# bee sting swelling photos



## drobbins

I've had swelling like that and never thought twice about it
seems to be worse in the spring, after a couple the reaction gets way less
guess I better stay away from the doctor if he'll tell me to give up bees

all kidding aside, I don't think that's what's considered a systemic reaction, it's a (admittedly unpleasant) local reaction. don't take my advice, I ain't no doctor

hope he gets better quick

Dave


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## riverrat

Ive had a few cases of swelling but not near this bad. He says hes done with the bees. Between his mother and the doctor I am in a corner. in an earlier post some one had asked about swelling so I thought I would post some photos. He got a steroid shot in the buttocks which probably hurt worse than the sting.


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## drobbins

I can't blame a youngster for being turned off by something like that
I got one in the eyebrow spring before last that swelled my eye shut for three days, ugly
I thought this was going to be an augment to the thread about posting pictures of yourself
post pictures of yourself all swollen up from being stung

Dave


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## iddee

I'm with dave. I'd find another quack....er, I mean doctor.
Most beeks will tell you the worst stings are in early spring. From both the long spell without getting stung, and the overwintered bees whose venom has been condensing for months. The new hatches will be less.


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## drobbins

you shoulda seen the pic of when iddee got stung on the belly, talk about swelling

Dave


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## riverrat

drobbins said:


> you shoulda seen the pic of when iddee got stung on the belly, talk about swelling


 
Last I heard the swelling still hasnt went down


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## mistergil

I've seen worse and had worse swelling myself and it never amounted to anything. I'm no doc but it looks like the MD is overreacting or covering his rear end. If your son wanted to continue I'd get a second opinion and keep an epipen handy just in case. Then again if he's done ..he's done..too bad.


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## HVH

drobbins said:


> I can't blame a youngster for being turned off by something like that
> I got one in the eyebrow spring before last that swelled my eye shut for three days, ugly
> I thought this was going to be an augment to the thread about posting pictures of yourself
> post pictures of yourself all swollen up from being stung
> 
> Dave


There was another thread that mentioned bee stings for breast enhancements (was a hoax of course) but still could have made for some humorous pics.


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## BULLSEYE BILL

riverrat said:


> Ive had a few cases of swilling .


Doesn't surprise me, you drink all kinds of swill. 

Those kids will do anything to get out of helping. Check out my boy's sting under his right eye in my pics section of my space. I thought he would turn into the elephant man.

Iddees right as usual, the old bees in the spring are worse, I've had worse and look at me,,,ok, I see your point.


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## Michael Palmer

>This was only his 3rd sting his first 2 didnt do this. The doctor says his bee days are over. Which I dont think hurts his feelings.<


I think your doctor doesn't know what he's talking about. Localized swelling is normal. I see this all the time in my new help. Early in the season, they swell something terrible. After a month or two, no more swelling.

Once I took a friend with arthritis to visit Charles Mraz...for bee sting therapy. Mraz's house was always filled with people interested in venom therapy. Besides the folks looking for relief, there were always a number of doctors there...from all over the world. This time, there were doctors from eastern Europe, and Poland. While Charlie was busy with someone, my friend struck up a conversation with the Polish doctor. He noticed her very swollen hand, and asked it that's what he had to look forward to.

She said no. Stings on the hand always swell. She said that with some parts of the body...like hands and faces...there is nowhere for the swelling to go but out, as just under the skin, etc is bone. There's nowhere for the swelling to go. On fleshy areas, the swelling can go in, and therefore doesn't look so bad. 

Now this doctor was a real looker. Blond, built, and in ripped up jeans. 

Trying to prove her point, she told my friend that she had received a series of stings on her lower back and butt. And, there's no swelling there...and she procedes to drop her jeans...right in the face of my friend. See, no swelling! Needless to say, my friends eyes about popped from his head. Needless to say...mine did too.

LOts of GP's don't really know about bee sting reactions. They see ugly swelling, and "just to be safe" they tell you your beekeeping days are done. If you really want to know if your boy is allergic to bee venom, he should be tested by an Allergist. Get a referral by your GP, and it will likely be covered by insurance. Then, you'll know for sure, and can proceed accordingly. If he really is allergic, he can be de-sensitized...as was my daughter who nearly died from a bee sting.


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## ScadsOBees

Yeah, I get swelling like that and my kids do too. As localized swelling shouldn't be too alarming. Got one on my chin and looked like Jay Leno for a couple of days. I agree about the hands swelling much worse. The worst part is the itching at about days 2-4.

However, if you start getting systemic stuff going on...like other parts of the body swelling up, or hives, or breathing trouble...that is cause for more alarm.

My sister had a lot of swelling from a beesting when she was 15, and the doctor told her she was allergic, and she's frightened of bees to this day.


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## iddee

Drobbins, Riverrat, that swelling ain't from bees. It's cause MYYY wife can cook, usually toooo good. 

If you don't have that swelling, OH! well, what can I say?


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## magnet-man

Everyone is correct this is a normal reaction.

What you need to watch for are the following:
1.	Hives
2.	Itching all over the body
3.	Difficulty breathing
My sister is mildly allergic to bee stings and she keeps bees. If she gets stung she *may* notice some slight difficulty breathing. She takes two Zantac and it goes away. Yes Zantac is an acid reducer but it is also an anti-histimen

* Yes, the doc is covering his rear. No doctor ever got sued for saying to give up beekeeping to a mother.*


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## JohnK and Sheri

One spring I had to have a ring cut off because of swelling after a bee sting. Your son's swelling is an entirely normal localized reaction, is not systemic (as long as that is the only reaction), and is nothing to worry about. Doctor's are not God, don't know everything and although yours should know better he obviously does not. 
Even folks stung dozens of times a day can occasionally get a dose potent enough and in the right place to cause this type of reaction.
Sheri


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## MapMan

Ditto the above. The localized reaction depends on the sting site. I got one on my ankle once that swelled and made walking difficult.

MM


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## honeyman46408

iddee said:


> Drobbins, Riverrat, that swelling ain't from bees. It's cause MYYY wife can cook, usually toooo good.
> 
> If you don't have that swelling, OH! well, what can I say?


iddee I NO the feeling  UH swelling


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## Dan Williamson

I've had my hands look like that before and my beekeeping days are just getting gearing up!!!

A doctor's comments like that are exactly why I have half the people I run into telling me that they are HIGHLY allergic to bee stings!

I have no doubt there is some liability-risk induced CYA going on!


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## Billy Y.

*Hmmmmm......*

So this is only the 3rd time he has been stung in two years of beeing? Seems to me he isn't getting stung enough. A sparcity of stings can lead to hypersensitivity in beekeepers.

If the swelling gets worse the next time he is stung the doc might be right. I'm not talking full allergy here - I'm talking hypersensitivity - which is a precurser to allergy.

Contrary to popular belief, the more stings the better with regards to beekeepers. Just being exposed to honeybee dander is enough to cause immune system hypersensitivity.

I suggest reading the chapter on allergies to bee stings in "The Hive and Honeybee". Esp. the chapter that talks specifically about beekeepers. Autoimmune system allergies is a complex subject - even for trained medical professionals.


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## tjenkins

*localized swelling*

Several years ago I was stung in the ankle. My leg swelled up all the way to my knee. I thought nothing of it except that was the worst swelling that I had since I started keeping bees six years ago. When my Mother found out (I was 42), she insisted that I go to the doctor. I made an appointment (to please my Mother) with an allergist and went to see him. He had a student doctor there so I got two for the price of one. The bottom line is, if the swelling is at the site of the sting, it is called localized swelling. This is normal I was told. I asked why I have never swelled up like that before (or since) he said that bee just had a larger dose of venom. He went on to say that if you get stung and swell away from the sting site, that is an allergic reaction. So is tingling, hives, swelling of the tongue and mouth, and hard to breathe. He also said that he could test me for bee sting allergy but most of the time the swelling is mistaken as a positive reaction so most people test positive for bee sting allergy even if they are not. I guess this is why 90% of the people you talk to are "allergic" to bee stings. The percentage is actually very low. I have an epipen and it has expired three times without being used. I have been stung many times since. Even tried a little bee sting therapy on my sore knee.


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## JoeMcc

This too is an opinion.... it usually gets better with more stings. Not that they hurt any less...but the reaction is less. My wife swells like that and her Dr has her keep an epipen...just in case things ever do go bad.

JoeMcc


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## Michael Palmer

Billy Y. said:


> So this is only the 3rd time he has been stung in two years of beeing? Seems to me he isn't getting stung enough. A sparcity of stings can lead to hypersensitivity in beekeepers.
> 
> If the swelling gets worse the next time he is stung the doc might be right. I'm not talking full allergy here - I'm talking hypersensitivity - which is a precurser to allergy.
> 
> Contrary to popular belief, the more stings the better with regards to beekeepers. Just being exposed to honeybee dander is enough to cause immune system hypersensitivity.
> 
> I suggest reading the chapter on allergies to bee stings in "The Hive and Honeybee". Esp. the chapter that talks specifically about beekeepers. Autoimmune system allergies is a complex subject - even for trained medical professionals.


I agree with what you said here. I don't think it's stressed enough...the part about bee dander causing allergy to bee venom. My daughter almost died from a bee sting, and I blame it on exposure to bees without actually being stung. She rode in the bee truck almost every day, and sat on my lap while I had bee clothes on. I know too many others in beekeeping families that have the same problem...spouses that wash bee clothes, or kids that ride in Dad's bee truck.

From all the allergic family members I've known, it seems that those that were stung regularly..after being de-sensitised...developed a high tollerance for venom. I don't know about hypersensitivity. I suppose it could be so. You could administer stings that you only leave in for a second, and gradually build up tollerance. That's what they did with my allergic daughter...only she was very allergic, and they administered 1000th of a sting to start. Even that had a reaction. Eventually they got her to tollerate more than a full sting. And yes, hyopdermic stings sting too.


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## jeff123fish

I got stung last year same spot on my wrist.got it check by a family friend who is a doctor, she said that I was stung on a lymph node track and that was why the swelling spread as violently as it did. benadryl two days later it was gone. Sounds like your doctor is over reacting. -Jeff


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## xC0000005

Just curious - does the pain portion ever go away? By the end of last year I'd get stung and just get a red dot that went away after an hour or so. It still hurt though. Just wondering if the pain portion gets better with enough stings.


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## honeyman46408

xC0000005 said:


> Just curious - does the pain portion ever go away? By the end of last year I'd get stung and just get a red dot that went away after an hour or so. It still hurt though. Just wondering if the pain portion gets better with enough stings.


My mentor has 65 yeas and he says it still HURTS


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## Irene S

*ouch* poor kid.

I'm glad he's okay.

I get anaphylactic reactions to aspirin, the swelling "travels" and doesn't stay in one area. It's scary as all get out 

I can see why your wife doesn't want him near the bees. Thats her baybeee! (even though I KNOW a 15 year old wont see it that way!  )


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## Gene Weitzel

xC0000005 said:


> Just curious - does the pain portion ever go away? By the end of last year I'd get stung and just get a red dot that went away after an hour or so. It still hurt though. Just wondering if the pain portion gets better with enough stings.


I still feel the stings, but just barely, the pain only lasts a few seconds and its not very intense. I got bit last summer on the wrist by a Copperhead and never new it till the next morning when I noticed some soreness and the two little puncture marks (they were still oozing a little). Luckily I had no major problems but my wrist was bruised, sore and weak for months. My point here is that feeling no pain is not necessarily a good thing.


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## Matt Guyrd

Gene Weitzel said:


> I got bit last summer on the wrist by a Copperhead and never new it till the next morning...


WHAT?!?!?!?

Gene...you are a Man's Man. Heck if I saw a copperhead (before it saw me), you can bet I would not give it the opportunity to bite me and not notice.

Wow.

Matt


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## Billy Y.

*Immune doesn't mean no pain*

I am what I consider immune from bee stings. But it still hurts when I get stung too and I don't blame anybody for wanting to avoid being stung. Avoiding pain is human nature and to avoid it is why nature invented pain - lol.

What I don't get due to immunity is the after-pain and swelling. When I first started out the stung area would stay swollen and painful to touch for a couple days after. Then it would itch like crazy for a few days more until that finally faded and everything was back to normal. Other than the initiall sting and a red dot I get none of those after effects anymore.

To bee a beekeeper and never allow oneself to be stung is, IMHO, unhealthy. You can't have the ying without the yang and mother nature has her ways of settling scores.

I think it's one of those "mind over matter" type things. We all remember sting events in our early childhoods that for us were traumatic events, and we carry this mindset as adults. As a beekeeper you have to convince yourself that you are going to be stung from time to time. Once you set in your mind that bee stings are no big deal then they won't be.


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## Gene Weitzel

Matt Guyrd said:


> WHAT?!?!?!?
> 
> Gene...you are a Man's Man. Heck if I saw a copperhead (before it saw me), you can bet I would not give it the opportunity to bite me and not notice.
> 
> Wow.
> 
> Matt


Matt...That's pretty much my policy as well, however I never saw this sucker. I assume it was a Copperhead since I see them all the time on my place, and the fact that it was a minimal invenomation. Trust me, had I seen this one, it would not have gotten away with it. I was moving some logs around and the only thing I can figure is it was under one of them (I did have gloves on, but they were a little short and did not cover my wrists). It still seems really odd to me that I never felt the bite. My daughter got bit on the ankle a couple of years ago, she felt intense pain and then her foot went numb. She spent over a week in the hospital, but did recover fully. I was a little luckier since the snake chose not to (or was unable to) deliver it's full load of venom.


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## Jesus_the_only_way

I don't mind the pain nearly as much as the itching that usually lasts for a couple days after the sting.
Tom


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## Michael Palmer

Gene Weitzel said:


> I still feel the stings, but just barely, the pain only lasts a few seconds and its not very intense.


Well, I guess it just depends where the sting is, eh? I can think of a spot or two where a good bee sting will bring tears even to your eyes.


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## Gene Weitzel

Michael Palmer said:


> Well, I guess it just depends where the sting is, eh? I can think of a spot or two where a good bee sting will bring tears even to your eyes.


I don't know Michael, with all the cutout activity I did last year, and without going into much detail, I have had them get me in a couple of spots that "don't see much sun". 

I did get a sting right on the tip of my nose when my veil fell against it. Seemed like the little bugger was just waiting for that opportunity and jumped right on it when it materialized. Made my eyes water a little, but no swelling or itching.


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## iddee

I got a few stings today. I don't know how many, but I remember scraping 4 or 5 stingers out while I was working. The only one I can find now is the three on the tip of my index finger. It is a little tight where it is trying to swell a bit, but the skin doesn't stretch very well. I can't remember where the others were.

Don't worry, it does get better after a few hundred or thousand stings.


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## honeyshack

I had a sting simillar to that. Prednisone in the butt and benedryl in the arm. I wanted to sleep from the benedryl, but the prednisone had other thoughts. continued with benedryl for a week afterwards. Took near a week for the swelling to go down.
near a month later got four stings in the top of the head. I was set to go to work driving school bus and all of a sudden the nose and eye started to swell...off to the hospital. Nose, eye, lips, huge..like a bad botox treatment you see on TV. No butt shot but 3 benedryl tablets...out like a lite for 12 hours.

I feel for your son. I hope he gets over the heebee jeebees soon and tries it again.
Epi pen at all times.
Here is a trick most of you already know but for those who do not...and are not alergic...
take and asprin...must be asprin, crush it up and mix with water. Apply to the sting with a cotton ball. Asprin is an anti inflamatory and thus helps with pain relief and swelling. It works...just wish i did it on my wrist.


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## vajerzy

I have an inherent fear of getting stung- that's why I dress head to toe in gear. I wear leather gloves- but I'm rough with the hives sometimes with them and I want to use lighter, more nimble gloves. 

I read "A Book of Bees" by Sue Hubbell and she mentioned how she would acclimate her helpers by icing a portion of their arm and initiating a bee sting...in essence, building a tolerance to them. I considered that- initiating some bee stings on my terms so I can reduce the anticipation of being stung. Anyone have comments on that?

I don't swell up much- but it sure hurts, depending on where I was tagged. My ankle was the worse.


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## Ravenseye

Seems that a lot of times, it does depend on where you get stung. I've read Sue Hubbell's "A Book of Bees". Loved the book. I've always wanted to try the method that she describes but I never get around to it. If you ever try it, let us know.


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## mduncan

*mduncan*

I do feel for your son....same thing happens to me when I get stung. It usually takes about 24-48 hrs for the swelling to subside. That's why I can no longer work without gloves (one or 2 stings on the finger and my hand and arm swell to the elbow). If the ladies get me through the gloves I have to immediatly take off the wedding ring and get to the Benadryl. 
Someone posted that this reaction was non-systemic, probably just a pretty bad localized reaction. I'd have to agree, but I wouldn't disregard your MD's advice totally. I've been teaching Paramedic education for a couple of decades and I always make sure my students know that allergic reactions can and do change. Some people can become less allergic to a substance over time and others (like me) can have their reactions worsen. Local reactions can easily progress to systemic reactions.


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## Ruben

I had one that got me exactly like that last year and all the ones before and after were minor. Seems some bees pack a bigger punch.


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## berkshire bee

one of the clubs I belong to does apply stings to beginners who have never been stung to make sure they aren't allergic. They have an epi-pen on hand and someone who knows how to administer it. I had never seen an epi-pen and assumed it was something about the size of a ballpoint pen tha you could carry in your pocket. I was really surprised to see how big they are.


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## chief

In my opinion that is a perfectly normal reaction for someone who hasn't been stung a lot. And remember not all bee stings are created equal. I might get three stings in one day and one just leaves a red dot and the other might swell up my whole hand and the other one just itches.


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## JBJ

My better half was stung on the lip last summer. Now all her friends want the treatment. Much cheaper than a collagen injection. LOL!


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## jackalope

Yes, that's what happens to me too - localized swelling 12-24 hrs after the sting - completely normal reaction - just the body's way of fixing the damage done by the venom. 

A bad reaction would be one that was quick and not in the place where the sting was.

It also illustrates why getting 200-300 sting can kill you if you don't get prompt medical attention - it will take your liver a while to metabolize all that venom in your blood and in the mean time it will be doing damage to your vital organs.


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## Lindenau BeeLady

I think the number that kills you is up over 1,000. It is based on weight and size of the person being stung. I've had over 100 stings (bees still alive and crawling around the hospital when I went. I was not popular with the nurses). Now I wish I hadn't gone as the steroids were probably worse for me than the bee venom.

Since then I have researched the amount of venom, number of stings, etc. that are "serious."

I get stung ever few months and usually swell for a day or two, then itch and then it goes away. My mental/emotional resistance has subsided greatly and now I don't pay much attention to the physical symptoms.


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## ffblaschke

looks like local allergic reaction, overwinter hives or especially feral hives pack the most venom in their sting. (those little tiny ones are worst) I wouldn't be concerned unless your son was stung from the shoulders up, possible swelling of airway. My dad and brother both react the same way as your son. Benadryl will help with stings on the hands. As long as your son had no problem breathing or cardiac rythm changes i believe him to be able to continue with bees for many years to come. A suit would be a good thing, a veil a must, gloves wouldn't hurt either. My two cents. jim


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## hummingberd

HVH said:


> There was another thread that mentioned bee stings for breast enhancements (was a hoax of course) but still could have made for some humorous pics.


I wish I had thought of this!!!


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## BeeAnonymous

*My sting Reaction*

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc84/BeeAnonymous/IMG_0372.jpg

Well, I'm glad to see these pictures. When I get stung the swelling above is normal..... For me that is. A lot of non beekeeper friends tell me I'm allergic and should give up the hobby, because they never swell up like this when they are stung.

I have been stung 9 times since I started beekeeping last year. Reaction seems to be diminishing each time. My favorite stings are on my forearms or biceps. I get to look like Popeye for a few days and show off my one big gun.

I haven't read from anyone about the heat generated by the area of swelling. On me the spot seems to generate heat for as long as the itching. 3 days max. Any one experience that too?


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## Black Creek

*stung in the throat-to the ER last weekend*

wish i had gotten my wife to take some pics.... i was felling a large pine tree... and well... it led to an impromptu hive relocation. it's was a nuc i left in my front yard so i could keep an eye on it over winter. it's built up quite a bit. i suited up 1st, but the bees were ticked. the veil ended up touching my neck and that was the 1st place i got hit. then my ankles. and once they found out my ankles were exposed, they told about 20 of their friends to go hit me there. i'd already been stung several times this year already, but this time i turned red as a beet. my eyes bugged out and got really red and blood shot. my wife flipped out and took me to the ER. I tried to tell her that i could breath just fine, but she didnt believe me since my lip was swollen and stiking out like a duck bill and my voice was sounding funny since i got stung right on my adam's apple... and of course i'm telling her that i'm totally fine while looking at her with my bugged out blood shot eyes. I was feeling better before we even got to the hopital, but she made me go in, and then they kept me there for hours of "observation'' 

Dr. said i'm allergic and should be more carefull and prescribed an Epipen. I really dont think i'm allergic since i've been stung hundreds of times before. i think it was just a cumulative effect from so many stings at once, and that one sting to my throat. 

that day was way worse than when i got bit by a copperhead tho. i bet that dr. would say i'm allergic to those too !


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## Hobie

BeeAnonymous - yeah, I get the localized hot spot and maddening itching, too.


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## JP

http://picasaweb.google.com/pyxicephalus/March92008/photo#5175846207709346978


...JP


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## pukakoe

She got stuck in my hair and then got yhe upper eye lid


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## shawnwri

Ouch.


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## jackalope

pukakoe said:


> She got stuck in my hair and then got yhe upper eye lid


How long did the swelling take to go down?


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## pukakoe

Just happened yesterday afternoon. So I am hoping maybe 3 days, it will all be over and I can see again.


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## mistergil

My face is swelling just from looking at that pic!


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## Hanover Honey

Acording to Dadant's The Hive and the Honey Bee, this is a stage 3 reaction and is quite normal (about 17% of people have these reactions) and can last several day to a week or more with increase swelling as days go by.
There is ZERO coralation between these reactions and alergic reactions that can cause breathing problems etc...In other words, one does not equal the other. Find a doctor who is willing to look something up if he doesn't know the answer.


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## The Bee Man

drobbins said:


> you shoulda seen the pic of when iddee got stung on the belly, talk about swelling
> 
> Dave


Is that why my belly is so swollen. I knew it had to be something other than Budweiser!
Monty


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## winevines

That is exactly what happened to me during my first install.... 

On day 3 I got a cortisone shot and it was down within hours.

And, you are right the MAJOR LOCAL REACTION (Which is what I have) is a big pain, but no relation to anaphalactic reaction. I am considering desensitization which they say can be done once a week for 3 months now.


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## gingerbee

I've had localized swelling like that and systemic reactions, even went into anaphalactic (sp)shock once. That reaction included rash over body (mine was a fine rash), a feeling of being overheated, going into shock (like Iwas going to pass out) tightness in the chest (feels like you can't take a deep breath) and nausea. I had over 70 stings when this happened. 

But I still keep bees. Usually I can handle a few stings without swelling but I never know. 
I always carry an epipen with me when working the bees and when really going deep into them take a benadryl as a precaution so I have something in my system when/if I get stung. I should go back to the medical center for desensitization. 

It might be a good idea to get an epipen for your son just in case he gets stung again.


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## Steelton Bee Man

I am a preacher and everytime i get stung near the eye its seems like it is on a church day. Everyone gasps and says you are allergic. No bee venom is supposed to swell you up. That is called a natural reaction not an allergic one. The boy will be fine. I hope he remains intrested in bees. It takes several stings each spring to reduce swelling and itching. I don't know what the magic number is but after so many they do not affect you as much; but it is something that we go through each year.


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## Ross

I got 40 or so in the head and neck mowing on the tractor the first year I had bees. After I determined my throat wasn't closing up, I drove myself to the ER. They did the predisone series and a kenalog shot. I was swollen like elephant man for a few days. Now most stings do nothing but itch, but every once in a while one will swell and get a little fever in it, usually hands or wrist.


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## Ben Brewcat

This was an early-season sting right between the eyes.


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## alexx_v

When I was 13 i got stung about 40 or 50 times ... and these only in my head.. never counted how many times I was stung at my body.... and of course this didn't stop me and make me quit my bees.... Like every poison, bees' poison affects mostly the heart... local swelling is normal reaction.... it's not normal when you got stung in your finger and even your armpit swells.... But everyone should take the decision of his own


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## joker1656

This is my first beek season. I caught several swarms early on, and started getting a little relaxed. I went to a swarm call with no protective gear one evening. :no: I ended up dropping the box as I was shaking them in. I only got stung about 15+ times. :doh: 

I popped 4 Benadryl and drove to the ER. I had the tingling, the hives, the nausea, and the swelling tounge. The stings were localized on my left arm. It took a good 15 minutes before these symptoms occurred. 

After some steroids and more benadryl  I left the hospital. I took the steroids for a little over a week. The first 4 days, or so I would still have hives pop up if the length of time between pills was too long. 

I have been stung numerous times in the past couple of months since then. Before the swarm incident I would get the localized swelling and feverish skin. Since the swarm incident I get almost nothing. Still hurts like a SOG, but gone in a day. Very little to no swelling. opcorn: 

Kind of cool to get the "immunity". Don't know how long it will last, but I will enjoy it while it does.


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## antonio4231

I got stung on three times on the hand a couple of months back and my hand swelled about like the young mans. This is my second year beekeeping and I usually suit up, when I'm working with the bees. All the bees that I have are really gentle, so I got a little over confident. I went out on a cool morning to replace the hive top feeder. All I was wearing was a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. The girls got me on the hand and on my left calf as I was walking away. I experienced swelling and heat in the sting sites for about a week. I still have a sore spot between my fingers at one of the sting sites. I blame most of the reaction I had to being ill with a systemic staff infection ( that I aquired from abcessed tooth). I think that if I had been healthy the stings would have been a non-event.


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## Walt B

I have no information to add, just want to thank all who have responded. 

After last weekend I was beginning to think I was allergic: looked like the "amazing man with catcher's mit hands" after a half dozen or so stings, but the swelling started to decrease after 1 1/2 days and the itching stopped (previous bee and wasp stings lasted a lot longer).

It's nice to know I'm just having an average, expected reaction.

Thanks again to all of you,:applause:

Walt


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