I stepped on a bee a week ago yesterday morning. I have flat feet, and it stung me in the arch of my foot, where the skin is relatively tender. I immediately scraped my foot on the grass, then went inside and poured alcohol on it. The pain went away pretty quickly, and when I looked at it I could not see any trace of a stinger, just a tiny red dot. Pressing on it was not in any way uncomfortable as though there was anything buried in the skin. All discomfort of any kind was completely gone in less than an hour, and I pretty much forgot about it.
Ever since last night, that spot on my foot has been itching. Nothing terrible, just unusual, and relieved by a little scratching just with my other foot. A few minutes ago it got worse and I attacked it directly with my fingernails. That just seemed to aggravate it, and I went to the bathroom to wash my foot, pour alcohol on it and maybe some calamine or something.
I looked at the spot and I was shocked to see that the tiny red dot was still there! It’s been 8 days! Also, when I felt around it, the flesh around seemed a little raised, mildly swollen, which could have been a reaction to the scrubbing/scratching I had just given it, but still.
The only thing that has happened to that foot in that spot is the bee sting… could it have been completely inert for 8 days, then suddenly my body reacts? Why is the red dot still there? Could the stinger be in my foot and I’m just not feeling it, and my body is sick of it and reacting? What the hell? If its’ in there how the hell do I get it out if I can’t even feel it or see it? Just slice a chunk of my foot off and hope the stinger comes with it…no.
I’m not surprised that the red dot is still there. In my experience, wounds on the foot, especially puncture wounds, take forever to heal.
As for the reaction: Bee venom is contained in the stinger, and often when the stinger is not fully removed, venom will leak when the area is touched. I’ve had a couple of experiences where someone didn’t properly remove the stinger and when it was finally removed the wound started to hurt and swell a second time. I know that it is possible for various poisons to lie, more or less inert, in some part of the body and then be activated sometimes days later. This occassionally happens with spider bites; for whatever reason the venom doesn’t start to spread until a considerable time after the initial bite.
However, it seems exceedingly unlikely that you wouldn’t notice a stinger still caught in your foot. Also, given that your foot probably gets a lot of action in a normal day, the idea that your scratching released more venom seems questionable. Have you taken an anti-histamine?
Are you sure it was a bee? Most people who get stung by bees around these parts are actually getting stung by yellowjacket wasps. Which are not bees. In fact, if it has distinctive yellow-black pattern, like a cartoon bee, it’s most likely a wasp.
I really doubt you’d see a reaction to venom after that length of time. I also suspect you may have an infection starting up, especially since it’s on your foot (feet in shoes get sweaty, bacteria grows). Maybe put some Polysporin and a bandaid on it, and give it a couple days to see if it’s any better. If it gets redder, itchier or feels hot, get thee to a doctor.
I am a veterinarian. In my patients, I deal with something called a Delayed Type Hypersensitivity Reaction. In humans, this is the type of reaction seen with a TB test. Here is some info on this type of reaction.
I figured taking an anti-histamine would be a good way to determine whether or not it was an allergy/venom thing. If the anti-histamine doesn’t help any, you know you’ve got some sort of infection.