I just returned from a full Labor Day weekend at my parents’ lake house. I should be feeling pretty relaxed — and I am — after spending the last few days enjoying the warm weather, boat rides, and an extra couple pair of hands helping keep the girls occupied.
But something happened on Friday that hasn’t happened in over a decade: I got stung by a yellow jacket. Margot was taking a nap, and I sat on a lounge chair out on the deck ready to relax with Crazy Rich Asians. I didn’t even see the little jerk; I only felt the sting on my inner arm, and quickly swatted it away from me before it landed on the deck. Its stinger was still stuck in my arm as I stomped on him with my sandal.
I quickly went inside to find something to scrape the stinger off of my arm; I remembered learning as a kid that you should use something blunt like a credit card to scrape it out instead of using tweezers. I also remembered that time is of the essence to make sure the stinger doesn’t stay in too long, so I grabbed a magazine and used one of the cardboard inserts to scrape out the stinger.
It stung, of course, for a couple of hours. Then the area started to get swollen and red. I put ice on it to help with the pain and swelling, but ultimately this was just the beginning. I posted updates on my Instastories throughout the day (and kept making this face obviously).
While the pain of the sting subsided by the end of the day Friday, the area on my arm seemed to be getting redder, itchier, and warmer. I had a hard time sleeping that night.
Continue reading “When a yellow jacket sting leads to cellulitis”