* Before sharing my story, if a person is known to be allergic to bee stings, seek medical help immediately. Also, if the sting site becomes infected or painful/worse over 24 hours, seek help from a medical professional.
A couple of weeks ago I was unfortunate enough to get stung by both a bee and hornet while working in the garden.
My arm swelled up so off to the doctor I went. The clinic gave me cream and an antihistamine. The next day the swelling was getting progressively worse
so off to my regular doctor I went. Infected arm - needed medication :( What was interesting is what the Dr. told me. The next time you get stung put a penny on the bite for 15 minutes. I thought, wow next time (if there ever is one) I will try it.
Well that night Shelley's niece got stung by two bees. When she came over to swim I looked at the bite and it had already started to swell. So off I went to get my money. Taped a penny to her arm for 15 minutes. The next morning, there was no sign of a bite. Wow were we surprised. Her niece, we decided, just wasn't allergic to the sting.
Well guess what happened again on Saturday night. I was helping my friend
deadhead her flowers and guess what? You are right I got stung again two times
by a hornet on my left hand. Was I ticked. I thought, here I go again having
to go to the doctor for yet another remedy. Well I promptly went into the house, again got my pennies, and taped two of them to my bites -- I then sat and sulked for 15 minutes. The penny took the sting out of the bite immediately. I still wasn't sure what was going to happen. The next morning I could only see the spot where he had stung me. No redness, no swelling.
Just wanted to share the marvelous information in case any of you are experiencing the same problem at home. The Dr. said some how the copper in the penny counteracts the bite.
After a bee or hornet sting, you should:
* Remove the stinger as soon as possible by scraping it horizontally. This can easily be done with a credit card. Do not pull it out with the fingers, as this will squeeze the venom out of the sac and into the body.
* Apply cool compresses on the sting.
* Tape copper penny to the sting site for 15 minutes.
* Use a paste of baking soda and water over the sting to help decrease itching.
So remember this little bit of bee sting natural first aid when you're cultivating your organic gardens and pass it on to your friends, children, grandchildren, and pets.
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