Wasp sting?

[harrisey]

Dd2 was stung by a wasp yesterday, poor wee thing (she is 2y10m). Though she did not have an allergic reaction (not anaphlaxis) to the sting, her foot (where the sting was) swelled up to twice the normal size. I gave her piriton and it went down, then gave more piriton when it swelled up again this morning!
Dh is away (he's a GP so good for advice!!) and on the phone he said if she has no respiratory symptoms then not to worry!
She is fine today,
But I am worried as I know the first sting can sensitize and then the next can be the bad one, I have an allergy to nettle stings (if I am stung I get a nettle rash over my whole body) and to lanolin (ditto) and so I am am worrying that dd2 has inherited this (I have never been stung by a wasp so have no idea if it is a prob for me or not - but had bad reaction to beesting as a child).

Anyone know where I can find more out about htis. Dh is a great dad and very good doc but can be a bit dismissive if he didnt see it himself (and her foot was literally twice the size, you could not have got her shoes on!)

[eldestgirl]

If it's any comfort, DH has an allergy to wasp stings, and it looks as if DS1 has inherited it, but despite several stings, it has never progressed beyond quite dramatic but short term swelling. I just do the same as you, give a dose or two of promethazine (which I think is just the same of the active ingredient in Piriton).

[kid]

Was the sting left behind in her foot?
If it is was (or is in the future) you must remove it by scraping your nail or something blunt across it. This stops more poison (or whatever it is they contain!) being squirted into the foot.

[frankiemum]

what causes the hard lump left after a sting?

[NurseNaturalist]

For more information try the new article by Sue McBean (September 2006) in Primary Health Care called Prevention and treatment of wasp stings. Details: Volume 17, Part 7, pages 19 - 22.

[Callmemadam]

Just seen this thread as I was about to start my own, Harrissy! I have just been with a consultant today who has diagnosed my daughter as allergic to stings after she had a bad reaction on holiday this summer - faintness, vomiting, sweating etc. he explained that generalised reactions fall into certain groups, swelling of soft tissues, respiratory interference, urticaria/skin reactions, and vomiting, weakness and potential collapse. A life threatening reaction might produce all of these. He also said a 'normal ' body response to a sting would be a lump no greater than 2cm across. He also described what my daughter had as a 'bi-phasic' reaction, where the reaction returns when the anti-histamine wears off. It would be an easy matter for her to be referred for a RAST test to check for antibodies, I would have thought. I only found out about my daughter through following up my original instinct that her reaction was not normal. HTH

[NurseNaturalist]

It will be very important for you to know what your daughter is allergic to because those symptoms would scare any mother. Do you remember anything about the sting that would help identify the insect? Most people who have a problem with stings are allergic to wasps not bees. A bee usually leaves the sting behind and a wasp never does. A wasp sting is remarkably painful at the start. It is fairly unusual to have such a bad reaction the first time - had your daughter been stung before? Let us know how the tests go. There are lots of ideas in the article mentioned about how to avoid children getting stung but unfortunately it is not free - a list of these ideas should come out on a web site this year - I'll let you know if so, & where. At least you are unlikely to come across any bees or wasps for a few months