Update on Sting

When Levi got up this morning, his eye was almost swollen shut. I talked to the clinic yesterday, and they said to use Benadryl and ice, and watch for signs of infection, but the swelling was normal. When it looked worse this morning, I got online and it seems that he’s following the typical pattern for a sting in the eye area. It gets red, hot, and the eye swells a lot. After the first day, the itching starts and can get pretty bad. Then it will just subside in a few days.

I thought it would be helpful to share this information with others, since I found it very interesting and helpful.

-Bee venom is acidic, so you can put baking soda on the site to neutralize the poison immediately after the bite.
-Wasp and hornet venoms are alkaline, so you need to put vinegar, lemon juice, or other citrus juice on them to neutralize. You can just rub a slice of lemon on it.
-Tobacco and tea bags, wet and placed on the bite/sting immediately will draw out the poison. (I remember this from when I was a kid. I got stung by a bee, and my Granddad reached in his cheek and pulled out a nasty glob of Levi Garrett and smashed it on there. SO gross!)
-You can crush up an aspirin, wet it a little, and rub it on the area to help with pain.
-Ice and ibuprofen will help with the swelling and pain, and Benadryl will help with the itching.
-Watch for signs of infection, including pus, extreme redness or worsening swelling, or fever.
-Seek medical attention for suspected infection, and seek emergency help if there is any sign of anaphylactic shock, including wheezing, difficulty breathing, hives, tightness in chest or throat, or swelling of tongue or throat.
-Also seek medical attention if the diameter of the swollen area exceeds 10 cm in diameter.
-If the victim has experienced a severe reaction to that type of insect before, it is best to seek medical help immediately, because it could turn bad fast. If you know that you or your children are allergic or experience bad reactions to certain bites/stings, ask your doctor for a prescription for an epi pen and carry it with you at all times.

Now, for the information you’ve come to expect from ME… since Levi’s swelling was so bad this morning, I had him put an “ouchy pack” on his eye. These are little herb packets that I make by steeping the dry herbs in boiling water, then wrapping them in paper towels to make little pouches. I lay them on a tray and freeze them, then keep them in bags in the freezer. When we need one quickly for an injury, I can grab it out of the freezer, run it under warm water to soften a bit, and slap it on. You have an instant herbal ice pack. The pouches contain plantain (the super first aid herb), comfrey, yarrow, and jewelweed, and I sometimes add lavender, Echinacea, or garlic. They have come in very handy, and work very well to relieve swelling and pain, and even prevent severe bruising. When I dropped a large board on my ankle and it started swelling, I kept a pack on it for about 30 minutes, and I had hardly any swelling or bruising. When I fell through the hole in the floor of the flatbed trailer and hurt my leg pretty badly on both sides, I kept pouches taped onto my leg because it hurt so bad. When I took them off, it would start to hurt again. (Notice, I use them more than anyone else, because I’m the REAL danger around here!) So, the swelling in Levi’s eye went down by at least 30-40% after having the pack on it for 20 minutes. If he had left it on longer, I think it would have done even better. They really are amazing little pouches!

As for the weather, it’s raining for the third straight day, and it’s great! July in South Texas is not usually this cool or wet, and we are loving it. We are hoping for a nice Sunday and Monday, though, for the holiday. We’d like to see and do a few fireworks this year, especially since it’s nice and wet! The burn pile in our backyard is officially GONE and replaced with a big pile of ash. THAT is nice! Hopefully, the rain will disperse a lot of that, too, and Honey’s co-worker is still hauling off metal from the pile we inherited when we got here, so it should be gone soon. Our hillbilly factor is declining, slowly but surely! Just a few more weeks and we’ll be able to process the broilers and get the butchering table and sink out of the backyard, and then we’ll REALLY be under the radar!