My Family And I Are On Vacation At Oregon Coast...yesterday

Posted on Sun, 28 Jul 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 28 Jul 2019 Answered on

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Question : my family and I are on vacation at Oregon Coast...yesterday I was stung by something on right thumb....after about an hour severe pain and burning along with little breathing difficulty...wife took me to er....they gave me steroid, Benadryl, first , then had to give me morphine for the pain later....checked out ...was told to take Benadryl, Advil, and Tylenol.....now 24 hours later, pain is still persistent if not worse...any recommendations?... I have also iced continually too help with pain which travels from thumb down arm and up to shoulder?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (58 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
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Detailed Answer:
Hi and welcome. First, thumb is very sensitive and even after minor bites, it may hurt a lot. It would be good to ice it, keep arm elevated, apply elastic bandage on finger. Second, such pain may be sign of infection, not just allergic reaction. If pain worsens in next 48hours or spreading redness occur then you should have antibiotics as well. Third, stronger painkillers such as tramadol or diclofenac should be used if available. Wish you good health. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T