Bee Sting Relief

[lilponygirl]

I got stung by a bee right on the ankle last night. I must be semi-allergic to them, because my entire ankle is swelled and excrutiatingly itchy. All DH said was to take Benedryl and keep a cold compress on it, neither of which have done much good.

Any of you moms (or non-moms) have any home remedies that you swear by?

Did you get the stinger out? I usually make a paste of baking soda and water but that works best if used right away.

I think there is a Benedryl cream, that might help. Keep up with the ice and don't scratch! If it seems really allergic, call your doctor.

[Vanquisher]

It's especially bad because it is your foot. Feet can't take trauma, according to my dh. I had a horrible reaction to some fire ant bites on my foot earlier this summer. I was very swollen, like you, except my swelling was in my midfoot and toes. The only thing that finally got rid of the swelling was that I had to stay in bed for more than a day with my foot elevated with ice packs on it, Benedryl cream, and oral Benedryl as well. It makes it very hard when you have kids to take care of!

[Stella]

Tea bags! I'm allergic to bees and *knock on wood* haven't been stung since I was about 5, but when that happened, they put a bunch of wet tea bags (like Lipton) on my hand. I still have a scar...

[lilponygirl]

Thanks for the advice. I just thought I'd let you know something I found really worked. I filled a small cooler with water, threw in a couple of ice cubes and just soaked my foot/ankle in there. The whole while it was submersed in the water it was itch-free. Then after I took it out I just elevated it to let the swelling down. At night I kept the cooler by my bed so I could just lean over and stick my foot in for a couple of seconds. This was much better than having to run in to the kitchen to swap cold washcloths and ice. I tried that the first night and I woke up every hour!