No, not like in The Sting, one of my all time favorite movies. I was stung by a bee. I didn't see him/her/it. I wasn't near flowers nor food. I had no warning. I suffer from an allergy to bee stings. No, thank G-d, not the one that kills. Twenty-four hours after being stung, the area around the sting gets enormous and very hot. It is not pleasant, not at all.
I was preparing to enter the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. For the security check I always unbuckle my pouches and rebuckle them together with my backpack to put in the conveyor belt x ray machine. I reached back to the buckle and felt a sharp pain in my finger. I quickly removed my hand, shook it and saw a bee fly away. The pain was horrendous! I couldn't do anything. Yes, I held up the line. Finally I composed myself sufficiently to go in and put my bags through security. I managed to grab them all with my right hand, since my left wasn't functioning.
Then I had to figure out what to do next. I needed first aid, but I only had a short time before the bus was leaving. Now, what could be available in a bus station? I looked around and saw the Aroma coffee shop. So I walked over and asked the young woman at the counter for some ice and lemon explaining that I had just gotten stung by a bee. She was great, gave me my first aid, and I took the elevator up to "departures."
I sat in the bus with my finger in the cup on the ice and lemon. By the time I made it home to Shiloh, the water was hot, almost hot enough to make tea.
At home I tried some other remedies. We have an aloe vera plant, so I broke off a piece of leaf and spread the goo on the stung area. It didn't reduce discomfort. Then I tried putting some baking soda on, but I didn't have enough for it to make a difference. Then I soaked my finger in a cup of ice, which relieved the pain for a bit. Next I remembered something I had heard. I took a slice of fresh garlic and placed it on my finger. That seems the best. My finger is less swollen already. The problem is that you can't type with garlic on the finger, so I took a recommendation from an article I found on the internet and spread toothpaste on it. OK. I'll try wrapping it with cabbage for going to sleep, along with the toothpaste. That should be a refreshing salad.
More tomorrow...
3 comments:
Refuah shlaimah!
Ditto on the r.s.!!!
But I like how your blog deals with the "dvash" and the "oketz" of living in eretz Yisrael. ;-)
On a more concrete (ie helpful) note, if it still hurts, I've heard that plantain (flat weed with sticky-uppy-flowers - it's everywhere here, but likes dry conditions, so it's probably there, too) is great for bee stings. Google "plaintain bee stings" and you should be able to get a picture.
I have been waiting for someone to get stung this summer so I can run out and pick some from the cracks in the backyard.
Mrs. S, Jen, thanks,
It's not too bad this morning. I hope an hour or less in the pool this morning will help remove the stinger or whatever is still in there.
Jen, it was a mostly "dvash" day. In terms of accidents or health problems, the sting is small potatoes, so I must be thankful. I'll have to look up the plant.
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