What do yellow jacket stings have to do with politics, Hillary Clinton, Obama, Imus, etc.?

Not a darn thing, but I was severely stung by them on Friday and I feel compelled to relay the experience to anyone that can hear me. Every once in a while, there is something that happens in life that is more important than politics and the Election.

Passing on this information that could save a life . . . yours, or someone you know OR LOVE.

Now that I’ve got your attention, here goes . . .

Friday evening I was stung twice by yellow jackets and suffered a very severe reaction. The paramedics had to called. Luckily someone was with me when this happened because I was incapable of calling 911 myself. When I collapsed , I thought it was “curtains” for a time there.

One way I have been coping with the enormity of this was thinking about those old Columbo TV shows (Agatha Christie novels or Poirot mystery stories) where people meet their demise in odd ways. You see the bee enter the room and you already know someone’s going to be a goner.

There is nothing funny about yellow jacket stings. Close to 100 people will die from insect stings this year. One sting can be fatal to certain allergic people. You only need to stung once to suffer ill effects! Each sting should be taken seriously. That doesn’t mean panicking every time someone is stung. It does mean, staying calm and knowing how to respond to the situation.

People need to know how serious bee/yellow jacket stings can be. Once a person has been stung these critters may sting you again in the future . I can attest to that, having been stung 10 or 12 times over the years. Each time my reaction to the stings has become more severe.

BTW, bees and yellow jackets are not the same. Bees will generally not attack first. Also, the earth is losing its bee population and that’s important to know because without bees growing food becomes tenuous. We need helpful bees to pollinate our crops etc.

Ten days ago I stung one evening. I thought it was a fluke, but when I was attacked, again, on Friday night I knew something was dreadfully wrong.

Turns out there was a nest of the suckers in my back yard, and as I found out these guys are very aggressive . . . and aggressive just for the hell of it. They will attack for no reason. Apparently, I was too near their nest. BTW, yellow jackets make their nests in the ground near tree roots, which I didn’t know until the exterminator told me . They can also build their nests in lawns, under pine straw, in the ground etc.

Stings can be deadly if people don’t know how to react after being stung. For starters, many people get stung and never suffer any consequences, but for those who do, its important to remember to call 911 if there is any indication of a bad reaction. Don’t even consider driving to the hospital there may not be enough time. This cannot be emphasized enough.

From the time I was stung until the first wave of dizziness, nausea, loss of control of my body functions (yes loss of bodily functions, I won’t go into detail) was probably less than 5 or 6 minutes. I completely collapsed. Some people go into shock, suffer rapid pulse, and cannot breathe. The paramedics were great. When 911 knew they were responding to a bee sting and my condition, they were here FAST!

The reason I’m going into such detail is because I feel like this is an urgent message I have get out to other people and quickly. It’s like the Universe is telling me to, “move on this pronto! Somebody out there needs to know this.” And, so I am.

It bears repeating, if stung, get ice on the affected area right away to try to control the swelling, put Caladryl or other antiseptic on the sting. It wouldn’t hurt to have Benadryl in the house or liquid dye-free allergy medication in the house at all times. This can be purchased at CVS etc. and is faster acting than the pills. Both are antihistamines that will help with the after effects of the sting . . . burning, itching, etc.

If the person stung starts to get hives or begins to have difficulty breathing, stay calm, and call 911.

PLEASE FELL FREE TO SEND THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW . . . IT MAY SAVE SOMEONE’S LIFE.

There’s PS on this. Swelling, itching, etc. can get really bad for some people. Soaking the affected area (s) in Epsom salts will help. It may require a visit to your physician who may prescribe steroids and other meds to help make your life bearable.

Because my reaction was so severe, I will need to keep an EpiPen with me at all times when there is a chance of being stung . . . like all summer! The EpiPen is a pre-measured shot of epinephrine that is used to prevent a person from going into anaphylactic shock. You need a prescription from a doctor to get an EpiPen.

If you want to read more about yellow jackets, there’s a terrific article by the Ohio State University here. The article contains additional information that you should find to be very helpful.