Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER => GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM. => Topic started by: JackM on July 03, 2013, 09:41:12 am

Title: itch cure??????????
Post by: JackM on July 03, 2013, 09:41:12 am
Got lazy, didn't wear gloves, got stung on little finger.  Whole hand is swollen 24 hours later.  Been using benadryl, allegra, and lanacaine. Anyone got a sure fire suggestion to stop the itch?  I am going to tear the skin off my hand if I don't get the itch controlled. 

Got benadryl and allegra on board within 5 minutes and continuing ...

OMG THE ITCH!!!!!!

read something about baking soda and meat tenderizer. .. ...... worth a try, course I could just take the cleaver and chop the hand off.  AACCCCKKKK.

LOL.  Have a day
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: JackM on July 03, 2013, 10:12:57 am
Tried one off the internet, paste of baking soda, vinegar, and meat tenderizer (papain).  It has helped a little.  I wonder if pineapple would help?
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: Michael Bush on July 03, 2013, 11:01:09 am
Plantain is best if used immediately but will help anytime.  Hot water (on the VERGE of burning you) helps with itching and also the heat breaks down the venom somewhat.

http://bushfarms.com/beesmisc.htm#plantain (http://bushfarms.com/beesmisc.htm#plantain)
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: Kathyp on July 03, 2013, 12:01:11 pm
extra strength vagisil.....and i think the company should be sharing profits with me by now!!   :-D
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: JackM on July 03, 2013, 02:05:34 pm
off to walgreens
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: RHBee on July 03, 2013, 06:29:37 pm
extra strength vagisil.....and i think the company should be sharing profits with me by now!!   :-D

Now that's a new one. :-D
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: Kathyp on July 03, 2013, 07:34:41 pm
Active Ingredients: Contains: Benzocaine USP (20% - External analgesic), Resorcinol (3% - External analgesic)

it was the cheapest product i could find with this much Benzocaine.
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: RHBee on July 03, 2013, 07:45:34 pm
Active Ingredients: Contains: Benzocaine USP (20% - External analgesic), Resorcinol (3% - External analgesic)

it was the cheapest product i could find with this much Benzocaine.

kathyp,
I didn't mean that it wouldn't be effective.  I just never would have thought of reading the ingredients. I appreciate the heads up.
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: JackM on July 03, 2013, 08:19:42 pm
Well apparently it is not the benzocaine, as Lanacaine has the equivalent amount.  But, the resorcinol is the difference and it (the vagasil) works a little better than the lanacaine, but not a huge amount better.  Gobs of oral benadryl seems to help the discomfort the most, but nothing is really doing much good, just took a narcotic to see it that will dull things.  I am way miserable and deserve it for being lazy.  WILL NOT SKIP ON GLOVES AGAIN.  Each time is worse than the last one, so I need to be much more serious about this or give up all these little girlfriends I have.  They make such tasty honey.
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: Caelansbees on July 04, 2013, 01:10:04 am
I started stinging myself last year.  A few to the lower back on occasion.  Now my stings hardly swell.  They are still like a mosquito bite the next day. 
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: JPinMO on July 04, 2013, 01:30:39 am
There's a recent thread titled "Leg Stings" that has some suggestions. I resorted to soaking my hand and arm in fairly strong Epsom salt water for two hours while I watched tv. That really reduced the swelling for me.

I was told last weekend that witch hazel can be helpful. I also read the label on a "bite relief" or "sting stop" stick at Walmart (sorry, I don't remember the exact name); it had ammonia as its active ingredient, but I have never tried it. Has anyone used either ammonia or witch hazel successfully?
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: sweet bee on July 04, 2013, 01:39:33 am
Plantain is best if used immediately but will help anytime.  Hot water (on the VERGE of burning you) helps with itching and also the heat breaks down the venom somewhat.

http://bushfarms.com/beesmisc.htm#plantain (http://bushfarms.com/beesmisc.htm#plantain)

Alternating the hot and cold water works for me.
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: JackM on July 04, 2013, 10:31:34 am
I cannot take the chance of having a full anaphalactic reaction by stinging myself and the doc won't give me shots.  Each one is so much worse than the last, my day is coming when I will need the epi-pen

Ammonia, no workee
Papain no workee
Baking soda, no workee

Vagasil did help more than any other topical.  But I did soak in very hot water for 20 minutes before bed last nite and though still very swollen, the itch is gone today.

Not sure if the vagasil or the heat or both.  Regardless I feel much better today.  Thanks for all the suggestions and advice.
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: ChrisT on July 04, 2013, 04:07:39 pm
Immediately applying hot water for a few mintes then pasting with baking soda helps me. But only to a point.
If I dont do that when getting stung, its always worse for me.

I got stung in the muscle on the forearm (first time ever in that area) recently and it swelled up like ive never seen before and my arm felt broken for almost a week. it did something to the nerves and even made it all the way up to my shoulder. I literally could not use my arm for a while at all. If i leaned on it or tried to pick up anything felt like my arm was broken.
Took 2 weeks for the pain to subside enought to be able to use my arm again

Chris
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: Nyleve on July 05, 2013, 01:05:40 pm
For future reference: I got two stings this week when a couple of pissy bees got in under my jacket. Blew up into huge itchy welts that simply would not go away. I was going crazy. Finally I applied some prescription-strength cortisone cream that I had used on another skin condition. The cream worked really well and the stings have gone down considerably - itching is much better. I think it's called Lyderm and you'd have to get it from a doctor. But I think if you go to your doctor and explain that you keep bees and react badly, you may just be able to get a prescription for this stuff. I know it's fairly powerful medication, but I'm only using it sparingly and will stop as soon as the stings are pretty much under control.
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: GSF on July 05, 2013, 10:30:38 pm
Have any of you ever tried to use the leaves from the bee balm plant? I have a couple of plants but have never used them.

The biggest enemy we have around here are yellow jackets. They have a nest in the ground with anywhere from a handful to multiple hundreds. Yellow jackets will chase you for a while too. My son and I were putting up some fence down through the woods and got into some. I taught him a valuable lesson - always be the one in front running :-D I got three stings and he got about seven.
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: gnef on July 07, 2013, 12:47:54 am
If the reactions are getting stronger for some of you, I highly recommend getting an epi-pen on hand.

In fact, even if you don't react that much, I recommend getting an epi-pen, and make sure it is fresh every year.

The most I've been stung is around 12-15 times at once, and I was fine. I still keep an epi-pen on hand though.

You never know if you will develop an adult allergy, or if someone else who visits you is allergic.

I hope to never have to use it, and even if I never have to, I will consider it a wise investment.
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: Better.to.Bee.than.not on July 07, 2013, 04:59:57 am
I always use hot water, it just feels really good on a bee stung area, and then the day after, or two, it's all gone.
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: beehappy1950 on July 07, 2013, 10:45:45 am
Man up. Walk it off. Think of your happy place. :roll:
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: Kathyp on July 07, 2013, 01:41:45 pm
unless you are stung in your happy place.  :evil:
Title: Re: itch cure??????????
Post by: beehappy1950 on July 07, 2013, 09:11:34 pm
JackM Know how you feel. Just went thru 7 hives trying to find the one that swarmed. Last one kinda had it in for me. I was sweated up and it was clouding up. No smoke. No gloves. Took about 6 to the hands. Didnt take long to put the cover back on . Ha. Gotta go man up myself and go to happy place, if I can remember where it is. Ha :shock: