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A pain in the beehind! What you need to know when you get stung
Claudia William • March 9, 2021
The Sting's The Thing
Imagine a beautiful walk along the beach when you are suddenly stung by a wasp, sadly my recent reality.
I recently was stung by a wasp twice in one week. The incident was definitely worse than I could have imagined and decided to share important information about wasp/bee stings. Remember this is for educational purposes only not medical advice and always see a doctor for your medical needs
Deaths from bees and wasps account for about 100 deaths each year in the USA.
Most people only have a localized reaction which can be treated with Ice and over the counter medication, some may have a more severe reaction which can even be life threatening, all of which we will discuss below:
If stung by a insect these are the steps that are necessary:
1. Immediately remove the stinger right away (90% of venom is delivered within first 20-30seconds)
2. Examine the area the make sure the stinger has been completely removed
3. Clean and disinfect the area with soap and water
4. Use Ice for swelling on the area
5. Over the counter pain medications to treat pain
6. If there is itching involved take over the counter antihistamines. Be aware if you are using anti-histamines that make you drowsy such as Benadryl
7. If there is concerns for trouble breathing, swelling of lips or tongue this can indicate a severe allergic reaction which can become a medical emergency call 9-1-1 immediately and if available use an Epi pen
8. Inject epinephrine to anterolateral thigh above the deltoid.
9. Albuterol inhalers can be used for trouble breathing but should never substitute for an epi pen or delay the use of an epi pen.
10. Your doctor may prescribe you oral steroids or antibiotics if there is severe swelling or signs of infection in the area involved
Some home remedies that are recommended are: 1) baking soda to neutralize the enzymes and 2) tobacco/nicotine most likely to decrease blood flow through vasoconstriction but it was hard to find any data or research to back up these recommendations. In the future someone may look into it to see if valid.
Things to keep in mind over the days following the sting if you see changes:
1. Some people can have a delayed and exaggerated response. "Exaggerated response to the venom is likely secondary to an IgE mediated mechanism. These reactions typically worsen over 48 hours and then resolve within 7 to 10 days."
2. "Serum-sickness reactions may occur up to 14 days after a sting and may include life-threatening conditions such as myocardial infarction, renal failure, DIC, and cerebral edema."
3. Depending on where the incident happened, especially if the ability to clean and sterilize the wound was not possible there can be a chance for cellulitis (infection of the skin) surrounding the area of the sting to occur
Please see a doctor or go to the emergency room if you have concerns. Please remember this is not medical advice but for educational purposes only
A special thank you to Susan Kramer @Kramer_susan & Matt Grimshaw @Matt_Grimshaw (you can find them on twitter) for the help with the witty title & subtitle for this post
References:
Arif F, Williams M. Hymenoptera Stings. [Updated 2020 Jun 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK518972/
Abbas M, Moussa M, Akel H. Type I Hypersensitivity Reaction. [Updated 2020 Oct 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560561/
Pucca, M. B., Cerni, F. A., Oliveira, I. S., Jenkins, T. P., Argemí, L., Sørensen, C. V., Ahmadi, S., Barbosa, J. E., & Laustsen, A. H. (2019). Bee Updated: Current Knowledge on Bee Venom and Bee Envenoming Therapy. Frontiers in immunology, 10, 2090. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.02090
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