Bee Sting

Sam suffered his first bee sting over the weekend...ugh...I felt horrible for him. We were at the park, at a friend's birthday party, and he came running to me crying, holding his hand out. I looked and saw something stuck in his finger with something attached to it. I'm so clueless about this...I had no idea what it was and thought it was just something from a tree or bush. (I have a terrible fear of stinging insects so I'm usually very aware of them being around me and I GET AWAY, so I've never been stung.) Thank goodness everyone else knew what is was and told me to get the stinger out. About the time I reached down to get it, Sam also grabbed for it and pulled it out himself. He didn't know what he was doing but got a hold of it and pulled it out. He cried for a good 5 minutes and kept rubbing his hand all over me...poor baby...I could tell he was in so much pain. And then he went back to playing. There was some swelling and redness at first but then the color in his hand went back to normal and left just minimal swelling. He seemed to be fine, and said it had stopped hurting until later that evening. The redness started coming back and it was tender to touch. So, I started doing some reading and learned some things.

Here are my bee sting findings and tips...

• Most things I read said never to pinch the stinger (with fingers or tweezers) to get it out, and instead to scrape it out with a card or something hard, to prevent more venom being released. But, I read about a study on Dr. Greene's website that proved that to be incorrect. They said the time the stinger is in actually affects the amount of venom that is released more. It's more important to just get the stinger out as quickly as possible as the venom continues to be released as long as the stinger is in...so, don't waste time digging out a credit card.
• Wash with soap and water...which we didn't do.
• Apply ice, or a wet cold washcloth, to help with pain and swelling...tried that and Sam wasn't having it!
  
• Baking soda paste helps neutralize the venom...didn't have that.
• A cotton ball dipped in 1 part meat tenderizer to 4 parts water can also neutralize the venom...didn't have that. Although I read warnings about not leaving it on more than 30 minutes because it can burn the skin.
• Apply deodorant/antiperspirant with aluminum in it (the key ingredient in any antiperspirant)...didn't have that handy.
• Benadryl keeps the reaction from spreading...I didn't think we needed it.
  
• Tylenol or Motrin can be used for pain...we did this later in the evening.
• Swelling is usually worse the next day and can last 2 or 3 days, and up to a week...glad I read this or I'd have been in the ER on Sunday.
  
• Redness or streaks that continue to spread far beyond the sting can be an indication of an infection.
• Oh, and there is some kind of venom extractor syringe, "Sting X-Tractor", that can be used to draw the venom out...I just didn't have mine with me that day...seriously...great idea, but WHO carries one of those?!?!?

So, now I know what to do and my kids will probably never be stung again because of it. But, hey, at least we know Sam's not allergic to bees.