Bee stings

[omnimirage]

It seems like most people deem bee stings to be quite a bad thing. If I express that I've been stung twenty or more times, people have told me to go see a doctor asap "just in case". People constantly say that, just because I'm not allergic now, doesn't mean I won't develop one and have an allergic reaction soon, that the more I'm stung the more likely I am to become allergic. Those who haven't been stung are often very fearful of bees because "they don't know if they're allergic or not".

Are bee stings more dangerous than I think? Is it risky to take someone who hasn't been stung by a bee before, over an hour away from a hospital? Should I get myself some sort of epipen? Or maybe some sort of lotion to put on fresh beestings?

[Jen]

Hi Omnimirage, I too haven't had a questionable or dangerous encounter with bee stings. However, I err on the side of caution and keep an epipen in my tool bag every season. You need a fresh epipen every year. The last I heard, a handful of years ago, that it's 2% of the population will have a True anaphlaxic experience, which I think must be terrifying when your air passage is closed off.

There is a thread or two on this forum where we talk about this situation. And one of them is Riverbee's experience. She catalogs the event and all of the doc appointments to desensitize the allergic reaction.

I would rather survive the anaphylaxic episode than be found dead in my bee yard 

[LazyBkpr]

I am not a doc so can't honestly tell you about the likelihood of "becoming" allergic if you are stung often...

   I can only say, I have been getting stung since I was thirteen years old, many of those episodes were twenty or more stings. A couple years ago I took in excess of thirty stings from being stupid. I never once considered going to the emergency room etc...  I woke up about 3 AM feeling sick... I went into the bathroom, threw up.... felt better and went back to bed. I cannot even guess how many times I get stung each year. Rather than consider it a bad thing, i usually just shrug it off as my normal Bee Venom Therapy session and enjoy the side effects of having less pain in my knees and shoulder. In fact if I haven't BEEN stung in a while I might even annoy one of the ladies just enough...   Kind of like I do my wife... only... I can outrun my wife...

   I have never heard that you were MORE likely to become allergic if you are stung often. I would "think" if that were the case, that there would be several old fools in here (Not naming names)  who were deadly allergic by now.  If I had to guess I would simply say that becoming allergic or not would have far more to do with an individuals reactions and immune system than the number of stings over time. As I said, if stings over time, or number of stings were a factor. I know I would be done for.
   Scott

[Jen]

Hey Scott! Hi buddy.... made my day to hear your voice. The last few days have been wonderful, heard from Iddee, Riverrat, and You.

I can pipe in on your comment "I have never heard that you were MORE likely to become allergic if you are stung often"

This year a county bee club was born in our town, it's been just Great! I've met many new beekeepers. I am also mentoring a very nice gentleman, Jerry. This was Jerry's first season. He got stung and his arm started to swell with a little bit of hives. He panicked, gave the wife the car keys and said get him to the ER as fast as she can. From there he was sent to a allergist and now is taking anti venom shots once a week for several months.... at $80 a pop. I've been hearing this same scenario many times the last couple years. Boggles my mind!

When I hear this story from other beeks going thru these treatments, they say that their allergist said that if they get stung One More Time before their treatments are done... that they will have a 75% chance of going into a complete anaphylactic shock and quite possible death. Still boggles my mind!

But as I told Omni, when I'm discussing this issue with others, I don't want to be the one at fault for another's peril, should that occur. I do think it wise to have an epipen close by when tending bees. It sure can't hurt anyway.

[LazyBkpr]

   Yeah....   How do you tell someone their doc just wants their money? Especially if it gets them hurt, or worse...
   I remember having a local reaction the first time I got stung... which... also happened to be about twenty or more stings as i sprinted down the gravel road.. swelling itching etc...   All symptoms went away in time....  then I moved to Maine... didn't do anything with bees for several years. When I got bees again, and got stung.. the local reaction was back, and just like the first time, it faded, and now when i get stung, i often forget it even happened. I have had my wife ask.. what is on your face?  And... she pulls a stinger out I forgot about.
   For me, it has been, getting stung often has made me "used" to the stings, as opposed to allergic to them. But...  As I said above. I can only assume that everyone is different, Like Mrs. River, bless her cuddly fuzzy little heart.

[omnimirage]

How would they even calculate 75% chance? That is a lot of money, boggles my mind too.

[tedh]

The first summer we had bees I asked my Dr. about getting an epi pen "just in case". She recommended against it.  Ted

[omnimirage]

Why did she recommend against it?

[Jen]

My question too Ted? Unless she doesn't want to take the time to use it correctly?

[tedh]

I asked her mainly because of all the young ones, grandchildren and different groups who are here often, there are different doses of epi based on weight, they need to be replaced yearly and the very small percentage of people that actually have deadly reactions.  For those reasons, and perhaps more that I've since forgotten, she advised against it.  Ted

[Jen]

Hmmmm, very interesting. I think this is the first time I've heard the contrary from a physician.

I dunno, for me anyway, I think it better to have a fighting chance. Especially if you are out in the boonies by yourself with hives.

[neillsayers]

Sweet Wife is allergic and we often have visitors that are unaware if they are allergic. It is at least an hour to make it to an E.R. We keep epipens and benedryll on hand.

[tedh]

Do you keep both the epi pen and epi jr on hand, replacing them both each year?

[neillsayers]

Don't know what epi jr is, I assume for small children. We replace the pens when they expire but that really hasn't been an issue as SW generally gets stung by wasps a couple times a summer. They seem to "know" she's sensitive or maybe they smell the fear. They get too close to me for comfort i crush the little suckers.

[tedh]

Epi, (is it epinepheron?) dosage is administered according to weigh.  Obviously the dosage for a 200 pound adult would be diifferent than the dosage for a 50 pound child.  I have no idea what the medical ramifications would be to overdose or underdose but imagine it wouldn't be in the injected persons best interest.  Epi pens come in at least 2 dosages, Epi pen that most are familiar with and also epi jr, but again I'm uncertain of either of the weight parameters.  I believe this was one of the reasons Dr advised against but that too is just a guess.  Maybe she just hates me?  Ted, stop smoking!  Ted, avoid salt!  Ted, exercise more!  Ted, go on a low fat diet!  Just once I'd like to hear, "Ted maybe you should have a smoke and think about it while you lay on the couch watching TV eating chocolate cake with extra frosting".  Ted

[neillsayers]

  Just once I'd like to hear, "Ted maybe you should have a smoke and think about it while you lay on the couch watching TV eating chocolate cake with extra frosting".  Ted

When you find that doc give me his name-I'd make a trip to Iowa for my doc visits!

[tedh]

Maybe they (doctors) hate ALL of us non-doctors?  If nothing else they're kind of buzz kills.  Actually, I like and trust my doctor, as a matter of fact, I just recieved a Christmas card from her and her familiy.  Ted

[LazyBkpr]

Ehhh... doctors....  Doc wanted me to go in for testing, have scans done etc...  then they called and asked for three THOUSAND dollars up front, since we had a three K deductible...   I told the wife I was going to die. Told the doc it wasn't happening.. He said not to complain if I was dead in six months.. that was  year ago so I guess I am doing good?   

[Jen]

Ted, us too with our doc, we've been with him and his nurse now for about 30 years. He has seen us and our kids thru soo much stuff it's unreal. It's nice to not be considered cattle.

Scott, so very recently I had three stents put onto my heart arteries. Really the whole procedure was a piece of cake and I feel great! Here's the clincher. For one year I am to take an aspirin and a blood thinner (Plavix) until the stents are completely settled in, and I understand why. Last week my cardio doc said he wanted to add an anticoagulant which would make three blood thinners. My red flag went up. I said I'll think about it. Came home called my fam doc, and he said I would be at risk of a brain bleed.

I think not! I have swarms to chase in my jammies in three months 

[LazyBkpr]

 I could go on and on about the total WASTE of insurance money prescribed by doctors...   Therapy, medications and tests my wife went through for several years. Even after all that they still wanted MORE before they would consider doing surgery... It took my wife telling them she couldnt take it any more, and me telling them what was going to happen to them.. guess what? They did the surgery, she is good now. Almost three years of fighting them, and it took her getting to the point of suicide before they would listen, and it was ALL about that money the insurance company was paying them... They milked as much as they could get out of her... Who is it really that is defrauding the insurance companies?     But I digress...   this is about bee stings!

  Is it strange to say I cant WAIT to get stung again??