Saturday, July 02, 2005

Bee sting

OUCH!!
Thursday morning early, I got the worst bee sting I've ever had. I'm not allergic, but it felt like fire, and deep, so I guess I didn't notice the first stick and he dumped his whole load. YIKES. I took antihistimine, put antihistimine outside. Sleeping helped.

Friday morning, my arm was fat (it's a few inches below my elbow, where I can't see it except in the mirror) and kind of oozing. Gross! I read what I could find, but most sources don't say much if you don't swell up and nearly die in the first half hour. I found some information about delayed symptoms. That night I soaked it in the hot tub and slept hard.

I suppose I could go and spend $50 for urgent care and get a shot. But I'm not sick or feverish, and it's not as bad Saturday as it was Friday afternoon, so I'll probably just tough it out.

I'm glad it was me and not one of the kids.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tea Tree Oil is great for this sort of thing...especially when the itching part starts

Anonymous said...

When I first moved to Sweden, although not bothered by American mosquitoes, I got nailed just above the elbow and my arm swelled up all the way to the armpit, rock hard, red and hot. The first year was hell, tea tree oil helped, as does lavender oil, but I think I'm finally getting my body adjusted to Scandinavian mosquito serum or whatever.

Anonymous said...

I have been told by a beekeeper that allergic reactions to bee venom increase in severity with each successive sting in people who are susceptible. He told me this after my 18 year old got stung, while he was working for him in his honey business; his arm swelled to incredible proportions. After several days I brought him to the ER because I thought surely the swelling should be going down by now. They said he had a Moderate Reaction, and that the next time he got stung it would be worse. So we got a kit which has a hypodermic of benadryl - it might save his life, a bee sting or two down the road. I do like natural remedies, but I don't think anything natural works fast enough at the beginning.

Anonymous said...

Please see a Doctor. Your symptoms could be a sign of an allergic reaction. I had never had an allergic reaction from a bee sting until I was stung in July. I broke out in hives about 48 hours after being stung. My Doctor prescribed the Epi-Pen saying that future reactions could be worse. Well, I was just stung again yesterday and while I hesitated at first, I did shoot myself with an Epipen and went to a Doctor. While I didn't go into shock, I was told that if you wait too long to give yourself the shot, it could turn fatal. I now have an arm that is twice the size as normal and am hoping that the hives do not appear this time.