Hi all,
After 10 year of keeping bees and being stung innumerable times,
today I had a very different experience. Generally, I can be stung
multiple times and simply have a small local reaction for a short
time that I'm sure most of you are familiar with. Well, one of my
hives has been a little hotter than usual since being swatted by a
bear with a long reach (thru the fence), and today while going into
the bottom deep to remove a drone comb frame, I was hit at least a
dozen times. Typically, even a dozen stings would only be an
annoyance (and I'm not just acting heroic). Today, though, after
putting the hive back together (it was the last hive I opened), and
putting away my tools, I found myself back in the house, doubled over
in pain with intense stomach cramps, slightly dizzy, and ended up
crashing for a couple hour nap. By this evening, I'm feeling better,
but my stomach still feels worked over a bit. I never had any trouble
breathing, never felt my throat closing up, etc - the things I've
always thought were allergic reactions.
According to the USDA website <http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/
docs.htm?docid=11067&page=1>, "Stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, or
diarrhea" are listed as "Systemic, Allergic, or Life-Threatening
Reactions" and I'm now wondering if I'm lucky to be here.
Was today a fluke? The combination of not a big enough breakfast on a
hot, humid day? Or is my body suddenly developing an allergy that I
have to worry about? Has anyone else had this experience?
Thanks in advance,
Kurt
Kurt Allerslev Reynertson, Ph.D.
Department of Pharmacology
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
1300 York Avenue, Box 70, E-405
New York NY 10021
(212) 746 6262
(212) 746 8835 fax
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