An Acute Apis Case

By Diane Walker

My 9 yr old son was absorbed in TV when something landed on his head. Without thinking, he put his hand over what proved to be a wasp, which promptly stung him on the head. He has a strong fear of bees and wasps but his reaction really took me aback. He threw himself, screaming in terror, onto the floor, crouched on all fours, yelling “Why did it do that to me?” and then “I want to kill it!” then demanding “Kill it!!! Kill it!!!” The wasp went into hiding and I took the victim out of the room to try to calm him down. The sting site was easy to locate on the R-side of his head.

Normally a cuddly child, he didn’t want to be held and felt hot and clammy with sweat. The degree of shock I saw, was what I would expect from a child who had just witnessed a family member’s murder. He started holding his throat, breathing raspy (no prior reaction to bee stings; there is a family history of anaphylactic reactions to bee stings; he is also inclined to be dramatic). Normally a compliant patient, when I tried to give him a remedy he wouldn’t take it… until I persuaded him it would help with the pain. I thought of Aconite (because the shock/fear seemed excessive and his fear was rattling me!) and Ledum (to antidote the venom) but decided on a dose of Apis 200C. He calmed down straight away and was soon cuddled up on the couch with me. Not long after, I spotted the offending wasp about 2 metres from him. I caught the wasp and took it outside – no sign of fear at all (wasp fine too!). The sting site was clear within minutes.

What I loved about this acute, was how effectively the remedy dealt with the shock, as well as the sting itself. I have discussed his reaction with his GP/Homeopath who doesn’t think it is likely to have been an anaphylactic reaction - thankfully.

Postscript: Several months later on, he is much calmer around wasps and bees. No shrieking or panic.