Stung by a red paper wasp

Diana

Diana

Final Approach
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Diana
Man, those things hurt. I was walking back from our hangar after flying to Turkey Mountain on Saturday, and one had evidently crawled up inside my pant leg and got mad at my knee...I think it stung me two or three times before I could get it out. The area got really swollen immediately and hasn't gotten better. There is an area (about 3" in diameter) on my knee that is very red, hot, raised and painful...it hasn't quit hurting since the wasp stung me. We both get stung several times a year here on the farm, and sometimes the sting sites get painful and red for awhile, but this seems to be a more intense reaction and is throbbing. It doesn't have the appearance of being infected though.

Wasp stings seem to have a longer lasting effect than bee stings....around here anyway.
 
Gotten nailed a few times as well. They are particularly thick this time a year around my place because they are looking for place to hide out for the winter.
Last time I got stung, I put meat tenderizer on it for about 15 minutes and it seemed to stop the swelling. Still was quite sore for the day.
Supposedly the enzyme in tenderizer breaks down the poison, but you are not supposed to leave it on for more the 15 minutes because the enzyme isn't choosy about what it breaks down like nerve endings.
 
Ouch, Diana! Hope the pain and swelling quickly subsides! An unusual reaction may signal the start of an allergy. As you know, that's nothing to sneeze at!
 
somorris said:
I hate those things! It seems it is always something!
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Well, it really does, Stacey. :yes: Last month it was a snake in the bathroom drawer. The month before it was a snake in the stove top. The surprise factor is one thing I don't like about the critters here. And yes, it seems like it's always something...just like Roseanne Roseanna Danna said. :D

damonb said:
Gotten nailed a few times as well. They are particularly thick this time a year around my place because they are looking for place to hide out for the winter.
Last time I got stung, I put meat tenderizer on it for about 15 minutes and it seemed to stop the swelling. Still was quite sore for the day.
Supposedly the enzyme in tenderizer breaks down the poison, but you are not supposed to leave it on for more the 15 minutes because the enzyme isn't choosy about what it breaks down like nerve endings.
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I've heard that meat tenderizer helps. Maybe we need to buy some for all the wasp stings we get around here.

gprellwitz said:
Ouch, Diana! Hope the pain and swelling quickly subsides! An unusual reaction may signal the start of an allergy. As you know, that's nothing to sneeze at!
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You got a point, Grant. :yes: Seems like the reaction keeps getting worse every year. I may just go to the doctor tomorrow since it seems to be getting worse this afternoon.

TangoWhiskey said:
Benadryl!
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The spray makes it feel better for a few minutes. :) The pills make a person a slug and I hate to feel so sluggish and want to :sleep: all the time. :yesnod: :D
 
You sure have a lot of critters to look out for. Hope it gets better though. Can we assume the shoulder is coming along well?
 
Don't be surprised if the stings leave scars. You get three guesses at how I know and the first two don't count
 
Diana said:
I've heard that meat tenderizer helps. Maybe we need to buy some for all the wasp stings we get around here.
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Meat tenderizer does indeed help, if it has the right stuff in it. What you are looking for is Papaein, the protein buster in most meat tenderizers. It does come from the Papaya. Allegedly the Polynesians would rub papaya juice on jellyfish stings. Anyhow I have used Adolphs meat tenderizer on jellyfish "bites" in the distant past and I'm a believer - it helps!

-Skip
 
Diana said:
Well, it really does, Stacey. :yes: Last month it was a snake in the bathroom drawer. The month before it was a snake in the stove top. The surprise factor is one thing I don't like about the critters here. And yes, it seems like it's always something...just like Roseanne Roseanna Danna said. :D
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You must live on an acreage. I have not gotten snakes in the house yet, but I did have to chase a possum out of the house that got in through a dryer duct last year. Also had what I presume was a squirrel in the house. I never could find it, but saw where it entered through the kitchen vent, made a mess of the house for a few days and finally exited through a window screen.
 
I got nailed on the elbow about 10 years ago, totally unprovoked. It festered and hurt for two years and marked a new low in my adventures while taking out the trash.
 
Unbeknownst to me, there was a huge paper wasp nest in a tall tree near my house. I threw a foam boomerang toy up in the air and nailed it. One of the buggers stung my 5 year old boy on the thumb so we evac'd him to the house and I loaded the shotgun.

#5 birdshot shreds a wasp nest REAL good.
 
EppyGA said:
You sure have a lot of critters to look out for. Hope it gets better though. Can we assume the shoulder is coming along well?
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Thanks for asking. :) It's much better, but still hurts more than I had anticipated. If I push it too much, like the weekend at Gaston's, it smacks me down. Sigh.....

damonb said:
You must live on an acreage. I have not gotten snakes in the house yet, but I did have to chase a possum out of the house that got in through a dryer duct last year. Also had what I presume was a squirrel in the house. I never could find it, but saw where it entered through the kitchen vent, made a mess of the house for a few days and finally exited through a window screen.
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Yep, 220 acres of critters, some of which, like your possum, want to come in the house...especially through the greenhouse. Some of the critters are brought in by the cats through their cat door. They have way too much freedom. :D

bbchien said:
It takes a paper wasp to relieve you of the rotator cuff aches.....sigh.
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You know, you're right! I haven't noticed it nearly as much the past few days!

wabower said:
I got nailed on the elbow about 10 years ago, totally unprovoked.
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Unprovoked.....hummmmm. It probably was 'stinging' from something you said about it on the wasp forum. ;)

wabower said:
It festered and hurt for two years and marked a new low in my adventures while taking out the trash.
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Two years?!?! Yikes!
 
Skip Miller said:
Meat tenderizer does indeed help, if it has the right stuff in it. What you are looking for is Papaein, the protein buster in most meat tenderizers. It does come from the Papaya. Allegedly the Polynesians would rub papaya juice on jellyfish stings. Anyhow I have used Adolphs meat tenderizer on jellyfish "bites" in the distant past and I'm a believer - it helps!

-Skip
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I 2nd this, or perhaps it is a 3rd now. This is the ole jelly fish remedy that divers used to employ in the olden days. You don't see it as often as you did, the new method for dealing with jellyfish stings is to use vinegar.
 

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Well since you posted a picture, I assume you're still among the living?

I hope you are well on the way to a complete mending.
 
Don't know what stung me in the face last year, but it sure made me look like I had been in a mean street fight...
 

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