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Author Topic: rash of unusual reactions to insect stings  (Read 8253 times)

Offline ayyon2157

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rash of unusual reactions to insect stings
« on: October 16, 2005, 01:33:42 am »
There has been a surprising number of unusual reactions to insect stings around here (Northeast Indiana) recently.  Most involve a very unusual amount of swelling occuring up to a week later.  Noone seems sure exactly what bit them, including myself.  The local medical practitioners haven't a clue, but a friend who types up medical relcords for several doctors claims that there are many cases within the last couple of months.  In last night's paper, a woman was riding in a convertible, got stung. and lost consiousness.

     In my case, my first incident was after I put on the heavy "bee gloves" which Kelly sells and something which felt like a hot needle stung my finger.  I didn't see a bee or a stinger, but a few days later the finger swelled up for a couple of days.  No fever.  Some ache in the bone.

     The second was a sting on my thumb; definitely a bee, stinger and sac left.  It started itching a couple of days later.  Little swelling, but the skin got hard like a callus and peeled off a couple of weeks later.

     The third one was when I was being buzzed by what was a bee or wasp which followed me 50 or 60 feet from the hive, and I ducked under some bushes to get rid of it, and about that time cometning stung me just under my left eye.  I am relatively sure I would have seen or felt a bee contacting me in that area.  I felt a minor bite, little worse than a mosquito bite.  Two or three days later my eye was swollen almost shut.  A day after that my eye was better but my face down to mychin was swollen the size of my hand.  This alarmed me and I sought medical attention and was put on powerful antibiotics and "anti allergy" medicine.  The next day it had moved to my neck under my chin and looked like a goiter, after which it slowly went away.

     Anybody else heard of unusual reactions to possible bee stings recently?

ayyon2157
William H. Michaels

Offline ericthebee

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rash of unusual reactions to insect stings
« Reply #1 on: November 20, 2005, 02:28:37 am »
Main / maximum visually obvious reaction to a bee sting is about 72 hrs after sting.  Sings on the Face, can "appear" to be worse than a sting of equal amount of bee venom on the same person on say a thumb. This can be because of the vastly increased fleshy vascular nature of area allowing more "swelling " . Gravity also makes anything on the neck/face appear worse, such thin soft skin allows it to drop.    If I am stung on the face I take an antihistimine ( no need for antibiotic's sounds like overservicing)
Ensure you "scratch the stinger out" ASAP to prevent the sac injecting more enom if pressed or squezed.  There could be some very aggressive bees around that are "nailing" more folks than normal, or more folks are seeking help due to an increased awarness in local area.  A "normal " reaction to a sting on say an arm would be a woody/ solid/fluid filled lump under 3 inches on say at about 3 days could take a week or so to settle. You must start to worry if the reaction increases and involves 2 joints or more, Seek medical aid if a Rash develops and straight to Hospital if thightness of chest and difficulty breathing / swollowing.  A Shot of adrenalen from an Epi pen can save a life in this case. Ask your Dr if your reaction to bee stings appears to be worsnening..

Offline ericthebee

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rash of unusual reactions to insect stings
« Reply #2 on: November 20, 2005, 02:52:26 am »
Main / maximum visually obvious reaction to a bee sting is about 72 hrs after sting.  Sings on the Face, can "appear" to be worse than a sting of equal amount of bee venom on the same person on say a thumb. This can be because of the vastly increased fleshy vascular nature of area allowing more "swelling " . Gravity also makes anything on the neck/face appear worse, such thin soft skin allows it to drop.    If I am stung on the face I take an antihistimine ( no need for antibiotic's sounds like overservicing)
Ensure you "scratch the stinger out" ASAP to prevent the sac injecting more enom if pressed or squezed.  There could be some very aggressive bees around that are "nailing" more folks than normal, or more folks are seeking help due to an increased awarness in local area.  A "normal " reaction to a sting on say an arm would be a woody/ solid/fluid filled lump under 3 inches on say at about 3 days could take a week or so to settle. You must start to worry if the reaction increases and involves 2 joints or more, Seek medical aid if a Rash develops and straight to Hospital if thightness of chest and difficulty breathing / swollowing.  A Shot of adrenalen from an Epi pen can save a life in this case. Ask your Dr if your reaction to bee stings appears to be worsnening..

Offline Finsky

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rash of unusual reactions to insect stings
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2005, 03:57:00 am »
I am in Finland and nothing to do with your problems. But Last spring I got unusual trouble.  Usually I have not difficulties with little wounds.

I just tell that this is one possible mechanism.

When bee sting to me last May, I got an vast abscess, and it did not went away easily. Soon I got some more area, where I shave. 1-3 mm dimension abscess developed during 12 hours.

I asked my doctor boy medicate me with antibiot. It affected at once but returned. He was angry because I stopped antibiotic cure too early.

Inflammations lasted 3 months. Then my boy explained that I have got an angry bacterium and it live on my skin. Then he told that if I eat 3-4 weeks antibiot, and skin renews itself, bacterium will drop away from skin. So it happened.

My another boy got same inflammation and abscesses. The start begun from biting of tiny insect and he scratched the scin.

Offline Kris^

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rash of unusual reactions to insect stings
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2005, 08:22:03 am »
Stings on my legs, arms or even fingers cause a little itching but very little swelling anymore.  I usually just rub some hydrocortisone onto the spot and go about my business.  But a hit to the head will swell up half my face.  The last sting I got there, in the scalp above the hairline, caused one of my eyes to swell shut.  For that I had to take prednisone to reduce the swelling.  It took about two days to go down.

-- Kris

Offline Michael Bush

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rash of unusual reactions to insect stings
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2005, 10:42:36 am »
I usually have littel to no reaction to stings, but occasionally I'll get a major one.  I never know for sure why.  This spring my ankle swelled up like it was sprained badly.  Red, tight, itchy and dowright painful, especially when I tried to walk on it.  I haven't had a bad reaction since then.

As far as bites.  Brown recluses seem to like to hide under hives (as do black widows) and in other odd corners the bees can't get to.  A reaction two weeks after sounds more like Lymes disease than just a bite.
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Offline Dick Allen

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rash of unusual reactions to insect stings
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2005, 02:18:43 pm »
Quote
Ensure you "scratch the stinger out" ASAP to prevent the sac injecting more enom if pressed or squezed


Here's more up to date information on removing bee stings that was originally published in the British medical journal, 'The Lancet':

http://bees.ucr.edu/stings.html

Offline Horns Pure Honey

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rash of unusual reactions to insect stings
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2005, 02:25:36 pm »
Sounds like a type of spider bite rather than a bee, I have had all those things happen when bitten by spiders before, hope you find out soon, good luck :?
Ryan Horn

 

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