I just got the most excruciating insect bite...

[Ginevra]

imaginable! Has this ever happened to anyone else?! I was washing my car. Something (maybe a fly, maybe mosquito) bit my calf. I have zillions of spider veins and some that border on vericose. The bite was right over a vein. The whole vein welted up, the skin around it is tight and swollen and it HURTS like mad! The welt is about 3inches long. :scared:

[MariannNOVA]

in a pinch, a compress made with meat tenderizer will take the ouch out of it, or aloe vera gel if you have it, or if you have Domeboro powder

(the first aid aisle of CVS or rite aid or someplace like that), make a compress and follow the directions. I would think that considering where the bite is, you will want to get it down and get rid of as much of the inflammation as you can. HTH --

[Ginevra]

I put some Aloe gel on it, the only thing I have handy. I think it may be helping but this monster still hurts amazingly bad.

[Perry]

I can't find a complete list, but this is interesting.

 

Schmidt Sting Pain Index

 

 

The Schmidt Sting Pain Index or the Justin O. Schmidt Pain Index is a pain scale rating the relative pain caused by different Hymenopteran stings. It is mainly the work of Justin O. Schmidt, an entomologist at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center. Schmidt has published a number of papers on the subject and claims to have been stung by the majority of stinging Hymenoptera.

His original paper in 1984 was an attempt to systematize and compare the hemolytic properties of insect venoms. The index contained in the paper started from 0 for stings that are completely ineffective against humans, progressed through 2, a familiar pain such as a common bee or wasp sting, and finished at 4 for the most painful stings. In the conclusion, some descriptions of the most painful examples were given, e.g.: "Paraponera clavata stings induced immediate, excruciating pain and numbness to pencil-point pressure, as well as trembling in the form of a totally uncontrollable urge to shake the affected part."

Subsequently, Schmidt has refined his scale, culminating in a paper published in 1990 which classifies the stings of 78 species and 41 genera of Hymenoptera. Notably, Schmidt described some of the experiences in vivid and almost synesthetic detail:

 

 

• 1.0 Sweat bee: Light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm.
  
• 1.2 Fire ant: Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet & reaching for the light switch.
  
• 1.8 Bullhorn acacia ant: A rare, piercing, elevated sort of pain. Someone has fired a staple into your cheek.
  
• 2.0 Bald-faced hornet: Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door.
  
• 2.0 Yellowjacket: Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W. C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.
  
• 2.x Honey bee and European hornet: Like a matchhead that flips off and burns on your skin.
  
• 3.0 Red harvester ant: Bold and unrelenting. Somebody is using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail.
  
• 3.0 Paper wasp: Caustic & burning. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut.
  
• 4.0 Tarantula hawk: Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair drier has been dropped into your bubble bath.
  
• 4.0+ Bullet ant: Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch rusty nail in your heel.
  

 

 

Edited August 15, 2009 by Perry

[Tap]

You can take some anti inflammatory med like Motrin in a 600-800mg dose (unless you have a medical condition that you shouldn't take it) and it will help a bit. Cool compresses, baking soda packs, anti-itch gel, Benadryl or any antihistamine can all help.

 

 

The meat tenderizer used in the first hour, mentioned by another poster, really does help. It has enzymes in it that break down the venom. It can be good to keep on hand just for this purpose.

 

Watch for streaks coming off it or a growing red area. If you get a large red patch that seems to be getting bigger, mark its edges with a pen or marker to keep track of its growth. I have had cellulitis (an infection in the cells) numerous times due to bee stings. You may even want to take a periodic photo to track its progression especially since you don't know what bit you.

 

I am so sympathetic to bad bites. I had a wasp get my thigh just as we were leaving home for a 2 hour drive. It was the worst, most intense pain I have ever felt from an injury/bite, and all I could do was sit in a car and dwell on it. :glare: It was horrible.

[Ibbygirl]

Absolutely! Meat tenderizer mixed with enough water to make a paste and put it on the spot and leave it for 30 minutes before washing it off. This works great for bites and stings of all kinds.:) You can do more than one treatment if you need to. :)

[Chris in VA]

Oh Perry, that is hilarious! Hope I never, ever experience those last few stings!