At 01:41 PM 7/21/97 -0400, you wrote:
 
Hi Ted,
 
Always go buy what your doctor says,
 
 its your life..
 
But all you have described is a normal reaction to someone who has not been
stung enough to build up an immunity. You can get the same symptoms with
one sting until you have had time to build up that immune system.
 
One cheep thing you can do is take a anti histamine tablet such as you can
buy off the shelf for hay fever or runny noise and this will sometime help.
 
There seems to be two things working with new beekeepers, one is the "pain"
tolerance, and you know you are there when you get home and find stinger in
your ears.<G> The 2nd is building on that immune system and this may take
some time. It took me several years working bees commercially before I no
longer had the itchy palms and soles, and even then I always seemed to get
stung in the face on Saturday afternoons as that was when my work was done
and I could drive the 100 miles to my home. I would get about half way and
have to stop and sleep as my eyes would be swollen up so bad that I would
get sleepy driving. About 15 mins to an hour and I would be ready to drive
again.<G>
 
I have had two experiences with people in my family who had to have
treatments to become immune to bee stings. One if not found with luck by
her brother pased out on the floor with the telephone in her hand needed it
real bad. The treatments were not costly, here anyway, took several months,
and still require a bee sting every once in awhile to maintain the immunity.
 
ttul, Andy-
 
>While driving home I experienced a little light headedness.  My son noticed
>several stingers in my neck and removed them as I drove.  We also found
>several on my arms and removed them.  By the time we removed them they had
>already pumped their full load of venom into me.  Soon my scalp, armipits
>and inner thighs starting itching like crazy.  By the time we made it home,
>the skin under my armpits and inner thighs looked like I had a severe case
>of poison ivy.
>Ted Wout
>Red Oak, TX, USA
>
>