Most folks have experienced the pain of a wasp sting, especially during the summer months. While other insect bites often cause discomfort, wasp stings are often particularly painful and aggravating (via Healthline).
That’s because wasps inject venom into your skin once they sting you, and in contrast to honeybees, wasps don’t lose their stingers once they sting. Unfortunately, this suggests that wasps can potentially sting you many times during a row.
If you get stung by a wasp, you will probably feel pain or burning near the sting site. it is also common to experience redness, itching, and swelling round the area. Although most of the people will get over a wasp sting within a couple of hours after getting stung, some people will experience an allergy , or anaphylaxis, which may be life-threatening.
Anaphylaxis can occur within minutes of being exposed to an allergen, including wasp venom. Symptoms of an allergy include hives, itching, swelling of the face, throat, or lips, trouble breathing, lightheadedness, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, and a sudden drop in vital signs. If you experience any of those symptoms, you ought to seek immediate medical attention.
How to treat a wasp sting
If you have been stung by a wasp and aren’t experiencing an allergy, you’ll treat your sting reception with a couple of simple remedies. Before you are doing anything to alleviate the pain, however, you will need to wash and disinfect the affected area first (via WebMD).
Wash the sting site with soap and water to urge obviate any germs or bacteria that would cause infection. then, you’ll apply an ice pack to the affected area every ten minutes over the course of an hour to assist lessen inflammation.
You can also take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, like ibuprofen or naproxen, to assist ease the pain of the sting. If your sting is especially itchy, you’ll apply an antihistamine, corticosteroid, or calamine cream to the sting site and surrounding area to assist alleviate any pain, itchiness, and irritation.
Overall, pain from a wasp sting should subside within each day approximately. However, if you experience worsening symptoms over the course of several days, that would be a sign of possible infection, and you’ll want to ascertain a doctor for further treatment instruction.