Are Bee Stings Becoming TMS?

Lately it seems like everyone who gets stung by a bee around me acts like it's a near death experience. I don't remember it being like this. When I was a kid I got stung all the time and it was no big deal. I met an older guy today who's telling me about getting welts from bee stings and using that epi-pen that's been in the press so much for it's high price. He pays $9 for it through the VA and not $600 like the company that makes it is alleged to be charging everyone. Knowing this guy as I do--he's a big wimp when it comes to pain--I think the welts, etc. are real physiological TMS reactions. Bee stings may be the next back-ache.

 

[Deleted at BeWell's request]

 

I think some things are genuine, real reactions. I also think some people are overly dramatic, lol. I got stung by a bee at 17...no biggie. Put a baking soda paste on to draw out the stinger, I was good as new. Again at 24, and I figured eh, it'll be fine. Did the same thing. Except it wasn't fine. My entire arm swelled. Same type of story with plants that cause contact dermatitis... each and every one I've discovered, I had handled with zero expectation of complications. No biggie. Until I had to go to the ER. Again. I believe these to be honest chemical reactions. The being said...there are folks, think of a young child's reaction to a splinter... he gets upset because it hurts. Fair enough. He won't let dad get it out because he's scared of the pocket knife touching his hand. So it festers, maybe even gets infected. Now it hurts worse, and it's hurting for longer than it should. Then he has to go to the Dr to get it cut out, topical medicine that burns, antibiotics that make him sick to his stomach. Then bam, 30 years later, this dude won't do any woodworking because he "always has a very severe reaction".
My two cents.

 

I think an over reactive immune response is a TMS equivalent. I have this with my over reaction to pollen and poison ivy. It could be the same phenomenon with bee stings.

 

I think we can train our immune response. Our mind have great power, with practice and enough exposure and time we can train our body and mind to accept just about anything life throw at us.
I remember the first sip of Budweiser taste terrible. Bitter and disgusting. The feeling of being drunk, the hangover... With enough time and exposure to alcohol one can raise one's alcohol tolerance from one can of beer to 10 in no time.
If you ask, all smoker will tell you their first cigarette doesn't taste very good. It burn their throat, they are gasping for air... with enough practice and time they can go from one cig. to a pack in a few weeks.
I read that some snake expert in Florida (everything happen in Florida) would deliberately inject his body with snake poison. Little by little his body is immune to snake poison. To the point that hospital can sometime use his blood to make anti-venom.
people in Thailand and Korea ate lots of hot peppers. The red pepper release the same burning chemical in everyone's mouth that eat it. Why then Thai love it and many western people would cry with running nose and watery eyes? Exposure, practice, acceptance... that's why.
During and after the Vietnam war, there is a big shortage of medical supplies. People would have surgery and tooth canal... without any anesthesia (I had one, never forget it). Our tolerance to pain are amazing. The following I copy from a blog of an American living in rural Thailand. He talked about his bee sting to a Thai man:
"I gained street cred at the local market, but quickly lost it when stung by a bee on the family porch. Of course a bee sting sounds sore to most, but yowing in front of a man who’s been stung by pretty much everything, makes me a bit of a sissy. “Have you ever been stung before Ta?” Fanfan translates his reply “Bees, spiders, centipedes, scorpions, a lot of scorpions”. “Y*** me! Ever been bitten by a snake?” Note, I was joking here. “Twice, green ones with brown tails, they’re dangerous”. “Crazy, so which one hurt the most?” “The rabid dog maybe. No, the catfish”. I had no idea catfish could even sting but apparently they have venomous barbs on their dorsal fins ( I Googled it). Ta continues “But none hurt as much as falling under the wheel of a buffalo cart. I shattered my upper arm”. Amazing, rural life sounds awesome fun."

We are much more powerful than we think. Most of the time if we Just accept our situation, let sometime past, keep on living and we will be able to handle just about anything throw at us.