Got stung by a yellow jacket today
@shaggin (72131)
United States
October 24, 2017 2:42pm CST
I was just reading a post on mylot yesterday about hornets and thought they were yellow jackets.
Today my son and I were outside playing with the puppy and I got stung by a yellow jacket.
It didn't swell much so I figured I was fine. About 5 minutes later my heart and head started pounding and my skin and face turned really red and my face felt on fire. I started to get dizzy and so rather then risk passing out at home with my son I drove to the hospital a mile away.
I waited over an hour for the doctor to come look at me. By then the redness had gone away but I still had a terrible headache. He told me to take Benedryl and sent me on my way.
I came home took advil & benedryl. If I knew I wasn't going to pass out I would have done this to begin with and not have gone to the emergency room at all. At least I know for next time!
11 people like this
11 responses
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
26 Oct 17
I was so I quick drove to the emergency room when I started having symptoms. My breathing was fine though and I got better over the hour of waiting for the doctor. I was told to put ice on it and take benedryl. Now I know next time I get stung to take benedryl and skip going to the doctor.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
27 Oct 17
@thelme55 Yes and @enlightenedpsych2 showed me natural remedies I can try as well using onion and honey. Pretty amazing as no doctor at the ER would have had any knowledge of that and if they did I'm sure they wouldn't tell me or perhaps not be allowed to tell me.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
26 Oct 17
My husband had the same thing while golfing, although he did not react to the bite, his arm was red and swollen but it was gone in a few days, the other day I have no idea what bit me but my arm looked like my husbands, I used some allergy rub and didn't think of benedryl, I think its in the medicine cabinet.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
27 Oct 17
That is good neither one of you have a more severe reaction. Your symptoms are usually how I get with bees. Never a big deal when I got stung but this time was different. At least I didn't get so bad that I had trouble breathing that would have been much scarier.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
1 Nov 17
@PainsOnSlate The allergies I had as a child I outgrew but now in my 30s I have developed two new ones. I am not happy about it at all.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21852)
• Canada
1 Nov 17
@shaggin I out grew all my childhood allergies, thankfully (Just in the last 5 years)...I've been allergic enough to not be able to breathe reminded me of a scary event, I will write about it soon...
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11384)
• United States
9 Nov 17
So glad it was not worse. My cousin goes into anaphylactic shock if she gets stung by any form of bee, wasp, hornet or yellow jacket. She has to carry an epi pen with her.
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11384)
• United States
14 Nov 17
@shaggin Yes, very scary, she always kept it with her after that.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247186)
• United States
27 Oct 17
Wow! You were wise to get yourself to the ER! Only you know how you felt, and you definitely knew something was not right. I was stung on the back of my calf once while walking my dog who had a severe heart problem. I wanted to run home screaming, but he had to sit to catch his breath every few few. Oh, the pain! So glad you are ok. Benadryl has helped me with allergic reactions to CIPRO.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
27 Oct 17
My daugher is allergic to Cipro aa well as Keflex anf 2 other meds. It's hard when she needs medicine for the doctors to prescribe her anything. I'm allergic to quite a bit and can only take Keflex which is weak or Cipro which is strong. Both my daughter and I had severe reactions to two medications so we have to be very careful. Doctors ask what happens when I took amoxicillian as if I was making it up. It almost killed me when I was 7 I am not taking chances trying it again.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
26 Oct 17
Well now that I know I am allergic to them I will make sure I always have benedryl nearby. As long as I only get stung by one I think I will be okay. It was so scary since I had never had a reaction like this before. Seeing that it improved on its own over the hour I waited for the doctor sounds like a good thing to me. I won't need to go to the ER next time.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
25 Oct 17
I wasn't having any breathing problems so it was not considered life threatening. If I had been worse then they would have paged the doctor immediately. We have a small hospital and one doctor to take care of everyone on 2 floors. He probably was making rounds on a different ward and since it wasn't such a rush finished that all before seeing me.
@DesirousDreamer (34776)
• Peoria, Arizona
24 Oct 17
That is awful, but at least you know what can help! Hopefully there is no next time. When I see a yellow jacket, I am out, I take whoever I am with inside and don't look back haha
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
26 Oct 17
They are all over on our property but they don't bother us if we don't step on them etc but this one was nasty for no reason. It was on my sons shoe and I told him to just kick his shoe to shoo it away but he said he didn't care if it was on him. I looked down under the tire to see if it had a nest and then it stung me so I said to quick get inside with the puppy. I thought I was fine since it wasn't swelling then 5 minutes later the symptoms started.
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
25 Oct 17
Yes that was exactly how I felt. I was worried if untreated I would pass out at home with my son. Now I know it won't get to bad and if I get stung in the future I will immediately take benedryl. I feel silly about going to the ER but I never go to the doctor unless I feel I might die if I don't. I've never had a reaction like this before so it scared me.
@peachpurple (13962)
• Malaysia
24 Oct 17
Wow I thought it was a serious problem too. Luckily you are safe
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
26 Oct 17
I was very worried with the symptoms that came on that I was going to get really bad which was why I rushed to the ER but thankfully it never got any worse... I never had trouble breathing. Now I know in the future to just take Benedryl if I ever get stung by one again.
