I am over at The Indie Joint today with a post about how my life threatening allergy to bee stings inspired my short story, The Last of the Lavender, included in Whispers of the Past.
Let’s all welcome Robbie Cheadle to the Indie Joint! It’s her first time here (but, I hope it won’t be her last) so let’s make her feel right at home.
Robbie, as the Warden here, you have all our attention. It’s not like they can go anywhere so take as much time as you need! Hahaha
I am terrified of bees. As a child, I never used to worry overly about bees and bee stings, but over the course of my life, each time I have been stung by a bee my bodies reaction has been stronger.
I don’t suffer from anaphylaxis which is when the venom from a bee sting sends the person into shock. My blood pressure doesn’t drop, and I don’t have difficulty breathing. I am one of the rare people in the world who gets a bacterial infection, which quickly leads to blood poisoning, from a bee string.
The first time this happened, I was quite ignorant about what was happening. I got stung on my middle toe by a bee while walking around in the grass outside. It was painful and I took an antihistamine and covered the site of the sting with an antibacterial cream and a plaster. By the following morning, my entire foot was swollen and red. I had a busy workday ahead, so I went to work anyway, wearing a slipper on the affected foot. By mid-day, my leg had swollen up to just below my knee and I felt unwell and feverish. I went home and lay down for the afternoon. When my husband came home, I asked him to take me to the emergency room as I didn’t feel well enough to drive. The doctor diagnosed blood poisoning and I was given a ten-day course of strong antibiotics, cortisone and antihistamines. The doctor thought the infection might have been introduced into my body with the stinger and had nothing to do with the bee itself.
The next time I got stung by a bee, just over a year ago, I initially seemed to be okay. I had recently had a throat infection and had been on antibiotics for a week. I didn’t notice any significant swelling until the following day. My entire foot swelled up as well as my ankle. A red line ran from the site of the sting up my foot and past my ankle. Once again, I had to go to the emergency room and have a 10-day course of antibiotics. I also had cortisone and antihistamines. This time it took three weeks before I could walk properly on my foot.
Continue reading here: https://theindiejoint.wordpress.com/2020/03/25/welcome-to-day-3-of-the-whispers-of-the-past-blog-tour-robertaeaton17-4willspub-rrbc/
roberta-writes.com 
Wow, I’ve never heard of that kind of reaction. If I get stung I know my neck will start to swell up on the inside and I’ll have to take steroids to combat it. If the swelling is serious I’ll have to go to A&E and have IV steroids and anti-histamines. We have to be careful, Robbie.
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Yes, two different reactions but equally dangerous. I think an allergy to bacteria in bee stings is fairly uncommon. I read only 1% of people have this. YOur type of allergy is much quicker though, Stevie. You must have an epipen.
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I have steroid tablets which usually work fairly quickly. I’ve only ever had to go to A&E once. I’ve been told I don’t need an epipen. Epipens don’t contain steroid I think?
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I think they contain adrenaline.
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Not sure if that would work on me. I’ve only had steroids before.
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I have been stung by bees too many times. Thankfully, I a not allergic or have swelled up.
Stay away from bees. And be safe.
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Thank you, I have become quite paranoid about them and never walk barefoot.
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Sounds like an extreme allergy. My son is allergic but you generally get one freebie. It sounds like you missed that!
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I had a bee sting as a child which didn’t result in such an extreme illness, Jacqui. I swelled up like a balloon but no blood poisoning.
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Allergic reactions are frightening. In many cases it seems sudden, but your body has just finally had too much of that particular allergin. That has happened to me in several cases. It is certainly a good starting point for a spooky tale! (K)
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Yes, I think you are right, Kerfe. It was an interesting way to share my anxieties about bees.
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Wow, scare real life situation sparks creative fiction! Bravo!
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Thank you, John.
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What happened to your other blog Robbie?❤️
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I still have it, Jude. I don’t post poetry to this blog, only really dark stuff [smile]
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I’m definitely following this one also
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Thanks Jude
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That is very scary, to be allergic to something in the environment. The story it inspired sounds very intense!
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Thank you, Liz. My bee allergy is frightening. I am being very careful to wear shoes all the time right now. I don’t want to end up in hospital from a bee sting amid all the current chaos.
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For sure! A hospital is the last place anyone wants to be right now.
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