Anaphylactic shock

[brymoore]

Yes but it is very easy to get one. Just visit your doctor and explain to them your fear of being many hours from a hospital and hiking among mountain wildflowers and you would like to have one as a safety measure in case of severe reaction to a bee sting.

I’ll try it. I do have concerns of being hours from medical attention and having a reaction that could easily be cured with an Epi.

 

[ammo]

I was one of those people who always thought allergies were a manufactured condition of the mind. That was until I started having some of my own issues around age 40. Teach me.

Same. Maybe not so much on manufactured on the severe side but have been a skeptic and that if you roll a kid down a hill of poison oak enough and eat enough peanut butter and dirt you can build up immunities. Admitting defeat to wasps/bees, don't really want a repeat of yesterday!



When my husband got to the ER he told me I looked like a meth head.

 

[kansasdad]

@ammo thanks for sharing your story. Glad it didn't get any worse for you.

Just a reminder to all who have epi-pens ready for use....that epinephrine is not a long lasting medication. It is used to bring to a screeching halt the ongoing allergic reaction that might cause respiratory related death. Once given, medical care must still be sought, and longer lasting anti-histamines should be taken (commonly Benedryl) or other steroids. NSAID's in a pinch might also help with pain relief. Time, elevation and maybe icing is the only healing for the exuberant swelling to be reduced.

PS: check your epi-pen kansasdad....how long ago did it hit the expiration date????

PPS: epi-pen users....freezing/thawing and extreme high temps is going to have what effect on the efficacy of the medication??? Hard to get around that one unless you are truly attentive to prevent freezing and exposure to too much heat.

 

[JDH]

I kinda know what you went through. We found out my wife had an allergy to wheat. It's scary enough when you know whats causing it, it's terrifying when you don't. Glad it is going well.

Does she get the "allergy or preference" question at restaurants? Why anyone would deal with that headache voluntarily is beyond me.

 

[gouch]

When I was working in the woods it was pretty much a given that you would get stung at some point during the summer months. Usually, several times a year. Whenever someone new joined the crew, one of the first questions we asked was, are you allergic to bee stings? If the answer was "no", great. If the answer was "yes", it was OK because they could carry an epi pen and be prepared. The answer I always hated was, "I don't know". I am always amazed to hear that someone has grown to adulthood having never been stung by a bee. I was always scared someone would have a reaction and it would be a two-hour hike to the rig and another couple of hours drive to help. Luckily that never happened.

 

[Hem]

When I was working in the woods it was pretty much a given that you would get stung at some point during the summer months. Usually, several times a year. Whenever someone new joined the crew, one of the first questions we asked was, are you allergic to bee stings? If the answer was "no", great. If the answer was "yes", it was OK because they could carry an epi pen and be prepared. The answer I always hated was, "I don't know". I am always amazed to hear that someone has grown to adulthood having never been stung by a bee. I was always scared someone would have a reaction and it would be a two-hour hike to the rig and another couple of hours drive to help. Luckily that never happened.

Never had a reaction to bee stings until I ran a mower over a ground hive and those black bastards laid in to me good. Sick for a couple days.
...but still kicking.
No fun.

 

[ammo]

Just so the image of me going into anaphylaxis from yesterday isn't permanently seared into your brains...here's the difference a day and some antihistamines makes. Plus my insurance covered epi pens!

 

[mdhunter61]

Just so the image of me going into anaphylaxis from yesterday isn't permanently seared into your brains...here's the difference a day and some antihistamines makes. Plus my insurance covered epi pens!

View attachment 286172

Wow - I would have bet those two pictures were not the same person. Glad you re back to normal.

And thanks to this thread, I am planning to add one epi pen to our first aid kit for our remote AK caribou hunt in September. Benadryl is already in the kit, will make sure we have enough for 3 guys.

 

[kansasdad]

Just so the image of me going into anaphylaxis from yesterday isn't permanently seared into your brains...here's the difference a day and some antihistamines makes. Plus my insurance covered epi pens!

View attachment 286172

Retail more than 1K last time I purchased some for the office.

 

[Sheltowee]

Just FYI— you can get the generic version of the Epipen for about $100, sometimes down to $10 for a two-pack with GoodRx coupons.

 

[steveshuntn1]

I went into anaphylactic shock 6 years ago after three yellow jackets got me. I blacked out at home and woke up in an ambulance, my bp plummeted and throat closed up. Luckily my sister in law had an old epi pen and stuck me before the ambulance got there. I went to an allergy doctor afterwards and got venom shots for the next five years. I’ve been stung a couple times since with no reaction so it seems to have worked. Keep those epi pens close! Glad you’re doing better.

 

[BrentD]

I lost a friend and fellow shooting partner to a wasp sting. He was a home alone and apparently couldn't get to his epipen in time. Take care, all of you.

 

[fishing4sanity]

Now everyone has me paranoid. I've worked around bees my whole life and have been stung more times than I can recall, never anything more than a little pain and a little swelling right at the sting location. It's a half-hour drive to the closest hospital and 45 minutes to the closest hospital that you'd actually trust going to. Maybe I better invest in an epi and some Benedryl?

 

[D_Walt]

I got attacked by Africanized “killer” bees when I was 21, 40+ stings on my back and face. Mild reaction, didn’t go to the dr or anything. I’ve been stung dozens times since, and fortunately none have caused any real reaction yet. I always used to carry epi-pens when the kids were little, I should probably start again.

 

[steveshuntn1]

Now everyone has me paranoid. I've worked around bees my whole life and have been stung more times than I can recall, never anything more than a little pain and a little swelling right at the sting location. It's a half-hour drive to the closest hospital and 45 minutes to the closest hospital that you'd actually trust going to. Maybe I better invest in an epi and some Benedryl?

Definitely….my biology teacher had honeybees for 60 years and had been stung more times than he could ever remember. At 81 he got stung and went into anaphylactic shock!

 

[hank4elk]

Checked my 1st aide kits. Both epipens are old.
Benedryl in there.
Raised bees, dealt with hornets etc.
No allergies I know of.
But I have no idea how many epi's I went through as an EMT-II.
Maybe with these tarantula hawks and velvet ants around I should upgrade my stock.

 

[LuketheDog]

I carry an Epi in my truck and my camp gear, for such unexpected reactions.

That's a great idea, I know I'm not allergic, but what if someone with me is and is not prepared?

 

[longbow51]

Just so the image of me going into anaphylaxis from yesterday isn't permanently seared into your brains...here's the difference a day and some antihistamines makes. Plus my insurance covered epi pens!

View attachment 286172

Holy moley, you really did look like a tweaker! Glad you're better.

 

[stevejfarms]

I get auvi-q epi pens for free with my insurance. Just have your doc write the scrip. They will talk to you when you take the cover off and tell you what to do. Could save your life, the first time I gave myself one I was so out of it I didn’t remember the instructions and luckily I had another and did it right he second time. When they took my bp after loading me in the ambulance it was 34/16.

 

[seeth07]

So thanks to this thread and the fact that we are in the next year headed on AK adventures, my wife went to her doctor and was able to get an us some extra assurance. Cost? Free after insurance!!!

For anyone else interested, my wife just explained about the two 12 day trips without medical help nearby and that we would be in AK with vast amounts of plants and insects that aren't like here at home.