Medical question re: bee venom and the lymph system

Factual Questions
1

I’ve been a pest control technician for the past eight summers now, and hardly a year has gone by that I haven’t been stung by a yellowjacket at least once.

Initially, these were rather painful and the subsequent ache lasted for three to five days. I recall being stung on the hand a few years ago and having the ache stay in my shoulder (like a pulled muscle) for days afterward.

Now, though, I’ve been stung a couple of times this summer, and once the initial pain wore off (after 30 minutes to an hour), there was no ache or stiffness, as in the past. No swelling, either.

Have I absorbed enough bee venom to be more or less immune now?

Was the ache in my shoulder the venom going through my lymphatic system? Would this have had anything to do with my current lack of lingering pain after being stung?

2

The main difference in the severity of pain is going to be due to the severity of the bite.

There are lots of different kinds of wasps and yellojackets. You did not necessarily get bitten by the same species both times. The venom of differetn species have different effects.

Additionally, where and how badly you got bit and how much venom was injected will have a lot to do with the severity of your reaction.

Contrary to building up a tolerance, repeated bites and stings give you the risk of a more severe allergic reaction.

Hope that helps.