Thanking you [b]Lodd[/b] for your helpful advice. Yet, it looks as when the Mentholatum Eucalyptus rub has nothing to do with it. I just assumed it, because my hands stayed red and swollen for 5 days and it happened after using it. On the fifth day we also noticed redness on my soles, which added to the confusion, for I didn't use my feet to rub it on...
  As it turned out in the later phase of this reaction the true culprit must have been an insect bite, because it then minimized its affect on my hand and shifted to the inside of my right ankle towards the heel. It swelled considerably and I could barely walk with the right foot. This area is quite hot! Every step was very painful. Now, after two days of this, the swelling and pain seems to lessen and I reckon by tomorrow or so, I should be able to walk with negligible discomfort.
My guess is that it might have been a mild [u]spider bide[/u], which I suffered while working in my shed. I’m going to fumigate this shed thoroughly, because there I store lots of materials etc. Albeit I spray any spider I encounter with insecticide, one never knows how many more there are hidden. Regards, jjjj

[u]PS.[/u] I there anyone in this forum knowing about these insects, called 'spider crab' or Opilionidae (i.e.false spider). I have got plenty of them in my garden. Could I blame them? I hate them, because they only walk about at nights and when I step on one (or their body parts) accidentally they emit a stinky olor! Maybe it's more than that, namely, that they jet this stinky liquid (containing neuro toxins?) onto one's body and that creates a reaction. Anyone knowing them better? Please dbl click pic for better resolution.
[url=http://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=3722hg1.jpg][img]http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/540/3722hg1.th.jpg[/img][/url]

Last edited by jjjj (2006-12-17 17:14:28)

Yes that's right, I also thought that 'I didn’t got bitten by anything but its possible'...
Yet, if you get a very painful spot (mostly ankle or leg) for a few days then it must have been some kind of insect bite, mostly a spider bite. It took me about 3 to 4 days of strong pain in my ankle region to overcome it. I could hardly walk on that foot. Putting weight/ pressure onto the foot was very painful. Next followed 2 to 3 weeks of skin peeling on hands and soles. It's fun ripping off sheets of square inch skin sizes! Now I have 'reborn hands and soles' (even nicer than my wife's ones ) thanks to these beasts...
On the bright side: If it's that what you have got, go for it! It seems by far the cheapest way to rejuvenate!!!

On the more serious side: There's something you can do. Build/ buy yourself an ultrasonic pest repeller. I built myself four of'em! Make sure they work in the region of 35 to 50 KHz. You won't hear them, but to insects they are as comfortable as for you sleeping next to jackhammers in action! For personal safety insects depend on quite environment, enabling them to spot to detect the enemy in advance. Thus, to them the screaching noise is insupportable and so, they prefer to move to your neigbor...

Last edited by jjjj (2007-02-27 11:09:23)