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Article (5) A Sting Can Be Much More Than Just A Painful Bite
by Rod Jones
Whew! Is it just me or did this latest round of
conjugal soaring love bugs seem to last longer than usual? During
the last two months, I know I cleaned thousands of the critters off my
bike, a bunch off my helmet, and even a few off my forehead. We’ve all had
the experience—bugs, just another of the hazards of the road when you
ride. But while love bugs are nasty and a pain to clean off your
windshield and other bike parts, they’re not particularly dangerous.
That’s not the case with some of the other members of the insect kingdom. I learned that up close and personal a couple of weeks
ago when a wasp decided to cut his flight short by flying into the side of
my head as Kathy and I were heading home from a Wednesday lunch ride.
I didn’t really see him coming, but I knew immediately that a wasp was
stinging me. It got me twice on the left ear before I was able to
grab it and throw it to the ground. My ear burned, turned bright red
and swelled to twice its normal size in less than a minute. Fortunately,
those were the only consequences from the encounter.
Another local rider stung a couple months earlier while
on a group ride was not so lucky. He knew he was in trouble and
headed for a service station and help. By the time he got there he
had swollen up and was having trouble breathing, symptoms of a severe
allergic reaction to the sting—a potentially life-threatening situation.
Paramedics were called, and he was transported to a hospital, where he
recovered. Stings can be deadly if you’re allergic to them.
But if you’re riding a motorcycle when you’re stung, they can be deadly
whether you’re allergic or not.
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The number one danger we face if we’re stung while
riding is losing control of the bike and going down. As unpleasant
as the sting might be, it’s nothing compared to the consequences of
crashing. I was lucky—I was able to quickly grab the wasp with my
left hand without having to pull over, but it would have been smarter and
safer to quickly stop as soon as I could safely pull off the road and then
deal with the wasp. We shouldn’t let concern about being stung
override our attention to riding.
So, we’ve stayed upright despite being stung—now what?
For most of us, all we will experience is some pain and local swelling.
Probably no big deal, unless it’s around the throat or mouth, where
swelling could interfere with breathing and immediate medical help would
be required. But as many as 5% of us may experience a severe
allergic reaction to the venom, leading to anaphylactic shock, a condition
that kills 40 to 50 people each year, according to the American College of
Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. The problem here is that many people
who will have a severe allergic reaction to a sting will have had no
severe reaction the first time or even the first several times they are
stung. So we can never be certain that our next sting won’t result
in a severe allergic reaction. This means we need to pay attention
any time we or a fellow rider are stung and look for the following
symptoms of severe allergic reaction:
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Hives, itching, and swelling in areas other than
the sting site.
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Tightness in the chest and difficulty in breathing.
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Hoarse voice or swelling of the tongue.
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Dizziness or a sharp drop in blood pressure.
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Unconsciousness or cardiac arrest.
Any of these, but particularly the last two, indicate a
need for IMMEDIATE medical help. And if you already know you’re
allergic, talk to your doctor about carrying a prescription sting kit with
you. Let’s ride safe and have fun. See you on the road.
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