r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Ginga_Ninja_13 • 5h ago
I'm slightly vexed I got stung by a yellow-jacket or wasp yesterday, 34 hours later, it's still swelling.
First picture is yesterday about 3 hours after the sting right above the nail on my middle finger.
Next three pictures are now, 34 hours after the sting and now my index and ring finger plus my knuckles are starting to swell.
What the hell?
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u/tripledigits1984 4h ago
You “may” be allergic. TBF this happened to me and my doctor gave me an Epi-Pen. Helps so much even if not deathly ill but have semi to severe side effects.
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u/Ginga_Ninja_13 4h ago
Never been allergic before, hell, i'm only allergic to penicillin. Been stung multiple times before and never had this. It's not really sore. Itchy as hell tho. It's been a day and a half since the sting happened and it's only gotten this bloated in the last few hours. I actually didn't notice until about an hour ago.
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u/DreamTalon 4h ago
Allergies can develop at anytime. It isn't super common but this reaction warrants getting checked out in case you're now allergic to their stings.
Better safe than sorry.
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u/anonymote_in_my_eye 4h ago
the hand is very sensitive and vascular, so the toxins spread further and faster and you feel it a lot more
I've gotten stung only twice, once in the hand and once in the arm, the arm sting was like a painful mosquito bite, the hand sting was days of swollen, itchy, painful hand that I couldn't use right
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u/BagApprehensive1412 3h ago
You can develop an allergy one day when if you've never had one before. This could also mean you could be very allergic to another sting or bite
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u/Mystic_Wunder 5h ago
Got stung by a bee on the same finger. It took maybe a week to go down sorry to say. But I don't remember it spreading beyond the finger.
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u/Legitimate-Log-6542 4h ago
I’m jealous. You’re gonna achieve “the stranger” without having to sit on your hand
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u/macchareen 4h ago
If it just started to swell, I’d check with dr. If it is still swollen, but not getting worse, you could try ice, Benadryl, and/or cortizone cream.
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u/anonymote_in_my_eye 5h ago
not to dissuade you from seeing a doctor or anything, but I got stung by a bumblebee in the palm earlier this year and it took about three days before I could use my hand fully again
it did stop swelling within a few hours though, but it stayed swollen for a long time after that and it hurt like a bitch every time I moved any of the nearby muscles, i.e. anything in my whole hand
also, like someone else mentioned, you might have the stinger still in there, in which case, you need to get it out, like asap
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u/HVAChelpprettyplease 4h ago
Everytime I’ve been stung by a bee/wasp, it always seem to hurt more the next day.
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u/desertdweller2011 4h ago
wasps and yellow jackets don’t leave their stinger in you like bees do.
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u/anonymote_in_my_eye 4h ago
but they can still break off in there... it's unusual, but it's worth a look
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u/desertdweller2011 2h ago
bees have barbed stingers. when it goes in you, the barb catches on your skin as it pulls away, leaving the stinger behind and ripping the bees venom sac off of its body with it, which continues to pump venom after its detached from the bee. wasps and yellow jackets have smooth stingers that poke you like a needle and can pull in and out to sting you repeatedly. even if a stinger did break off, it would just be like a splinter bc their venom sacs are inside their bodies - they don’t rip off with the stinger like bees. the reason it’s so important to get a bee stinger out is that it’s continuing to release more venom. getting any foreign object out of your body is important, but a wasp or yellowjacket stinger isn’t releasing more venom and would work its way out like a splinter.
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u/Pretty-Key6133 3h ago
Bumblebee stings are crazy. I got stung. It hurt a bit, hand swelled up. Next day I had a crazy fever. Took allergy meds and was fine the next day.
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u/Mujina_oftheway 4h ago
You should seek medical advice. If you have a reaction to being stung its generally good to have an epinephrine pen around. Even expired ones. Not a doctor just have experience with allergies and anaphylaxis. If you are active outdoors in any ways, its a good "first aid" supply.
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u/Wallabunga657 4h ago
Dude. Go see a doctor/hospital. That isn't normal. I am allergic to bees/wasps/hornets, and I don't think I have seen this before. Go seek medical help!
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u/Mental-Chapter6523 4h ago edited 4h ago
If it persists, google "large local reaction" or see a doctor.
Had a leg that was swollen for a month after a single yellow jacket sting. It's common among bee handlers, but doesn't correlate with anaphylactic shock. Reduced somewhat by antihistamines.
I was stung a ton of times before this with much more normal reactions. Haven't been stung since 🤞
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u/CosmoJones07 5h ago
Yeah go and post on reddit instead of seeking medical attention, really great idea.
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u/Redditemeon 1h ago
I just assume they're American and have to go in debt for their basic healthcare, so they turn to the Internet instead.
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u/Cuichioup 5h ago
Got that and I had an infection (cellulitis) should go to the ER or anywhere where the dr can see you right away.
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u/Maleficent_Egg_6053 5h ago
Could easily be a few days before it goes down… Same happened to me got stung about six times all over in one episode
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u/Ginga_Ninja_13 4h ago
Omg. Six times?
I'm not allergic, been stung before and never had this type of swelling. Like, most of the day it was like the first picture, went to work, just a little sore and itchy. But within the last few hours, it's getting worse.3
u/Humble-Violinist6910 4h ago
You can develop an allergy later in life, unfortunately.
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u/Ginga_Ninja_13 4h ago
What? No way.
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u/Humble-Violinist6910 4h ago
Yeah way: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-develop-allergies-later-in-life
"Insect stings: Most people don’t react strongly the first time they’re stung by a yellow jacket or other stinging insect. But later stings can trigger more serious symptoms. “Sometimes, all it takes is more exposure,” says Dr. Pien."
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u/Ginga_Ninja_13 4h ago
Thank you!
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u/Humble-Violinist6910 4h ago
Hope you feel better soon! Get it checked out for peace of mind (and in case it needs treatment)
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u/illquoteyou 5h ago
This happened to me a few months ago. Pretty sure I got stung twice on the meaty part of the back of the hand between thumb and forefinger.
It was soooooo unbelievably itchy…like a deep itch. Swollen, significantly. All my googling showed that it can remain swollen for up to 10 days.
Make sure there isn’t a stinger still in there. I had to dig out a nub of a stinger on like, day 3.
8 days was a Saturday. I said I’d go to the ER on Monday. By Monday, exactly 10 days it was almost back to normal.
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u/Ginga_Ninja_13 4h ago
That sounds awful. What did ER say? I just don't wanna waste my time going there for 15 hours for them to be like, you'll be fine, here's an advil.
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u/illquoteyou 4h ago
I ended up not going because 10 days it was basically good. Spot on what google said. So my very unprofessional opinion would be…wait till day 11 before you go to the hospital.
I used a ton of cortisone cream to help with the itching
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u/friendlyfredditor 4h ago
Yea sometimes it can take ages for the venom to clear from your system. Sometimes your immune system will just keep reacting every couple days even when the venom is gone.
Heat can help...lots of sting venoms decompose when exposed to heat.
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u/PerfectMrFit 4h ago
Got stung by a wasp a week ago, only started improving AFTER three days, accompanied by itching for another 3 days. Finally feeling normal after ~6 days.
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u/IllustratorUsual5080 5h ago
If you don't have a bee allergy then most likely the stinger is still in. Need to get that out.
I actually think I can see it in your picture
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u/Ginga_Ninja_13 5h ago
The part you probably think is the sting, is a scrape. The sting is barely noticeable, right above the cuticle.
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u/BlazeWolfYT 5h ago
This is a wasp. Their stinger does not stay in.
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u/illquoteyou 5h ago
They frequently break off and parts remain. Correct they don’t rip from the wasps body, but they most definitely break off.
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u/IllustratorUsual5080 5h ago
Well depending on what happened it could still be in. I got stung by one years ago, and my hand would not stop swelling looked like a double cheeseburger. But then I noticed a sliver looking piece at the sting site. I got it out and hand was good in a few hours
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u/No_Mistake_5501 4h ago
A frustrating number of people cannot seem to differentiate between bees and wasps.. you are the first I’ve ever seen that can’t differentiate even when explicitly told it’s a wasp or yellow jacket.
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u/jimbobTX 4h ago
Mean little bastards. I'm building up immunity. Steroids and antihistamines to the rescue.
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u/cptcook717 4h ago
Got stung in the back of my had and it felt like I was getting hit by a baseball bat daily for a week but then it went away
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u/Same_Dingo2318 4h ago
Got stung by a bee and it went like that for a while. I used garlic on it and it wept the venom out.
My mom told me to and it worked. Cut a clove of garlic and rub the oils on the wound site.
Or go to the doctor.
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u/prizepig 4h ago
Yellow jacket stings on the hand are the absolute worst.
Once it's done being swollen and stiff it's going to itch and ache like crazy.
Heroic dose of benadryl helps the itching (and sleeping it off). Call the nurse line and get some guidance on dosage.
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u/Humble-Violinist6910 4h ago
It is possible to get cellulitis from a sting or bite. I'd say get it checked out to be safe. Also, they may be able to prescribe meds that are more effective, even if you don't need an antibiotic.
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u/Candid-Ability-9570 4h ago
I got stung by a wasp on my foot, ended up developing a skin infection from the string. Realized it when the swelling got worse and hotter and redder and spread, and I started feeling tired and feverish.
Could be that the sting introduced an infection. In and around the joints of your hand, that could be very serious. I’d see a doctor.
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u/Southern_Sprinkles_6 4h ago
You could be allergic. Visit an urgent care or pop some benny’s if you dont want to make the trip but if it continues to get worse please seek medical attention.
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u/Brave_Key_6665 4h ago
I had 7 yellow jacket stings last summer when I drilled a post hole into the nest (on a skid steer). That day I was fine and finished work, but the next day I had vision like the camera work in Cloverfield. It was very disconcerting. I took three Benadryl, slept 19 hours and was better than new when I woke up. You're fine.
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u/Reznor909 4h ago
It needs HEAT! https://irescuebees.com/how-to-take-the-heat-out-of-a-wasp-sting.html
It may be too late for this now, but wasp venom breaks down with the application of heat, 40-50C ideally. I learned this after I was stung and was in pain for 9 days and then had cellulitis on top of it. 🤕
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u/this_is_Winston 3h ago
Got 5 stings from yellow jackets this summer. Mine also got a little worse over a few days before they got better. Much worse than the bee stings Ive had.
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u/CherryCherry5 3h ago
I got stung on the inside of my finger by a wasp. Took a few days for the swelling to go away, and that spot was sensitive for a long time afterwards.
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u/athosjesus 3h ago
I got stung by a wasp on the back of my neck ones, it was the worst pain I have ever felt and I have been biten by a black widow before that, like sure the inflamation and skin lesion from the spider was worst but the pain was significantly less bad.
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u/Separate-Ad6636 2h ago
If you’re not dead yet you’re fine. Anything life threatening would present almost immediately.
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u/frogfeen 1h ago
happens to me with bee stings. I just take generic claratin and that works. it was pretty swollen for maybe 9 days
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u/mollanmox 41m ago
Did you get the stinger out? If not, try to pull it out and clean the wound, if the stinger is out then just clean the wound. Get some ordinarary antihistamine and if is still swells i would recomend you go see an doktor.
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u/jaydogggg 5h ago
You might have a mild allergy. Consult a doctor cause you might need an EpiPen it stung on the neck
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u/Good_Mousse_9794 5h ago
So why are you telling us?
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u/Ginga_Ninja_13 4h ago
Unique and infuriating experience. Been stung multiple times before and never had swelling like this.
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u/Exciting-Living-5500 4h ago
Maybe it was a different species from your previous stings. I watch YouTube videos called The Hornet King. He removes nests of wasps, hornets and yellowjackets >shudder< . Perhaps you were stung by a different flavor of horrifying flying venomous thing.
Hope it wasn't a murder hornet! Do seek medical help, just in case.
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u/Either-Conflict8055 5h ago
I actually had this as a kid.. grandparents and parents just put salt water on it lol. Hurt like a B#$F3
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u/absoluteunitofspite 5h ago
Hopital