hehe...I am allergic!

[Pedal Wench]

I'm sitting here trying not to scratch my most recent bee-sting. Like you, I don't recall ever having a reaction, but two days ago on a steep descent, I ran right into one, right on my breastbone, and it stung me three times before I swatted it away. I was afraid it went down my sports bra! Luckily, it didn't, considering the story below. The area it stung is all red and swollen, and itchy in a 5-inch circle around it.

You'll love this story about the last time I was stung (and before that, don't think I was stung since I was a little kid.) I had finished a ride up in the mountains and stopped at a small-town Walmart on the way home. I was wearing some loose floppy jogging pants that I put on after rides, with nothing underneath. I step out of my car and feel a huge sting on my hip bone. I grab at it, and feel a big bug in there! I try to get it out, but I can't get it out without flashing the entire parking lot. It gets loose, stings me once more on my hip. I'm dancing around like crazy - a carload of people are getting out, looking at me like Im insane, I scream that there's a bug in my pants! This huge, burly man starts easing his way over, just as the hornet bites me one more time, this time a little lower than my hip, just west of my thigh, if y'all know what I mean I grab my crotch with all my might and squeeze. I let go, and out of the bottom of my pants falls a HUGE yellow hornet - about two inches long. The guy walks up, looks at it, lets out a slow whistle, and then promptly smashes it. His wife offers me a cigarette and tells me that I need to put some wet tobacco on the stings.

That's my bug story. Back to your regularly scheduled forum.

[HappyAnika]

What is it with the frickin bees/wasps/hornets this year? In my whole life I'd been stung twice. Now this year I've been stung twice within 6 weeks. I'm pg, so I didn't want to take any benadryl, and can't take ibuprofen. The first was on my arm, the stinger was still attached with venom sac. (This was just playing with my dogs in my yard). In 3 days my arm had swollen from 2" above my elbow to my wrist. Finally went to the doc, he said to just take the benadryl and gave me a topical cream that didn't seem to do much. He said to stop icing it (the only thing that relieved the unbelievable heat and itching). Next was about 2 weeks ago, I was riding, this thing flew into my right leg, bounced off it, then grazed my left inner thigh. I stopped immediately, and while there was no stinger, there was a tiny hole in my shorts where it'd gone through. In 2 days my leg was swollen from about 2" below the bikini line to about 3" above my knee. Luckily this one didn't get as hot and itchy, but still hurt.

So what do I say when people ask if I'm allergic? Well, yes, I'm obviously allergic. I don't have systemic reactions (breathing, hives, etc.) but severe local reactions. I wish there was something more that could be done other than taking benadryl. Grrr.

[bmccasland]

Somehow, I've never been stung while riding my bike (road). But I worry when we're riding the levee path while the maintenance crew is cutting the grass - cause that makes the bees mad.

I think it isn't the clothes that attract the bees as the sweeter smelling stuff we tend to wash in. The perfumes in soaps and shampoo, made for women, tend to attract bugs.

Of course, nothing really stops a mad wasp. Couple of years ago while at my Aunt's house in northern Louisiana (evacuating from a hurricane....) a red wasp flew straight at me and stung me. Confirmed that, yes, I'm still very allergic to bees and wasps (Hymanoptera .. i think that's spelled right). In fact it came close to killing me. Run from a hurricane and get done in by a bug. There is not justice in the world.

Not that I'm stopping you, HappyAnika, from shopping, but maybe you should consider the soaps you use to wash yourself and your clothes in. Most women do like to stink pretty as my grandfather used to say.

[Running Mommy]

bmc! I can just hear your grandaddy saying "you girls stink pretty" in a fine southern drawl...

I'm allergic as well. I need to see the allergist to get an epi pen. I've been lucky so far- but I shouldn't jinx it!
I did almost run into a swarm of bee's a year ago tho. That was pretty scary! There was a lady that almost died not far from here from a swarm. She walked out of her house to get in her car and they swarmed and attacked her. She couldn't get away. And it wasn't like she lived in the middle of nowhere- your average subdivison in the burbs!

My biggest issue out here is ants. Apparently they have the same type of venom as a bee (or at least the AZ ants do), so I get the same reaction. very scary. Tongue swells, throat tightens, neck tightens, wave of chills from head to toe.. Not something to mess with.
I find that the AZ ants love green grass, so I stay away from it. Our landscape around the house is all desert landscape (rocks and bushes) for that reason alone.

[bouncybouncy]

Well...I can't fully argue the clothes thing...but please don't go advertising that until I get a chance to go shopping!!! hehe

But my boss is "sweet stink" sensitive so all my soaps, shampoos, detergents are all fragrance free...and I do not wear deoderant (especially on ride days!) I am a sweater so nothing works except multiple showers! The sweet stink rarely gets used and never had an issue when using it!



Good to know about them ants!!! Are they fire ants? I go to FL alot and last time I got one in my shorts he left quite the decor on my white tush!!!

[bmccasland]

Bees, ants, wasps are all Hymenoptera (correct spelling, this time I checked),so if you're allergic to one, you're allergic to all. Such a pleasant thought for some of us.

RM - I've heard there are Africanized Bees in the Phx metro area, the thought of them just scares the begeezus out of me. They tend to swarm and attack aggressively.

BB - don't let me stop you from shopping. I thought I was sensitive to smells, but at least I can tolerate most things - just excessive use of perfumes, colognes, or after-shave (equal guilt by both sexes). Have you tried baking soda for underarm deodorant? My grandmother's ICU nurse said that's what she used - put it in an antique dusting powder dish with a big poofy duster. The nurse said that many patients are smell sensitive, and baking soda is inert, so serves well as a deodorant (but not an antipersperant).
Shop woman, you need to go shopping!!! (there, does that help?)

[HappyAnika]

I do use lotion with fragrance, but these two stings seemed to be freak accidents. The first one, while was playing with my dogs: the bee was just sitting on my shirt at my side and I didn't know it was there until I stood up and put my arm down at my side and it's stinger collided with my arm.

The sting while I was riding: well, I was flying down a hill at 28 mph, it's not like the bee sought me out to sting me, we just collided. If I'd gotten to that spot on the road half a second sooner, or half a second later, it wouldn't have happened.

RM: When I lived in Tucson, my dog was bitten by one of those ants. Well, she ate it, so it was kind of her fault. Scared the crap out of me, her face swelled up instantly. Luckily she didn't have any problems breathing. Poor thing, she was perfectly happy, smiling through her puffy cheeks. Missed the symphony performance because I had to take her to the emergency vet. Now if only I could get the dogs to stop chasing bees and trying to eat them . . .