# Sting reaction



## Guest (Mar 26, 2011)

I am almost 60 years old. I have never been alergic to bee stings but a few years ago I ran the string trimmer over a ground wasps nest. I got about 15 stings on my left hand and forearm and about 12 more on my neck and abdomen. I felt sick for a day and my left hand swelled up so I couldn't bend my fingers. The swellinmg went down slowly over 5 days. Have I aquired an alergy to bee stings? Will the reaction be worse next time or did my hand swell up because there were so many stings? 

I am not afraid of bees and wasps. I don't freak out or swat at them when they are arround. If I leave them alone they go away. Sometimes, if one lands on me I blow him off. I have had them crawling on my face.


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## no1cowboy (May 2, 2004)

For me a wasp sting has always been worse than a bee sting, its in my opinion that the veneom is deferant in makup.


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

It may have been the number of stings , but you can not be sure til stung again .. yes each , wasp, hornet yellow jacket , bumble , honey bee all have there own , you are normely not allergic to all may be one or two ..


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Like Tom said they all havetheir own form of venom. You may not not have the same reaction to those same warp stings as last time.

You could just go ahead and just letHIM crawl allover you as male honey bees can't sting.

 Al


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## tom j (Apr 3, 2009)

also the age of the honey bee that stings .. the honey bee starts with very little venom and builds up for like 10 to 14 days before full powered


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## caroline (Sep 29, 2009)

It's your reaction that concerns me. At any time in our lives we can develop an allery to anything. 
What you had was a mid- mild reaction to bee stings.....and if stung again, your reaction could be much worse, going so far as to close your airway and kill you,,,,but at the same time, it may only act on you as this last time did. it is impossible to predict. I would go to my doctor, explain what happened and ask hi/her for an epi-pen. 

Very easy to undertand and use and will prevent a severe reaction to the stings. You can google this for more info.


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## 104037 (Mar 17, 2011)

My mother had a similar thing happen with poison ivy. She never had reactions before, so when our neighbors or family members had poison ivy, she'd go in and get it out for them. These days, she reacts as much as anyone. Allergies can definitely be acquired over time, and there's really no way to determine whether yours will get worse. 

I'd recommend getting some hydro-cortisone or another anti-histamine from the drug store. You should be able to find a generic anti-histamine for a reasonable price. If you're really worried, you can also talk to your doctor about getting a prescription anti-histamine or an epi-pen.


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## lostspring (Jun 29, 2007)

This summer I was stung by a wasp. No big deal, happen to me many times before. 
Got dizzy, upset stomach, swole up more than usual, headach. Laid down for minute. Woke up to my wife and son standing over me with a worried look. Called the doc and was told to go to em room. By the time we got there it had all but cleared up. Waited for an hour or so and then left. 
My wife was concerned and made a drs appt for the next day. 
Doc chewed me out for not calling 911 and said I was very lucky and not to count on being lucky the next time. I said but Doc I'll bet I have been stung a thousand times. What he said was it can be cumlative.
So from now on I have to have epenephrine (epi-pen) near just in case. He also said don't wait. The worst reaction is throat swelling and it doesn't take long.


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## BjornBee (Jan 17, 2011)

Here is some information on beestings...

http://www.bjornapiaries.com/beereactionsallergies.html


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## Guest (Mar 30, 2011)

Thanks for the info. Sort of reinforces what I thought.


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