The Buzz About Bees Part One

Please enjoy the sting of this Best Of about Bee Stings.  Part Two follows.

Bee stings.  Apitherapy.  Bee venom therapy.  Call it what you want—I even call it “crazy!”  But the truth is, I’ve been getting stung, not accidently-but on purpose, since September of 2002.  Bee stings are my little way of thumbing my nose at multiple sclerosis!

For many years I took the traditional route of MS treatment; filling an unlimited number of Sharps containers with used syringes of Avonex, Copaxone and Rebif.  I jammed needles into my thighs, my butt, my stomach , my shoulders and the back of my arms.

Was it worth it?  I have no idea, but my MS continued to progress.

A friend, who also has MS, asked me to join him in his bee sting therapy.  I thought he was flat-out insane–letting bees sting you.  I resisted his offer for years.  Finally, out of complete desperation, I agreed to be stung.

Despite my previous apprehension, from day one, I found the whole “stinging” experience to be empowering!  Here I was putting something in my body (bee venom) that occurs naturally in our world.  Not something created in a lab.

And it made me feel—better.

I could move—-better.

I didn’t have an unseen cloud of ” doom & gloom” hanging over my head like I had when doing my shots.  Plus, I didn’t need a “recovery” day from bee stings.  By that I mean Avonex would wipe me out the day following a shot.  Rebif did the same, though not as bad, three days a week.  I just felt losing a day to recover was too much to sacrifice when you have limited energy as any MSer will tell you.

Yeah, I figured the Funny Meter would show up at some point in this post.  It was just a matter of time.  Hey, Funny Meter…go watch “King of The Hill,” that’ll keep you busy for a long while!

Sorry for the disruption.  Back to bee stings.

I’ve had doctors tell me it is a complete waste of time.  And yet, other doctors tell me to continue to do what I think is helping.  (Hey wait a minute doc, YOU are the one with a wall full of diplomas—you tell ME what to do.)

I guess my point is, only you know what works.  With MS there is no miracle pill.  No special diet.  No magical treatment to make things better.  So you have to find a plan of attack that fits you like a tailored shirt.

My apology for the awkwardness of this particular My Odd Sock.  Writing about “bee stings” is pretty overwhelming for me, so I believe I will break the subject into a couple of different entries.  Next time, I’ll write about an actual sting session.

In the meantime, check out more about Apitherapy online.  There are a number of bee experts in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, namely Pat Wagner, “The Bee Lady.”  In northeast Ohio, Floyd Alexander is an unbelievable wealth of information & inspiration!

Just keep in mind, consult with your own medical expert.  Apitherapy is an alternative form of treatment and not for everyone.  This is my personal account and thus, your experience may vary.