So I've been trying the whole bee sting therapy (mostly when I'm drinking) to see if there's any noticeable affect on my arthritis (premature rheumatism diagnosed when I was 12). So far, I can't really tell.
But the problem I'm having is when I was a kid and started keeping bees, the stings were a total non-issue. Maybe a second or two of minor pain, then nothing. Now, 15 years later, I still have the virutal-nothing-pain, but the next day, TONS of swelling and pain. Feels like a deep bruise. Then the itching starts. This lasts from 3 to 5 days.
To try and build up an immunity, for the last two weeks I've been regularly stinging myself as soon as the swelling and itching subsides. I've been using the elbows for the stings, as the swelling doesn't seem to affect me so much there, but the itching is insane.
So has anyone else tried this? And if so, did you find a place to sting yourself that didn't result in miserable itching/swelling for days on end?
At one point, I got drunk and stupid and decided to prove to my brother in law that you could "pet" the beard without getting stung. Worked the first 3 times, but the 4th time I got a sting that made my hand swell up so bad that I thought the skin would split. Did I mention I was drinking?
As a side-note, someone had mentioned that leaving the stingers in for 20 minutes was recommended. However, I found the allergic reaction was the same, except those left in more than 60 seconds resulted in puss pockets like bad zits. Probably TMI. But hey, I'm drinking. And just got stung.
Any info would be helpful!