Bee sting, wasp sting..??

Hey,

I got stung yesterday when I was on my run but  I have never been stung by anything before. I tried to look for the stinger but couldnt find one. It was red,swollen and hurt last night but it still hurts today. I was wondering what I should do or if you know what it might be.

ouch!  try googling 'bee sting'.  Hope its better soon.  Are you sure its a sting and not a spider bite.

OUCH!  I have a tendency to react to bites and stings, so I know what you mean.  Two things to try:

1.  Make a paste of epsom salts and water and put it on the sting.  Leave it on as long as possible - until it starts to dry out and flakes off.  The epsom salts will draw the venom from the sting.

2.  Another option is black drawing salve (ichthamol ointment) - same principle, but with the salve you'll probably want to put a bandage over it to protect your clothes and anything else you come in contact with.

Hope this helps! 

Not all bees leave stingers in after they sting.   You would see it if it did (it wuld be hanging out of the middle of the "wound."  Unless you are uncomfortable (or have an allergic reaction), you don't really need to do anything with a bee sting.  Immediately after, there are a number of things you could try to reduce the pain and swelling - ice, mud, baking soda paste (baking soda and water) or even holding pennies on the sting for 15 minutes.  Both immediately after and until it is completely gone, Benadryl may relieve the itching and burning of the sting.

As far as allergic reactions, most people who have severe allergic reactions will know immediately.  Swelling would generally include the mouth and throat.  This type of reaction is a life-threatening emergency.  If you have it, take Benadryl immediately and head to the hospital.  People who know they are this allergic often carry epi-pens that allow them to administer epinephrine immediately after a sting to stop the allergic reaction.  This is probably nothing that you need to worry about (most people don't) - but wanted to point it out in case someone thought I was downplaying bee stings.

I am deathly afraid of bees but not deathly allergic.  I have been stung probably 100 times by all different kinds of bees in my life.  My 3 year old was recently stung 8 times by bumble bees after a nest was stirred up either by her or one of us that walked through the area before her.  We put pennies on her stings (although some will say it's a hoax) and her stings never swelled and were barely visible.  she never complained about itching or pain either.

Know that no matter what you do, the bee sting will heal after a few days.

 

Pam

OMg, thank you all so much for the reassurance.

But its normal if it still hurts the day after?

The thing is, I never actually saw what bit me. So I am trying to see if it is a normal symptom with bee stings/wasp stings to still be in slight pain the day after.And I didnt check if it was a spider bite. I'll look that up

absolutely...as long as the redness and swelling is going down it should be OK...if not or if it starts feeling really hot, then go see someone.

Hm, its feeling rather warm now...

Plain white vinegar will help elevate the sting.

Sounds like a wasp got you.  They bite and inject venom rather than use a stinger.  Or it could have been a hornet.  Whatever it was, use the remedies mentioned, and ice it to get the swelling and heat down. 

Toothpaste!

Put a dab of toothpast on the sting (not the gel kind) and leave it.  It will draw out the stinging feeling, and ease it.

You can reapply however often you need to.

Also, they can tend to get itchy as they're healing.  Sounds weird, but rub some of your deodorant on it and it will stop the itching!

Thank God we have drug stores, hmm?  LOL

omg, thank you all so much!

I was totally clueless as to what I should do lol