap you and the mrs share commonly, etc. Its not surprising that something irritating you for real would manifest similarly in dreams as tick bite. Pretty cool actually. Sorry you are suffering but the easiest explanation is the most likely. This is the process of "differential diagnosis." Your doctor would do this exactly the same (hopefully)

Also, besides visible bugs and such, look up "fomites." Wash bedding in hot water, bleach, etc., reevaluate common areas such as couch, chairs, clean brushes, maybe even curtains, etc. Good luck, doc!

Sorry I didn't see your post before now. I just woke up at 1am with the same symptoms again and decided it was due to washing powder allergy.The wife bought a cheap powder. Thanks.

Wouldn't surprise me indeed.

It happened to me in the past. I was not affected (tough skin?) but some people in the household were (especially a young kid).

Symptoms close to what you describe.

Cheapest brand washing powder (the one in yellow bags) from Big C clear culprit.

Wouldn't surprise me indeed.

It happened to me in the past. I was not affected (tough skin?) but some people in the household were (especially a young kid).

Symptoms close to what you describe.

Cheapest brand washing powder (the one in yellow bags) from Big C clear culprit.

It was Omo from BigC actually. We washed all the kid's school clothes with this so we will have to rinse them well. The wife's daughter also used it and we find that she had the same problem.

I checked the ingredients: Anionic surfactant. Long-term exposure to anionic surfactants has been linked to swelling of the skin in a conditioned allergic reaction. This swelling is temporary, although it tends to increase the susceptibility of the skin to permeation by other substances. Anionic surfactants are generally avoided in cosmetic products, but their use in shampoos and other products can still lead to irritation (that's why some people suggest changing shampoos every month or so).

Similar results for carboxymethylcellulose.

Don't buy cheap crap.