For most people a bee sting is merely unpleasant and bee sting treatment is fairly simple. The stinger should first be taken out. A person can do this by scraping it out with the edge of a credit card. The stinger shouldn't be pulled out by being grasped with tweezers or fingers because this could force more poison into the site. When the stinger is finally removed, the area should be washed. Then, a paste of baking soda and water can be spread over it to ease the pain. Ice can also be applied for any swelling. However, if the person is stung inside the mouth or nose or in their throat they should be rushed to an emergency room as swelling can close up their airway and threaten their life. This is true even if the person isn't allergic to bee stings. People who are known to be allergic to bee stings should also seek immediate medical attention because they can go into a life-threatening sock. The symptoms of this include hives, intense itching, hypotension, swelling, wheezing, difficulty breathing and perhaps incontinence or diarrhea. Some people who know that they're allergic to bee stings carry an epinephrine pen with them. This is a pen that contains a single dose of epinephrine, or adrenaline. The pen should be held in the fist with the tip, which is usually black, pointing down. The activation cap should be taken off, then the tip should be jabbed into the outer thigh at a right angle. The person who's administering the epinephrine shouldn't worry about removing the clothing over the area. They should keep the pen in place for a few seconds, then remove it and rub the area. If the pen has discharged its dosage then the needle should be protruding from its tip. If it's not, the pen should be applied again. Then, the needle should be pressed into a hard surface like a wall or a floor, put back into its tube and capped. The stinger can be removed if it hasn't been removed already and the person should be taken to the hospital. They should be careful to take the empty epinephrine pen with them.