So, to put a positive spin on things, what does everyone feel about bee stings and arthritis? My wife could barely walk on a foot with a toe swollen and red which had gotten steadily worse for months. Caveat: She never asked a doctor about it, so I don't know for sure what it was. Last year, I stung the toe, and she swelled up around the foot for a day or so, and the pain is just starting to come back slowly after a year. Same for a finger which was painful to move. Not 100% effective, but very much improved. She doesn't take stings well, but she actually asked me to sting her finger after seeing what happened with her toe.