Is this a normal reaction to a bee sting?

[PrettyCandles]

I was stung under the arm by a bee yesterday. For the first time, AFAIK.

I flicked the sting out within seconds of being stung. I put some Lanacaine cream on it, and took a Piriton (I'd been about to take one in any case).

As the pain got worse I started feeling very shakey, and there were shooting needle-like pains going down my arm and along my ribs on that side. This lasted a few hours

The pains are gone now, but area around the sting is still sore, a bit itchy, and very tingly.

This is not what I expected - is it normal?

[fortyplus]

You need to take bee stings out with tweezers being careful not to squeeze the venom sac. So you probably unwittingly squeezed a load more venom into yourself by flicking it away. Anthisan is best cream to use and you did the right thing by taking Piriton or you could have taken Loratidine. Sounds as though you may be sensitive to them, though. You can be allergic to insect stings/bites the 1st time. Reactions tend to worsen each time so be careful if you get stung again not to make it worse by squeezing the venom sac.

[ChookKeeper]

It is, but it's leaning towards the more unpleasant type of reaction (it's what I get too). Dh is a beekeeper so I keep well away, he gets stung a couple of times a year but he always carries Piriton with him - you did the right thing.

The soreness will last a couple of days -there is a good chance that when you flicked the sting out you squeezed the poison out of the sac that the bee left behind.

Try ice packs but you might find swelling/tingly feeling spread as the poison disperses.

[PrettyCandles]

I thought you were supposed to flick or scrape the sting out, rahter than grip it with tweezers, precisely because of the poison sack.

[alypaly]

if it goes infected looking, you might have to get a course of anti biotics as insect bites can caus a serious condition called cellulitis

[OrmIrian]

My normal reaction to a bee sting is to jump around yelling obscenities!

[PrettyCandles]

I did that too, Ormirian!

[mamas12]

I thought the correct way to remove a sting was to scrape a credit card along the sting to get it all out of the body.
Twezers are difintely toh wrong way as it squeezes more poisen, hence the reaction I suppose.
Hope you are better now.

[GlastonburyGoddess]

yes. i got stung on the neck whilst looking up at train times on a screen. an old lady got the sting out for me but I had pain in my jaw/skull, along the leftside of my neck, shoulder,arm and into my chest, lasted a good few hours, soreness continued for a few days though. horrible horrible....and dp doesnt get why i hate wasps and bees so much...