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I had a health scare today. First of all I have been a very healthy person all my life. When I left the hospital with my Mom 55 years ago I never went back. No hospital, surgeries, no broken bones, and I still have all my wisdom teeth. I’m on no medication and am at my goal weight.

I love bees, I part time work with bees, doing removals and swarm capturing, I have always wanted to start beekeeping for myself. I have been doing this for over 20 years.

Bee hives have a feel, an energy they put off, you can sense the mood when you approach. I know when it’s time to wear a bee suit, and when it’s time to take it off. I have never been attacked, but usually walk away with a couple stings, I’ve never had more than 3 on any one occasion.

Today I set up the equipment I go up the ladder to get a look and feel for them and immediately get stung in the forehead, not a big deal they were just telling me where I stand with them. I go and lite the smoker and suit up. I go back up and they aren’t really paying attention to me, they are feeling calm but I started itching all over, I’m feeling funny so I load up the equipment take off the hot ass suit in the Texas 101 heat and my face is going numb and my tongue is swelling. I decided to take Benadryl and head towards an ER. I’m still not convinced that is serious because I’ve taken many stings, but i live in a rural area so I drove to the last ER before the 20 mile trip home. I sat In a parking lot next door thinking this will blow over and I’ll head home.

Warning TMI. So here I am in a neighboring parking lot sitting in my truck and it’s only getting worse, my crotch is on fire, l discreetly drop my pants to investigate and my junk is so swollen it’s unrecognizable, now I’m scared, that’s it, I’m going to ER. As I make my way to the next parking lot everything outside is extremely bright, like the sunglasses that looks like everything is bright yellowish. There are large white spots, I can’t see I’m blinded. My chest is tight and I can’t swallow, my tongue is huge.

I parked (straight) and stumbled in the door. The Dr and 2 nurses came with a wheelchair and got me in a room. I can hear them but can’t see them. The Dr is calling all kinds of orders they put an IV started blood pressure and pulse ox readings. Then I hear him call for an injection. In about 5 minutes I’m feeling well enough to sit up, and talk to them. My BP was 68 / 30 heart rate very low and o2 was 92%.

They told me if I had delayed getting in there by just minutes someone would have found my body in the truck. My airway was closing and I would have been unconscious from the low heart rate.

They kept me for several hours for observation to make sure things kept improving and they did, but my W has no idea what I’m doing I waited till I was stable to message her, she would freak out if I had told her as it happened, she took it well because I was doing well at that point but the Benadryl was kicking in so I rested it was the best nap in the most uncomfortable bed ever.

I was able to drive home ok, I’m so sore, and swollen in the face, but my junk has recovered 😀 Told my W, heart and lungs, meh. But when the junk isn’t right "Call 911!!!’"🤣

I’m concerned that one sting was this bad, I hate that everyone is telling me to hang up the bee suit forever. I love the bees and I wasn’t even bumped (a bees warning) it was one guy, a fluke, the rest left me alone. The suits aren’t fool proof I still get stung with it on. I’m also concerned how fast symptoms hit and how I kept convincing my self i didn’t need help. Never again!!

So if you have read this far I’m not very educated on how the immune system works . In the past the localized area of the sting would be warm, like a fever at the sting site. Not today my body went into full attack mode, is this a change in my body because I’m older now, the new norm? I don’t know but this was a first for me, never needed a hospital before, but this was a close call.

There is unfinished business at the Tanner house, kids to raise, grandkids to spoil, dogs to reunite, and hopefully bees to re-home again.

Thanks for reading. I needed to write all this.

Some medical person will come along most likely and offer advice / explanation?

I just know that people can develop allergies that they didn’t have before.

You were very lucky.

Don’t let your love of all things "bees" get you in that kind of trouble - or WORSE - again. Time to just live and let live I think! Someone else will step up and tend to such situations in the future.

Glad to hear everything was a temporary problem.

Take care!

Why, just why....lol. tongue swelling no big deal, but junk and omg ER time...

You are very lucky!!!

My wh was never allergic to anything but grass. He worked with pine shavings all the tine and nothing. Then one day while changing out the pine bedding in some animal cages he had a reaction. Eyes swelled shut, throat began to close. I rushed him to the ER and he was there most of the day. The doc prescribed an epipen for him to carry on him.

So allergies can change and get worse.

Please be careful. Did the docs say you need an epipen?

When the junk isn't right, time to call 911.

So glad you were able to get to help in time!!!

Please be careful. Did the docs say you need an epipen?

Yes I was prescribed 2, I will have one at home and one in my truck.

Tanner it just so happens I too am a beekeeper and at one point we had a side business doing removals, swarm captures, and removal of nuisance bees.

I personally ha e a very strong reaction to stings. I one time took one to the forehead from q particularly productive but aggressive hive (Russians). I missed 2 days of work because my eyes swelled shut.

I also have a buddy that developed anaphylaxis to stings, was out in his yard working his hives. Wife looks out the window and he passed out. Prior to that day he had minimal reactions to stings. He went through allergy shots and is now ok. He had friends work his hives the remainder of that year and the beginning of the following spring.

All that to say we keep epipens in our bee bucket (we use a 5 gal bucket to keep all our supplies needed to work the hives) I also keep liquid benadryl and tablets handy just in case too.
You definitely need to contact your PCP and get a referral to an allergist.

Yes I was prescribed 2, I will have one at home and one in my truck.

That's good. They do expire so keep an eye on that and when you use thrm you need to go to the hospital. It's just buys you time.

Very glad you are ok.

Yes I was prescribed 2, I will have one at home and one in my truck.

That's good. They do expire so keep an eye on that and when you use thrm you need to go to the hospital. It's just buys you time.

Very glad you are ok.

Yes I was prescribed 2, I will have one at home and one in my truck.

That's good. They do expire so keep an eye on that and when you use thrm you need to go to the hospital. It's just buys you time.

Very glad you are ok.

When the junk isn't right, time to call 911. laugh laugh laugh

Zebra The good news is I didn’t have to mention it to them. It took care of itself.

Tushnurse that’s good information and glad to know you are a bee keeper.
I’m sure I would have the same reaction to a wasp sting and that concerns me. Wasps are assholes and build in weird places, I’m far more likely to get stung by a wasp than bee. I will need to have the epipen around all the time.

Wow, Tanner! Sorry about your 'sudden introduction to the health care system,' but very glad they were able to put you right! That was too close of a call with mortality.

My question would be: what kind of insect stung you, are you sure it was a honey bee? If so, some new, exotic variety? As you said, wasps are assholes. Could it have been a yellow jacket hovering around the hive? They love sweet things.

As always, Tushnurse has the best advice: see an allergist. Maybe a course of allergy shots over time can build up protection against this happening again.

Could it have been a yellow jacket hovering around the hive? They love sweet things.

It was definitely a honey bee, I pulled the stinger out. I was up on a ladder looking at the entry point. I know what happened, I was wearing a dark hat, that’s a no no, they have a natural hatred for bears so they feel threatened by the dark color. Also a wasp wouldn’t be that aggressive out foraging, they are aggressive protecting their own nest.

Wow. Thank god you are ok! What a close call.

Time to see an allergist, tell the whole story, and find out what your options are.

I just had another horrific thought, had I passed out and was found, imagine the headline. "Tanner found in a parking lot with his pants down, authorities are still investigating"

Let me put this out here now. If I’m ever found with my pants down, there is damn good explanation 🤣🤣🤣

OMG Coozann !!!

THANK GOD you are doing well now! It's amazing how these allergies can pop up isn't it?! I had taken penicillin all my life...but at age 44...I had an allergic reaction to some I was given for an infection .

Life can change on a dime...as we all are aware of on here. I am so HAPPY to see you are still with us...and still sharing your story . One of your quotes about your encounter will live on in the SI Quote Thread !!

Bahahahaha!!!

Not about the health issue, but the thing about being found with your pants down.

U a stand up?

Anyway, don’t forget this is serious!

(Really…think about stand up.)

Cuz, I always had this idea that if I ever made the Quote Thread it would be some genius well thought out advice.

But I appreciate it, because actually the junk save my life, first time thinking with the little head pays off.

Whatsright I’m not a stand up but love having a sense of humor. I know this is serious, but there is some humor in it now.

It really made me think of my dad who died in 2020 with pancreatic cancer. He was sick for 3 weeks and getting worse. My mother finally forced him into the ER and he basically collapsed at the door. He lived about 6 weeks after that. Had he gotten checked out at first sign he might still be with us.

Definitely a wake up call.

[This message edited by Tanner at 5:00 PM, Saturday, June 18th]

Glad you are okay now, but that is quite a scare.
The way I welt up after a bee sting, I would look crazy with a sting in my forehead!

Hope you do see an allergist.

I was reading your story to my H...and his jaw was dropping as he heard about you getting worse. When I got to the part about what you told your wife concerning your "junk"...he started laughing . That's when I thought it HAD to go in the quote thread !!!

You may be surprised at just how genius that quote will be for someone Cuz !!

Oh so sorry I posted so many repeats. The site wasn't loading well for me this morning.