Dear Doctor,
Last year I was stung by a bee/wasp/hornet... I am not sure to be honest. I was outside splitting white ash wood, to which I have a minor allergic reaction. I have been stung many times in the past, by all types of insects, and I had never had a reaction. This time, I puffed up like a blowfish, had welts all over my body, and my breathing became very constricted and labored. I immediately went to the hospital and was discharged a few hours later. A couple of months later, I was tested for bee/vespid allergens and everything came up negative. Ok, so at this point I was more perplexed and disconcerted than anything, especially when no physician could give me a good answer as to what happened. Just today, I was stung again while cutting the grass. I am not sure by what type of bee or vespid. This time, there was no reaction, except for pain and a little bit of swelling at the sting site, which was a couple of inches below my knee. The only thing I can think of that explains the critical moment I had last year was that when I was stung then, it was directly on a major vein on my right hand. Do you have any thoughts on this? I would greatly appreciate any insight.
Sincerely,
Tony