Kinda OT--whine about a bee sting

[Elitsirk]

So I got stung by a bee last night. On my foot. The darned thing got
himself into my sandal and then apparently got upset about my foot
being in there with him. So he stung me on my little toe.

Funny, I didn't notice the sting at first, just that I had something
in my shoe. When I took my sandal off and a curled up bee fell out, I
had a little sense of foreboding. It took a couple of seconds longer
before I started feeling the pain of the sting. It was a couple of
minutes more before my whole foot was aching with it. I had just
arrived at a friends house for dinner, and luckily she's a doctor
(well, just graduated from medical school, but still)--she hadn't ever
been stung and hadn't actually treated any bee stings in school, so
she just looked up what to do to treat it in one of her reference
books (I'd never been stung either). She checked it to see if the
stinger was still there (I can't see that side of my foot...), and
gave me ice for it, and that was really all it needed. By the time I
left last night, the ache had receeded back to the area of the toe.

This morning, however, its still stinging a bit, and red around the
part of my foot near the toe. And, of course, since my shoes have all
been tight lately from water retention and weight gain, none of them
are comfortable on a slightly swollen toe. So I'm walking around in
my pool flip flops at work today, since they're the only shoes that
fit and don't rub my toe (thank goodness for a VERY casual
office....). Darnit, my foot is really annoying me! And so much for
taking my afternoon walk--too uncomfortable even if I didn't have a
pair of $3 flip flops on...And of course it's supposed to thunderstorm
today, and be cooler tomorrow (low 70's) so swimming's probably out as
well. So much for my quest for staying fit for a couple of days.

At least I don't appear to be too terribly allergic to bee stings. And
I'm definitely glad this one wasn't a hornet, or I'd probably have
more than one bite on my foot (got stung half a dozen times by one of
those a couple of years ago--he got into my shirt and then decided to
punish *me* for it...)

--Elit.
#1 due 9/20/2004

[Marion Boulden]

Elitsirk wrote:

> So I got stung by a bee last night. On my foot. The darned thing got
> himself into my sandal and then apparently got upset about my foot
> being in there with him. So he stung me on my little toe.
>
> Funny, I didn't notice the sting at first, just that I had something
> in my shoe. When I took my sandal off and a curled up bee fell out, I
> had a little sense of foreboding. It took a couple of seconds longer
> before I started feeling the pain of the sting. It was a couple of
> minutes more before my whole foot was aching with it. I had just
> arrived at a friends house for dinner, and luckily she's a doctor
> (well, just graduated from medical school, but still)--she hadn't ever
> been stung and hadn't actually treated any bee stings in school, so
> she just looked up what to do to treat it in one of her reference
> books (I'd never been stung either). She checked it to see if the
> stinger was still there (I can't see that side of my foot...), and
> gave me ice for it, and that was really all it needed. By the time I
> left last night, the ache had receeded back to the area of the toe.
>
> This morning, however, its still stinging a bit, and red around the
> part of my foot near the toe.

For future reference... honey bee venom is acidic, so make a paste of
baking soda and put that on the sting site (for hornets, you'd use
vinegar, since their venom is basic for most species). Another "home
remedy" that actually helps is a compress of wet tobacco if there's any
handy. My doctor has benedryl on the "safe list" for pregnancy... check
with your doctor, though really to be most helpful it should have been
taken right after the sting. Honey bees were my research animal for my
MS, so I've been stung literally hundreds of times.

cheers,
Marion
edd 10/16/2004

[Amy]

"Marion Boulden" > wrote in message
...

> For future reference... honey bee venom is acidic, so make a paste of
> baking soda and put that on the sting site (for hornets, you'd use
> vinegar, since their venom is basic for most species). Another "home
> remedy" that actually helps is a compress of wet tobacco if there's any
> handy. My doctor has benedryl on the "safe list" for pregnancy... check
> with your doctor, though really to be most helpful it should have been
> taken right after the sting. Honey bees were my research animal for my
> MS, so I've been stung literally hundreds of times.

Yes, & vinegar is useful for wasp stings too - my Dad always used to
remember them by baking soda beginning with a 'Bee' and vinegar being 'V'
for 'Vasp'...well, not exactly but you don't forget them :-)
And if you can see the sting in there (which would be a bee, since wasps
don't leave a sting, I don't know about hornets as we don't get them) never
pull it out as you squeeze the poison sac and make it worse. Just flick it
out with the edge of a knife.

[Serenity]

I got stung on the neck when pregnant - went into hysterics in the middle of
the shop.

Applied lavender oil when I got home and the sting had gone within 2 hours -
incredible.

I'd forgotten about this til reading your post.
Lots of sympathy for you, hope you can soon walk miles.
S

[Vicky Bilaniuk]

Amy wrote:

> "Marion Boulden" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>
>>For future reference... honey bee venom is acidic, so make a paste of
>>baking soda and put that on the sting site (for hornets, you'd use
>>vinegar, since their venom is basic for most species). Another "home
>>remedy" that actually helps is a compress of wet tobacco if there's any
>>handy. My doctor has benedryl on the "safe list" for pregnancy... check
>>with your doctor, though really to be most helpful it should have been
>>taken right after the sting. Honey bees were my research animal for my
>>MS, so I've been stung literally hundreds of times.
>
>
> Yes, & vinegar is useful for wasp stings too - my Dad always used to
> remember them by baking soda beginning with a 'Bee' and vinegar being 'V'
> for 'Vasp'...well, not exactly but you don't forget them :-)
> And if you can see the sting in there (which would be a bee, since wasps
> don't leave a sting, I don't know about hornets as we don't get them) never
> pull it out as you squeeze the poison sac and make it worse. Just flick it
> out with the edge of a knife.
>
>

Gee I wonder if these home remedies would have worked with this one
sting I suffered a few years ago. I was walking in some grass and a
yellowjacket came up out of the ground and attacked my ankle rather
viciously. It was obviously one of the North American species as
opposed to the more common German ones (the German ones are definitely
more common around here, and they don't go in the ground, whereas the N.
American ones like making hives in the ground). The North American ones
have the worst sting. Anyway, the venom was so nasty that for a good
few hours afterwards, my leg kept jerking uncontrollably. The pain was
immense and I couldn't even place my foot on the floor, let alone put
any weight on it. I had actually wondered if I was having an allergic
reaction, but nothing more happened, and everyone I asked about it
afterwards said that I was having a normal reaction to one of those
stings. Got a couple of bumblebee stings after that and they were
nothing, so I assume I'm not allergic. ;-) But oh man I'll never
forget that one!

[Amy]

Yowch! What is a yellowjacket, anyway? We're fortunate in New Zealand to
have very few things that sting or bite, though bees tend to make me puff up
a lot. My most memorable sting was when I was five years old, Dad didn't
drive so we were walking back from visiting my mother in the hospital after
my younger sister was born, when a bee got inside my sandal. It hurt like
heck and I screamed blue murder. Since we'd only just left the hospital, my
father did the only practical thing and took me back to the A&E department
to be treated. When I wouldn't calm down, he did what any Dad would do in
that situation (yeh, right!) and pointed to a guy being wheeled past who had
just walked through a plate glass window and whose entire body was streaked
with blood, and said, "See? It doesn't hurt _that_ much!".

"Vicky Bilaniuk" > wrote in message
...
> Amy wrote:
>
> > "Marion Boulden" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >
> >
> >>For future reference... honey bee venom is acidic, so make a paste of
> >>baking soda and put that on the sting site (for hornets, you'd use
> >>vinegar, since their venom is basic for most species). Another "home
> >>remedy" that actually helps is a compress of wet tobacco if there's any
> >>handy. My doctor has benedryl on the "safe list" for pregnancy...
check
> >>with your doctor, though really to be most helpful it should have been
> >>taken right after the sting. Honey bees were my research animal for
my
> >>MS, so I've been stung literally hundreds of times.
> >
> >
> > Yes, & vinegar is useful for wasp stings too - my Dad always used to
> > remember them by baking soda beginning with a 'Bee' and vinegar being
'V'
> > for 'Vasp'...well, not exactly but you don't forget them :-)
> > And if you can see the sting in there (which would be a bee, since wasps
> > don't leave a sting, I don't know about hornets as we don't get them)
never
> > pull it out as you squeeze the poison sac and make it worse. Just flick
it
> > out with the edge of a knife.
> >
> >
>
> Gee I wonder if these home remedies would have worked with this one
> sting I suffered a few years ago. I was walking in some grass and a
> yellowjacket came up out of the ground and attacked my ankle rather
> viciously. It was obviously one of the North American species as
> opposed to the more common German ones (the German ones are definitely
> more common around here, and they don't go in the ground, whereas the N.
> American ones like making hives in the ground). The North American ones
> have the worst sting. Anyway, the venom was so nasty that for a good
> few hours afterwards, my leg kept jerking uncontrollably. The pain was
> immense and I couldn't even place my foot on the floor, let alone put
> any weight on it. I had actually wondered if I was having an allergic
> reaction, but nothing more happened, and everyone I asked about it
> afterwards said that I was having a normal reaction to one of those
> stings. Got a couple of bumblebee stings after that and they were
> nothing, so I assume I'm not allergic. ;-) But oh man I'll never
> forget that one!
>

[Amy]

Oooh, I'd forgotten about that one. It always pays to carry lavender oil,
it's great for stings, cuts, burns, just about anything. Especially burns,
it heals mine incredibly quickly.

"Serenity" <serenity@nospamserenitynyespam off.fslife.co.uk> wrote in
message ...
> I got stung on the neck when pregnant - went into hysterics in the middle
of
> the shop.
>
> Applied lavender oil when I got home and the sting had gone within 2
hours -
> incredible.
>
> I'd forgotten about this til reading your post.
> Lots of sympathy for you, hope you can soon walk miles.
> S
>
>

[Vicky Bilaniuk]

Amy wrote:

> Yowch! What is a yellowjacket, anyway? We're fortunate in New Zealand to

A type of wasp. They have the worst sting, pain-wise. Well I don't
know about killer wasps - maybe they have more painful stings but people
don't get a chance to find out. ;-) OK, that was bad, but what the heck.

> have very few things that sting or bite, though bees tend to make me puff up
> a lot. My most memorable sting was when I was five years old, Dad didn't
> drive so we were walking back from visiting my mother in the hospital after
> my younger sister was born, when a bee got inside my sandal. It hurt like
> heck and I screamed blue murder. Since we'd only just left the hospital, my
> father did the only practical thing and took me back to the A&E department
> to be treated. When I wouldn't calm down, he did what any Dad would do in
> that situation (yeh, right!) and pointed to a guy being wheeled past who had
> just walked through a plate glass window and whose entire body was streaked
> with blood, and said, "See? It doesn't hurt _that_ much!".

Did it work?

And speaking of bees, I had one in my hair today for like an hour!! I
never knew it was there! I brushed my hair aside and it buzzed, and
when I took my hand away there was this little honey bee on it. Freaked
me right out! (but luckily, I never got stung) I'm wondering if we have
a hive, now. We've got an orange blossom tree in the front yard, and it
was *covered* with honey bees this spring. The blossoms are all gone,
yet the honey bees are still around... I'll have to do an inspection.
Honey bees can be dangerous and are actually illegal to have in a city.
They like to swarm.

[Amy]

"Vicky Bilaniuk" > wrote in message
...
> Amy wrote:
>
> > Yowch! What is a yellowjacket, anyway? We're fortunate in New Zealand to
>
> A type of wasp. They have the worst sting, pain-wise. Well I don't
> know about killer wasps - maybe they have more painful stings but people
> don't get a chance to find out. ;-) OK, that was bad, but what the heck.

We only have one main type of wasp, that I know of. The pain from a bee or
wasp sting is different to me, but I don't know if I could say what is
worse. Bee stings seem to hurt like hell, intensely, for an hour or so, but
then go itchy. I've been stung by a wasp and not noticed, but then it might
throb intermittently for days. The downside to wasps is because they don't
have a hooked sting that stays in, they can sting again and again, I guess
until they run out of venom :-(

> > have very few things that sting or bite, though bees tend to make me
puff up
> > a lot. My most memorable sting was when I was five years old, Dad didn't
> > drive so we were walking back from visiting my mother in the hospital
after
> > my younger sister was born, when a bee got inside my sandal. It hurt
like
> > heck and I screamed blue murder. Since we'd only just left the hospital,
my
> > father did the only practical thing and took me back to the A&E
department
> > to be treated. When I wouldn't calm down, he did what any Dad would do
in
> > that situation (yeh, right!) and pointed to a guy being wheeled past who
had
> > just walked through a plate glass window and whose entire body was
streaked
> > with blood, and said, "See? It doesn't hurt _that_ much!".
>
> Did it work?

Funny enough, it did ;-)

> And speaking of bees, I had one in my hair today for like an hour!! I
> never knew it was there! I brushed my hair aside and it buzzed, and
> when I took my hand away there was this little honey bee on it. Freaked
> me right out! (but luckily, I never got stung) I'm wondering if we have
> a hive, now. We've got an orange blossom tree in the front yard, and it
> was *covered* with honey bees this spring. The blossoms are all gone,
> yet the honey bees are still around... I'll have to do an inspection.
> Honey bees can be dangerous and are actually illegal to have in a city.
> They like to swarm.

That would frighten me - I don't mind bees, but I don't like insects in my
hair, or down my back, where I can't see them. Same with spiders, I'll pick
one up and put it outside, but if it's down my back...yuck! So you could be
charged with illegal beekeeping, and you don't even know where your hive is?
;-)
I know at least a couple of people who have hives in our city and sell the
honey, but there is probably a maximum number of hives they can keep, I've
never looked into it.

[Vicky Bilaniuk]

Amy wrote:
> That would frighten me - I don't mind bees, but I don't like insects in my
> hair, or down my back, where I can't see them. Same with spiders, I'll pick

I admit I kill every insect or insect-like thing that I find. I don't
do this outside but I definitely do it in the house. I am just so
*sick* of bugs, because we have a *lot* of them. We have an entire
ecosystem in here. The most disgusting bugs are, unfortunately,
probably the most helpful, but they are at the top of my kill list. The
spiders always go because they bite. The centipedes always go because
they're just so disgusting. They're some Mexican species that is huge
and gross and scary and I absolutely hate them, even though they eat
every other bug in the house.

> one up and put it outside, but if it's down my back...yuck! So you could be
> charged with illegal beekeeping, and you don't even know where your hive is?
> ;-)

I don't know, heh heh. Well, if I ever find a hive, I think I'll call
someone who can deal with honey bees to come in and take care of the
problem. I would like to get any honey that might be there. ;-) They
can keep the bees.