| Re: Bee Sting/bite q's- Long
On Sun, 08 Aug 2004 15:44:55 -0400, Cat Dailey wrote:
> Anyway, 91 miles into it, a bee gets up under my helmet and proceeds to
> sting me 3 or 4 times at least (one of the guys I rode with today said it
> was a "bite" not a sting, because it was a multiple). All I know is, it
> hurt A LOT :<
Chances are, since you were stung multiple times, it was a yellowjacket,
not a bee. Felt like an electric shock? Those critters are a RPITA
around here this time of year, and they will only get more aggressive as
their food supply (bugs) grows scarcer.
> Over the
> next 4-5 hours, the whole right side of my face swelled up until my eye
> was nearly closed, ala Jonathan Vaughters. I iced all night and took
> several benadryl during the evening, which only served to knock me on my
> a**. By the next morning, it had migrated across my face and halfway
> closed my left eye as well.
Much like the reaction I get to yelowjacket stings. I got one on the
cheek a few years ago and couldn't see out of my left eye for a couple
days since the whole side of my head swelled up.
> Am I allergic to bees now and do I need to carry an epi pen with me from
> now on, or is this a one time weirdo thing?
I don't know that I would call it an allergy. You are sensitive to these
things, but that is a common reaction, especially to multiple stings. An
epi-pen is a good idea (I need a new one, myself). This is not, however,
a one-time weirdo thing.
> Did I get stung or bitten? I am pretty sure that the critter
> in question was what we call a "yellow jacket" here in PA.
It's definitely a sting. Yellowjackets are a type of wasp; their nests
tend to be in the ground or in recesses in buildings -- or anything
outside. I usually get stung while mowing the lawn, since they defend
their nests fiercely.
--
David L. Johnson
__o | When you are up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember
_`\(,_ | that your initial objective was to drain the swamp. -- LBJ
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