Stung by a wasp and had to cut off my ring before it strangled my finger.
The older I get the more affected I am by wasp stings. Seems like I should build up some immunity for less effect, but it works the other way for some reason.
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About 5 years ago I had a single sting on my lower leg by a yellow wasp, aka yellow jacket. Ended up in the emergency room with an anaphylactic reaction. Probably would have survived without that trip, but I was WAAAAY out of it.
As a result, I learned some things I didn't know. For one, a history of stings means nothing. It can happen at any time. Another, there are blood tests that check for IGE antibodies for specific species. In my case, wasps and hornets (vespid family) is the problem.
Might be worth a visit to an allergist/immunologist who specializes in venom reactions. They can do blood tests, skin tests, and if severe enough may recommend immunotherapy. Even if you just end up carrying an Epipen for a reaction, it could save your life.
I just got reassessed at 5 years to see if I could stop. Some of my original results were at the highest level of sensitivity. Better, but still not out of the woods. Recommendation is to continue with the immunotherapy and carry an Epipen. Some folks would stop due to the inconvenience and cost, but I plan to continue. Don't want to go through that again.
When I first had the reaction, I recall reading that there are a modest number of deaths each year to wasp/hornet/bee stings, maybe 50-100, but that most of those the people weren't aware they were sensitive to the sting. You've been given an early warning, up to you whether to look into it more.
