Infirmary Thread #21: Say "Aaargh!!"

[Lupine]

^Get better!

[RJDiogenes]

I finally got around to be tested for a bee allergy; the result will be ready on Friday. Every time I get stung the reaction is worse which is suspicious.

That's a little worrisome. Are you alone when you go out on these sampling missions?

My bet is on Clostridium, my doc thinks it's Enterococcus. The one who loses must invite the winner to a cafe (which means I get cake, no matter who wins )

Now there's a great idea for improving medical outcomes: Betting pools!

[huggle]

Lovely kiwi tart and cocoa! We were both wrong: no mean germs whatsoever. It must be either a virus or a physiological problem, maybe even a neurological one. More tests and more bets

The bee allergy result hasn't arrived yet. I used to be sampling alone but with 2 trainees atm I am hardly ever alone anymore. Last time I got stung it was pretty bad. The beastie hit the neck muscle and within minutes my palms and the soles of my feet started itching, I ran a high temperature and felt a trifle dizzy. Fortunately, it happened not far from my office. Ice packs on hands and feet did the trick and I took the afternoon off to sleep the poison off.
My sympathies are with the bees: they just woke up from their semi-hibernation, are sleepy, hungry and grumpy. Much like me in the morning.

[Lupine]

The last and only time I was stung by a bee it was on the back. It hurt but I didn't notice any symptoms.

[RJDiogenes]

The bee allergy result hasn't arrived yet. I used to be sampling alone but with 2 trainees atm I am hardly ever alone anymore. Last time I got stung it was pretty bad. The beastie hit the neck muscle and within minutes my palms and the soles of my feet started itching, I ran a high temperature and felt a trifle dizzy. Fortunately, it happened not far from my office. Ice packs on hands and feet did the trick and I took the afternoon off to sleep the poison off.

That sounds dangerous if it's getting worse. Can't bee stings kill very quickly?

[huggle]

not normally. If you aren't allergic it'd take far more than 100 stings.
What can get nasty is if the bee carries aggressive bacteria.

Last time I got stung I had been called to a pond where some idiot had opened the sluice, resulting in the pond falling dry and all fish and mussels dying. The bee house was right on the bank and it is very likely that the bee that stung me had been in contact with the rotting bodies. My reaction might have been to the bee's poison but it could also have been to the rot bacteria and their toxines. The test helps us clarify which of both was the case so that in future I know what to protect myself against.

Interestingly, people today react stronger to bee stings than in the 60s. There's a theory that modern bees have a slightly modified poison since they have been cross-bred with bees from Asia, Africa and the Americas. Another group of scientists says bees get in contact with more poisons from gardeners and farmers (compared to the 60s, both use several hundred times the amount of poison nowadays) and these poisons get in the sting-wound and cause the strong reactions.
I think both theories are propably right.

Funnily, the propably most popular cake in Germany is called bee sting It's two layers of yeast cake with vanilla cream and a layer of candy with roast almonds or peanuts on top.
This recipe in English is authentic: https://www.internationaldessertsblog.c ... ting-cake/

[Lupine]

Interestingly, people today react stronger to bee stings than in the 60s. There's a theory that modern bees have a slightly modified poison since they have been cross-bred with bees from Asia, Africa and the Americas. Another group of scientists says bees get in contact with more poisons from gardeners and farmers (compared to the 60s, both use several hundred times the amount of poison nowadays) and these poisons get in the sting-wound and cause the strong reactions.
I think both theories are propably right.

I've also heard that things like peanut allergies are becoming more common as well, making me wonder if it's actually the bees or something more to do with people.

[RJDiogenes]

^^ I was thinking the same thing.

not normally. If you aren't allergic it'd take far more than 100 stings.
What can get nasty is if the bee carries aggressive bacteria.

Coincidentally, one of the murders in the play the other night was done with multiple bee stings.

[Lupine]

^Also coincidentally I watched The Outer Limits episode "ZZZZ" the other night.

[huggle]

Wasn't there a Doctor Who episode with huge insects, too? First Doctor, if I remember correctly.

[Lupine]

I don't know about the original but the Series 4 episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp" had a huge alien wasp in it.

[RJDiogenes]

^Also coincidentally I watched The Outer Limits episode "ZZZZ" the other night.

Oh, yeah. The original Outer Limits is one of my all-time favorites. There really isn't a bad episode.

[Cayla]

I received my second shingles vaccine on Friday. I was out of commission on Saturday.

[RJDiogenes]

That's not too bad. The latest booster had me down for several days.

[scottydog]

I received my second shingles vaccine on Friday. I was out of commission on Saturday.

That's sort of what happened to me after my 2nd shingles shot.

We need Elara to spice up this thread.