Wasp Sting…

[Redhelen72]

I was stung on my thumb yesterday, I washed it straight away and took an antihistamine and then an ice cube on it.
The thumb swelled up so badly I couldn’t activate my phone!
Today my thumb is red hot and still swollen badly.
Anything else I can do as it’s still really painful too?
Thanks

[jno]

the usual 400mg of ibuprofen, I guess. You sound as if you've done the right thing, you just have to wait.

As a matter of interest, is this the second sting you've had recently? Sometimes after an apaprently harmless first sting, a second one really blows up on you.

(Don't answer if it hurts!)

[AuntPG]

Hydrocortisone cream if you have it, or any cream for stings and bites. I got stung by a bee a few weeks ago and the sting was left in my finger. I managed to get it all out but my whole finger swelled up too and went red hot. Took a few days to calm down the swelling but the cream seemed to work.

[Togo]

The old method was to put vinegar on a wasp sting. It works.

[237SJ]

Bit late for most topical treatments. Just wait and it will settle down.

[AuntPG]

Its not too late for hydrocortisone cream. I used it three times a day for about three to four days after the sting, as advised by the pharmacist.

[237SJ]

Hydrocortisone will take surface inflammation out but won't do anything for deeper tissues.

[AuntPG]

Nothing will do anything for deeper tissues. Hydrocortisone, along with taking an antihistamine tab helps reduce inflammation. My finger went from me being unable to bend the finger at the knuckle and the finger twice the size it was, to me being able to bend my finger and the finger shrinking down. Maybe I'm just special eh?

[237SJ]

The OP has a swollen finger and as you say, hydrocortisone won't do anything for that.

[AuntPG]

well it did for me as advised by the local pharmacist,

"Hydrocortisone is a steroid (corticosteroid) medicine.
It works by calming down your body’s immune response to reduce pain, itching and swelling (inflammation)."

https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/hydrocortisone/

[Redhelen72]

Cannot take ibrofen and don’t have any cream unfortunately.
No this is the first time I have been stung.
I think vinegar is an old wives tale.
Thanks for the advice

[douglas9401]

Treatments that work

Ice - A great way to reduce swelling and redness from a wasp sting by slowing down the blood flow near the sting. Wrap a few ice cubes or an ice pack in a towel and place it on the affected area. Leave it for about 15 to 20 minutes and apply an antihistamine cream after.
Cucumber - Fresh cucumber slices can also cool the area and provide you with temporary relief.
Hot water - Run the affected area under water as hot as you can handle for a few seconds. Studies have shown that this helps to reduce swelling, itching and pain.
Antihistamine - Products containing antihistamine relieve itching and ease swelling. You can either use creams for local application or take it in the form of pills. Make sure to consult your GP beforehand and read the product labels carefully.
Menthol - With its cooling qualities, menthol and products containing it are a great anti-itch treatment. Apply it to relieve the symptoms of wasp stings.
Painkillers - You can take paracetamol or ibuprofen to ease the pain, though since stings are generally not that painful, you’ll likely won’t need to.

https://www.fantasticpestcontrol.co.uk/wasps/wasp-sting-treatments/

[Sqad]

You did good babe.
But why an antihistamine by mouth......it was your bloody thumb. Use an antihistamine cream if need be.

I agree with APG......1% hydrocortisone cream.

[Sqad]

The old search engines are singing tonight lol.

[Redhelen72]

It was the only antihistamine I had sqad.
I will try to get some cream from the chemist tomorrow.
Once again thanks

[roopower]

Vinegar for a wasps stings is not an old wives tale. The acidity of the vinegar neutralises the alkalinity of the wasp sting. It doesn't work for bee stings as they are more acidic

[Togo]

On Monday last week "she who must be obeyed" was stung twice on her calf and thigh by a wasp that apparently crawled up her pyjama leg. We were all ready to travel next day for a nice 2 day jolly to Porthmadog. Bog standard malt vinegar was applied to the stings and a big hammer to the wasp. No swelling ensued, no pain, no itching and the trip was not spoilt in any way. She did pong a bit like a poorly run care home for the night though.

[MWG14]

I agree with previous posters - vinegar for a wasp sting and blue-bag for a bee sting. The old remedies really do work.

[gulliver1]

21.46 what is a blue-bag.

[choux]

gulliver, blue bags were added during the laundry process, final rinsing, to produce a whiter white.

Because they were alkaline they were used to alleviate wasp stings.

[gulliver1]

22.43 thank you , I was thinking of something else .