Ouch!

I am holding a piece of ice which has melted nicely around my right index finger where a yellowjacket stung me close to the palm. Prior to this, I had never in my life been stung by a bee or wasp.

I was taking out the garbage for Monday's pickup. My eye caught a flash of its yellow and black body when I opened the lid but was distracted by some workmen up a ways in the alley. It just didn't register and I stupidly grabbed the rim of the garbage can right where this little beast was perched.

It certainly registered when I instantly felt a fiery pain in my finger. I let out a scream, threw the bag in and ran inside while looking for the stinger. There was no stinger at the little red dot where I had been assailed. I immediately Googled "bee sting" to see what the heck one does. The first thing one must do is look for the stinger because it can pump venom for up to 20 minutes. Yikes! And it's not like a thorn, as I was looking for, but a little black dot! That's quite a punch packed in a little black dot. I looked again, real close. Nope. No black dot. Then it goes on to described systemic allergic reactions which include symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness - fortunately none of which I was experiencing. Anaphylactic reactions include wheezing, difficulty breathing and drop in blood pressure - none of those either. Whew! I am not allergic. So, I followed the instructions for treating it - applying ice and a paste of baking soda.

This one tiny sting was very painful. It made me think about the stories I've heard of people getting attacked by bees and sometimes dying. I can now imagine how much those people suffered. And what a stupid way to go! To think that you're outside, alive, healthy and happy, then in an instant, your life is endangered - by insects. Makes you think...

The ice helped a lot to reduce the pain. Now, the red dot is completely gone and just a tiny bit of swelling remains. The pain has subsided as well. Well, looks like I have no excuse to put off the chores. I'm off to tackle the yard work.

---

View Archived Comments

Close Archive

Archived Comments

---

Billy D ~

I mowed over a bees nest in the ground when I lived in NY. I thought my legs were on fire 'til I looked down and saw a million bees. That was awesome.

Distracted by workmen. That's begging for commentary from Jamie.

Mar 19, 2007 22:02

---

Spacebunny ~

Ouch! Sorry to hear about that. My oldest got stung for the first time on Sunday! I got the stinger out (not all bees/wasps leave the stinger in, those that do die afterwards, those that don't can keep on stinging you)before it could pump much venom in and we watched him closely for a bit because his grandmother is deathly allergic to bee stings. Everything was fine. The ice really does help doesn't it.

Mar 19, 2007 23:01

---

Spacebunny ~

Here you go:

Honey bees—but not other bees or wasps—generally leave the stinger embedded in the skin. Remove the stinger as soon as possible since some additional venom may be pumped by the venom sac. Honey bee stings are best removed by scraping (not crushing) the stinger with a finger nail or knife blade.

Mar 19, 2007 23:04

---

Taylor ~

Billy D, awesome is not the word I would use to describe such an experience. What kind of silly bees make their nest on the ground, anyway? You are very lucky to not have had a bad allergic reaction to that many stings.

I believe you when you only noticed them after feeling your legs on fire. I didn't feel any prick at all, just the fiery pain and it was instantaneous. Those guys shoot first and ask questions later.

About those workmen. My distraction was totally driven by defensive curiosity - as anyone's would be when strangers are lurking nearby. I couldn't even describe their faces or bodies... just a group of men wearing hardhats with toolbelts hanging from their hips. The untimely sting put an end to my curiosity... :)

Mar 19, 2007 23:08

---

Taylor ~

What a coincidence, SB. I was talking to my cousin and he said the same about bees leaving the stinger in and then dying. He said that it's barbed so pulls away from their bodies and their intestines fall out too - that's why they die. He said wasps won't die and can sting over again cause their stingers are smooth like a needle, so it doesn't pull off when they sting. Not a very good defensive mechanisms for those poor bees.

I've never been scared of bees or wasps. They'll even fly in the house sometimes and buzz around me. I just ignore them and don't swat at them. The poor things are not aggressive.

I forgive the little guy. I was about to put my hand on him. He was just protecting himself.

Mar 19, 2007 23:18

---

Taylor ~

SB, it's good to hear your little one did not have a bad reaction. People like his grandmother have to be really careful. I read that they usually have a kit around. It could be a matter of life or death if they don't get that antihistamine in them.

In anaphylactic reactions, victims experience wheezing, difficulty breathing, and a drop in blood pressure that leads to shock if not treated promptly. Around 50 people are killed each year in the U.S. due to severe anaphylactic reactions to bee stings. These type of reactions usually occur within minutes of the bee sting. Since most people who have allergies to bee stings will have a worsened reaction to every subsequent sting, those individuals with bee sting allergies should talk to their doctor about taking special precautions, including carrying an injectable form of the drug epinephrine (used to treat anaphylactic reactions) at all times.

Amazing what a severe reaction that such a tiny little bit of a chemical can produce.

Mar 19, 2007 23:25

---

farmer Tom ~

I mowed over a bumblebee nest when we used to mow the local cemetery. Got stung numerous times, 10 to 15 we weren't sure, I was in a lot of pain and got sick.

Now even the sting of a sweat bee or a honey bee will instantly give me a headache and make me nauseous.

I try to avoid the little suckers if at all possible.

Mar 20, 2007 00:26

---

Taylor ~

Sheesh. That's two incidents involving bee nests on the ground. I've never heard of such a thing. Lazy Yankee bees...

You've probably developed a hypersensitivity to their venom after that huge initial dose. And how is it that you keep running afoul of the little critters? Are you that sweet? :)

Mar 20, 2007 01:16

---

Giraffe ~

I've been stung a few times. There is a guy I know who is a bee keeper. He doesn't even wear protective gear much anymore. He says you get stung enough times you don't have a reaction anymore, it is like a mosquito bite. He also said the most painful is getting stung under the fingernails.

Mar 20, 2007 01:41

---

Taylor ~

As in that beekeeper, I was thinking there must be cases where people can eventually develop an immunity to the venom. It must depend on the individual's biology as to whether they can. In cases of severe allergy, I wouldn't think anything can be done to lessen the severity.

I wonder if he would have a reaction to the venom of other types of bees and wasps?

Mar 20, 2007 02:51

---

Erik ~

They can do some amazing stuff to reduce the level of allergy to a substance. The newest treatment can remove 100 points from your "score"

That wasn't going to help the guy who was telling me because his scores for the many things he is allergic to in in the thousands. (I don't remember what the scale/rating is called)

Mar 20, 2007 02:59

---

Taylor ~

I know nothing about treatments for allergies. Thank God I have none. No hay fever, food allergies, evidently none to wasp stings, cat dander, animal fur, drugs, penicillin - nothing. I know quite a few people, though, who are in misery from them. It seems there are more these days than ever. My sister developed terrible allergies when she married and moved to Phoenix. Isn't that where people used to go, the desert, to get relief from allergies?

Although when I was 10 I received a shot of penicillin at the doctor's office and when I got off the examination table, I said to my mother, "I feel dizzy." Mother was still learning English and had no idea what "dizzy" meant. Then I keeled over. The doctor thought I may have had a reaction to the penicillin, but Mother assured him that I was prone to fainting. My natural low blood pressure, when combined with fear or pain, will tend to have that effect on me... I still hate shots!

Mar 20, 2007 04:03

---

Difster ~

I got stung in the stomach once when I was a teenager. I had a magazine in my shirt because it was the only place to keep it while I was riding my bike home. That wasn't actually too bad.

I stepped on a bee once. I don't think it was living on the ground, it just happened to be there. That REALLY hurt.

Last time I got stung was about a year ago. I was helping my friend do some landscaping and just past dusk (when all of the bees are normally gone) I gave him a slap on the back just as a bee flew in between my hand and his shoulder. I had an itchy little bump on the palm of my hand for two weeks.

Mar 20, 2007 04:43

---

Taylor ~

That was some bad timing with that slap on the back, Difster. Itchy palm, eh?

Mar 20, 2007 06:50

---

Jamie R ~

Distracted by workmen. That's begging for commentary from Jamie.

Well....

Actually I'm a little upset she didn't finish the story.

I'm off to tackle the yard work.....

Yeeessss?

Mar 20, 2007 16:31

---

Jamie R ~

Oi get the lead out woman, time for a new post.

Blogger's block is no excuse, post on that German polar bear, I hear it's super cute and has no plans to take over France.

Mar 24, 2007 16:24

---

Taylor ~

I started on a few posts and they just fizzled out. It seems that everything is so frickin obvious that to put it into words is a waste of time.

The world is sucking more every day. People are more stupid every day. This country is going more downhill every day. Politicians are all corrupt. Justice is a travesty. Liberals are still dangerous lunatic retards. Right is wrong. Wrong is right. Spiritual entropy increases. Satan is really rocking now. A Mexican savage shot and killed a police officer here in Dallas last night. Just another of the majority of crimes committed by illegal Mexican scum.

It's all the same shit, only more of it.

But the Mavericks are playing really well...

Mar 25, 2007 02:07

---

Close Archive