Advice for Bee Sting Swelling near Eye on My 2 Yr Old

Hello L.,
This advice is going to sound a little odd but tape a penny to the affected bee sting. The cooper in the penny helps with the swelling and redness. Usually 15 mins or if she will allow it, try overnight. Hope she feels better!

J. M.

If you would like to put something cold on it to help the swelling along with the benadryl I suggest a bag of frozen vegatables. They are easy for the kids to hold and they usually get quite a kick out of having the bag of veggies for a cold pack so they are pretty good about keeping it where it needs to be.

I would give her benadryl and call you dr.

Go outside in your yard and pick a Plantain leaf (it's probably growing as a weed in your yard)Try copy & pasting this:

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=im...

or you can try the following site (which has a drawing of the plant):

http://www.juniperandsage.com/herbs_adv_firstaid.php

I actually have better pictures if you don't feel these are clear enough. Anyway, bruise the leaf (crush it up until you can see where it is turning darker from the juice being released) or you can chew on it for a minute (for the same, slightly improved purpose) and then put it onto the swelling as a poultice to help bring the swelling down. Plantain will help with swelling and any itching. Interestingly enough, it will help bring swelling down, but if you get it onto a bug bite or bee sting soon enough, there is a good chance it will never swell or itch in the first place (GREAT for misquito bites that haven't raised yet). All my kids know what this plant looks like and can find it on their own. And incedentally, it's also good diuretic and expectorant, promotes healing, and is effective agains bacterial infections. OH! And if you're trying to quit smoking, something in the tea made from this leaf causes an aversion to nicotine. My husband used it to help him quit smoking seveal years ago.) Of course, I'm sure there are many other methods as well but this is the quick/cheap/easy one that we often use :) I wish I would have known about it when my son got stung near the eye at 18mo!

Dear L.: For the future: Don't squeeze the area of a stinger. Take a credit card (or fingernail) and scrape the spot to get it off. No squeezing. Information below also mentions pulling the stinger out. HOME REMEDY that I saw camping this summer and it was amazing. The scraping also prepares the area for this: a slice of onion! You scrape the skin then scrape the onion surface (to make it juicy) and apply it to the spot. The stung area is relieved and in fact, I'm an eye-witness that within minutes the child no longer has any trouble with having been stung. No swelling. She was holding the onion in place, and not crying and later on had very little recollection of the whole deal.
Here's something from an outdoorsy website that might help.
Stinger Removal
It was once thought that stingers should be scraped out with a credit card, finger nail, or any such device. Research has shown that the best course of action is to pull the stinger out as soon as possible with your fingers. The remaining venom in the sac of the stinger DOES NOT increase the reaction should you inadvertently push more venom into your wound. Here are the steps to take when stung by a bee or wasp:
1. Pull stinger out.
2. Cool compresses or ice.
3. If allergies is an issue, then Benadryl should be given to decrease minimal allergic reactions.

I still vote for the onion. It was amazing.
Regarding current swelling, you may want to try Benadryl. But I suspect other Moms will have some good suggestions :)
Best wishes!

Have you tried 'Apis'? This is a homeopathic remedy that you purchase at a health food store. Apis is derived from the bee and helps to counteract the sting (and pain) from the bee.

(I also recommend reading up on this before purchasing if you are unfamiliar with homeopathy~)

Good luck~ My husband was also just stung about 5-7 times the other day. NOT fun.

If you don't want to use Benedryl for allergic reactions, then go to Better Health or Whole Foods for an herbal histamine blocker.

They also have topical creams for stings.

Raw onion is a good application, but it would mean keeping a lively little kid still for an extended period of time.

Try putting milk on it, I saw it work in less than 5 minutes at the park this summer.

I know this is a bit late, but this remedy really works. Cut an onion in half and put it on the sting. It takes all the swelling out almost immediately. Just hold it in place for a few minutes, and it works like a charm. When my son was stung on his earlobe when he was 5, I did this and told him it was pulling out the venom from the bee sting. As soon as the bee stung, his ear got huge, but after putting the onion on it, all traces of swelling were gone. He then made sure I threw the onion away, as he didn't want anyone accidentally eating the bee venom lol. I've even done this when i was stung, and once again, my finger, which was already visibly swollen, was back to normal quickly.

My son had this problem when he was younger (my triplets are 6 now). He got stung right above his eyebrow and his eye swelled shut. The dr told me to give him benadryl. It cleared up the next day. :)

My youngest daughter got stung last year and her doctor recommended benedryl every 4 hours till swelling subsides. The eyes are really sensitive and that is why they tend to swell up more so then other places on the body. Almost like a defense mechanism. She gets bit a lot my mosquitos too and have had to do that again this year. You should see a difference in her eye by morning. If you are unsure using a medication call your doctor to just to make sure. Good luck.. J.

PS I have an Ella (4) and a Ava (2) also! Great names! :) Have a great day!

HI L.,
When we get stung, I first pour vinegar over the sting site to lessen the pain, and then use a credit card to scrap the stinger out. Squeezing it can lodge the stinger deeper into the skin. I would try some ice cold vinegar water and dip a washcloth in it and put it on her cheek.
Hopefully that works.
K.

I went through this last month however Im not sure if it was a bee sting or some other type of bug bite, she was outside at my moms and when I picked her up after work her eye was a little puffy then by the time we got home and situated it got way more puffy so I took her to urgent care-it ended up being an infection from a bug bite. So watch for more puffiness and redness if you see any take her in right away they will give her an antibiotic, that along with benedryl(spelling?) she was back to looking normal in a few days-she didnt even seem to ever be bothered by it but I was soo scared,good luck to you both.

First, never, please, squeeze to get a stinger out. Many times the stinger contains venom and squeezing the sting site can release the venom into the victims body. Hence, the swelling that has occured with your daughter. As long as the site does not look infected (red, warm to the touch, and/or pussy) it should be fine with applying the baking soda/water combo and occassionally applying ice may help also. I have 4 children and all of us have experienced being stung many times as we are avid campers and nature freaks (so to speak). Next time you experience a need for stinger removal, try flicking it off with something like a credit card. Even tweezers can cause the release of venom. Good luck. :)

Hi L.-

My daughter has the same reaction to bees and other insects. I actually called the pharmacist the first time it happened -she told me to use childrens Benadryl. ( i use the dye-free version). Ask your pharmacist for dosing help (they are good about this). One MAYOR warning. Don't give this to her at bedtime. Benadryl can have a counter-effect on children making them very AWAKE:) Morning or middle of the day is great. The last time my daugter got a sting I took her to our redi-med since it was so huge. They gave her prednisone which helped immediatley.
Good luck!

Hi~!!!
Just for future references....
Benedryl is always a yes!!!!! right away or as soon as possible, and Cabbage leaves are a miracle leave, as it takes down inflamation and swelling quickly. It works just like ice leave it on until the leaf is wilted and switch it out for a new one. I use the combination for everything!!!1
Hope it helps!
Mom of 2

Hello L., It sounds like an allergy to me. Have a doc check it out, because if it is the next time she gets stung it could be much worst. I almost lost my oldest daughter when she was 9, because she stepped on a yellow jacket. She went into shock and I just barely got her to the hospital in time. That is more of an issue than the eye itself. If it is an allergy then she can get immunized for it just like she can for childhood diseases. Good luck.

Benadryll works great! You can use the cream and/or the pills. I hope that helps! :)

I got one of those forwarded e-mail recently that said to tape a penny to a bee sting and it keeps the swelling down. My son stepped on a bee a few weeks ago and I did it. A few hours later I took the penny off and you couldn't even see were the sting was. This probably won't help now, but for future reference I wanted to post it. I hope your little one is back to normal soon :-)

I hate to sound like it's a bad thing, but call your doctor - ASAP. My husband is allergic to bee stings, and those are the exact symptoms. Sometimes he can take a some benadryl and he'll be fine, but most of the time it's a trip to the ER or an Urgent Care Center. Mild swelling isn't to uncommon, but something that persists over 24 hours and is that severe may be a sign of something more severe. I also know from experience that each time a person is exposed to an allergy, the worse it gets. Allergies are not something to take into our own hands I guess!!