Treating Bee and Wasp Stings
I have had the luck of avoiding any type of sting, from any type of bee out there. Be it a regular bee, wasp, hornet you name it. Nothing in 11 years. But of course I had the misfortune today of getting stung. At first it didn't register with me what had caused the terrible pain that made me jump off the porch steps. But once I calmed down and realized it, I immediately tried to find the culprit. Looking as best I could, I found the sting on the lower right side of my back. Red, swollen and gross. I had been stung by a wasp (I later learned what it was)
I ran back into my mother's house and told her what had happened. She, of course, laughed at me. I, of course, was semi freaking out. So I came home with a quickness and looked up what to do in the event this should ever happen to me again.
And hopefully I can go another 10+ years without it happening!
What you should know from the start
If you have never had a sting then you are lucky in some ways. In others, not so much. You should know right away that if you are allergic in anyway to a bee, wasp, or hornet sting (or any other type of bee's) that you should get medical attention as soon as possible.
The treatment of a sting can depend on the severity of your condition. Many of the complications arising from a sting can be countered pretty quickly if medical attention is given in a applicable time frame.
What to do in case you are stung.
Here are some tips to apply when you get stung.
- Remove the stingers (if there are any) immediately.
- Apply ice. It will apply some relief to the sting site. Apply ice for 20 minutes once every hour as needed. Place a cloth between the ice and your skin to avoid the freezing of the skin.
- Take an antihistamine such as Benadryl, or something that won't make you drowsy such as Claritin.
- Take Ibuprofen or Tylenol for pain as needed.
- Wash the sting off with soap and water. Then proceed to place some sort of antibiotic ointment on the sting site.
- If it has been ten or more years since your last tetanus booster immunization shot you may want to consider getting one soon.
Warning...when removing the stinger...
*Never use tweezers to remove a stinger from your body. This could cause you to release more poison into your body from the stinger. *