Ever had a bad reaction to an insect sting?

[fdcg27]

While walking down the stairs to our entry building at work, I was stung on the thumb side of my right hand by something. I never saw it, although I felt it and I had an intense buring sensation at the site for abour a minute or so. I figured that I'd probably been nailed by a yellow jacket, although it is a little early in the season for them, since bees rarely sting without good cause and most wasps other than the yellow jacket are happy to leave you alone if you do the same for them. I figured that I was fine.
Over the next hour or so, the hand swelled up hugely, My face swelled grotesquely and my hearing became very faint, probably due to sinus swelling.
Some of my fellow workers noticed all of this and insisted that I let them take me to the infirmary. I had an itchy throat and I was starting to be a little concerned about my airway, so I gave in.
I was advised by our RN that I should go and seek treatment at once, although my vitals looked good. The danger in this case is that tissue swelling may make breathing difficult or even impossible.
A co-worker drove me to a nearby hospital ER where I was given an IV drip through which epinephren, prednisone and Benedril were administered. I was kept four hours while my vitals were monitored and it was determined that the reaction would not return.
I keft with scripts for the cortisteroid, the anithistamine and two epi pens which I've been advised to keep handy during stinging insect season.
I've been stung lots of times by various wasps, usually yellow jackets. I got stung four or five times last year when I ran over a yellow jacket nest with the mower. Not my best move.
I've never had such an extreme reaction to an insect sting before, ao I intend this as a warning to others. You may become more sensitive to insect stings as you endure many of them over the years.

 

[simple_gifts]

Glad you are ok, and thanks for the warning.

I did get bitten, the dr believes, by a spider while in basic training in SanAntonio; A vein was infected from my wrist about 3 or 4" up my arm. By the time I got to the hospital, the infection was almost into my shoulder. The Dr. said if it got to the heart, I was a goner. Spend 5 days on IV @ the base hospital, since it was a training facility of AF nurses, it wasn't so bad.

Well aware how a spec can take the big dog down.

 

[SrDriver]

I had a severe reaction to a Dirt Dobber sting.

I took shots for about 12 years to build up a resistance to being stung.

 

[Zaedock]

Glad you're OK man! I stepped in quite a few mud wasp nests when I did tree work back in the day. While out off roading a couple of years ago, I climbed a big rock with my Jeep and disturbed a huge yellow jacket nest. My wife stopped counting stings on my back/body at 120. I was sore, but luckily no weird reactions or swelling.

 

[AandPDan]

Something else to consider, it's not usually the first time you get stung (or exposed to an allergen) that gets you.

Once your body has been sensitized it builds up antibodies and the immune system goes crazy during an allergic reaction.

 

[OneEyeJack]

You are very lucky that you found out the easy way that you are sensitive or allergic to insect stings. Sometimes people find out when the get stung for the first time, go into anaphylactic shock and die a horrible death. I'm allergic and have had 2 close calls, even with the EpiPen. The first sting, I ended up at the family doctor and received an EpiPen. The first bad episode I injected myself and went to the same doctor for treatment. The third time I injected myself, twice and woke up in the ER with no idea where I was or what time of day it was. I now have EpiPens in various places and keep them up to date. Those stings happened in the 70's and recent tests show that I many not be allergic, any more.

 

[andyd]

Not me, but my younger brother was rushed downtown to Dr Fortenaus' office for a shot every time he was stung. After 15 yrs of antivenin shots, he reacts less than I do. I built up my resistance a sting at a time.

 

[4wheeldog]

I had also been stung many times by yellowjackets when I had a very bad reaction (Very similar to yours, except I was miles into the woods, so no medical care). I eventually underwent de-sensitivity treatment, and have been good for the last 27 years.

I studied why one would become reactive. It turns out, multiple stings can set you up to react the NEXT TIME you are stung. Once your body sees enough venom, it makes antibodies for next time. A single sting can then set loose the nukes, and it is game on.

The treatment is to give you small, then increasing doses of venom, so that your body can develop the control antibodies (T cells) to shut the reaction down. I strongly suggest that you visit an allergy Dr., and get it dealt with. In my case, the Dr. told me the epi pen would give me 30 minutes to get to the hospital the next time I was stung.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: AandPDan
Something else to consider, it's not usually the first time you get stung (or exposed to an allergen) that gets you.

Once your body has been sensitized it builds up antibodies and the immune system goes crazy during an allergic reaction.


I was thinking along these lines. One often thinks about "growing out" of an allergy, but sometimes it can be the opposite.

The multi stings sets you up for the next time part above is scary... A few years back I was stung multiple times when I bicycled over a yellow jacket nest. I wondered if it was mind over matter or what, but it seemed like my throat was tighter. Kind of scary now. I almost want to get stung in a controlled situation to see how I'll respond, since the last time was a big multi sting event...

 

[Cutehumor]

I got scars from a Praying Mantis bite from a kid. It hurt like the dickens!

 

[bvance554]

I'm not a Dr nor do I play one on TV, but yes 'allergies' are an immune system reaction. Its not something you're born with. Your body can develop these reactions at any point in your life AFTER being exposed to them. My mother had the same experience... after the second yellow jacket nest she hit with the lawn mower and nearly 100 stings each time. She started to have more severe reactions and I said you should get an Epipen for the next time. She said "but I could never give myself a shot." If your throat is swelling shut I'm sure you could do it. Her Dr urged the same and now she has one in the fridge.

Moral of the story is get an Epipen. You never know if your next reaction could be more severe.

 

[HardbodyLoyalist]

Are you sure it wasn't a stinging caterpillar?

I've been stung by just about everything that walks or crawls and has a stinger, but when I pressed my palm onto a saddleback caterpillar last year, I thought I'd impaled myself on a bed of nails.