How Bee Stings Saved Me

Trish Thompson - Pollen Peddlers Apiary

A 30-Year Lyme Journey Transformed by Beekeeping

My journey with Lyme disease began in 1994, shortly after giving birth to my first child. It started with migraines, and I was simply prescribed painkillers and sent on my way. Over the next 26 years, the migraines worsened, and new symptoms emerged—stroke-like episodes, muscle weakness, sensitivity to light, sound, and smells, joint pain, brain fog, nerve pain, dizziness, blood sugar and blood pressure issues, reproductive problems, and more.

Years of Misdiagnosis and Decline

Doctors cycled through diagnoses—MS, Lupus, Fibromyalgia—yet nothing truly fit, and no treatment provided relief. My condition deteriorated to the point where I could no longer drive and required an oxygen tank. Despite numerous tests, Lyme disease remained undetected for years. When I finally received the diagnosis, I thought I had found the answer—but it wasn’t that simple. By the time Lyme was identified, it was too late for antibiotics to be effective. There was no established medical protocol for late-stage Lyme, leaving me without a clear path forward. I was lost, searching for answers where few seemed to exist.

Finding Solace in Beekeeping

In 2018, my husband and I took up beekeeping. It felt like something I could manage—unlike people, the bees didn’t care if I struggled to speak, walk, or read that day. It was a peaceful escape, a small sense of purpose in the midst of so much uncertainty. But I never imagined that these tiny creatures would ultimately save my life.

Discovering Bee Venom Therapy

Six months after getting my first colony, a friend in the beekeeping community told me about someone who used bee venom therapy to treat Lyme disease. The idea sounded unbelievable, but after years of suffering, I was willing to try anything to reclaim my life. I met with him, learned about the process, and decided to begin.

A Radical Routine Begins

I started stinging myself with live bees—10 stings, three times a week along my spine. Slowly, glimpses of my old self returned. The brain fog lifted, the pain faded, and for the first time in years, I could read, process conversations, and engage with the world again. Over the course of 30 months, one symptom after another disappeared.

Bee venom therapy was not an easy journey—it was physically, emotionally, and socially challenging. Many people thought I was crazy for doing it. But those incredible little bees gave me my life back, one sting at a time.

A New Life—and a New Purpose

As of February 2025, it has been three years since my last intentional sting for Lyme disease. This journey not only restored my health but gave me a deeper purpose. I’ve dedicated myself to learning about bees, protecting them, educating others, and providing bees to those beginning their own journey with bee venom therapy.

The bees gave me a gift I can never fully repay—the gift of life. The least I can do is help them thrive and share their healing power with others.