CA>From: Chris Allen <[log in to unmask]>
  >Date:         Mon, 14 Oct 1996 13:30:29 +1100
  >Subject:      Re: Immune Reactions to Stings
 
CA>>One must act prudently not giving an Epipen injection whenever
  >>a small local swelling occurs, but one will rather quickly know
  >>when a sting reaction is getting out of hand, and Epipen is the
  >>single treatment of choice for this situation.
 
CA>This implies that we should keep a shot of Epipen with us all the time and
  >learn how to use it.
 
CA>Have you tried injecting your self lately(or any body else)?  (I presume
  >most readers here are not into the fashionable drugs)
 
Or will they get a chance to get it into them if they live in this part
of central California that is home to more then 500,000 hives of bees
for several months each year as it is a violation of the law for a
druggist to sell this without a prescription from a licensed doctor of
medicine.
 
If a person knows he or she is at risk they certainly should have at
hand the appropriate medicine. The problem is that there are times when
one is not prepared as it was with a good friend of my own that I had
no idea was at all sensitive to bee stings as he is the financial
officer for a large beekeeping enterprise in partnership with his two
brothers all who have been in the bees since their high school days.
 
One afternoon several years ago he, one of his brothers and I were on
the way to a evening dinner beekeepers meeting and his brother wanted an
2nd opinion on some bees that were in bad shape and were in the area.
We stopped for only a minute and of course even though it was not a
time of the year that the bees were flying heavy we did manage to bring
one bee back into the pick me up undetected and it sat upon my hapless
friend who was allergic. He did not complain but I could see he was not
doing well as I raced in the direction of the nearest town hoping to
fine a drug store so he could get what ever he needed and had not
brought with him.
 
The more he told me not to worry the faster I tried to go as I could
see he was not looking any better and it was about 5 pm and I feared all
the local drug stores would soon be closed out in this rural area. At
last we can into a small town and as luck would have it there was the
local drug store open and my friend and his brother went in to purchase
what would relieve the symptoms of shock I could see was coming on and
we could be on or way to the meeting none the worse.
 
A few minutes later my friends returned now both who's color looked
about equal as the druggist could not or would not sell them the
medicine without a prescription and it was 30 miles to the next small
town and then I did not know if they had an emergency hospital or not.
 
As luck would have it a small country doctor was just down the street
and even at this late hour was still in as we pulled in front of his
small office. I stoped the pick up and his brother and I got out but the
one little bee sting had done it job and we had to all but carry the now
limp brother into the office just in the nick of time according to the
doctor who not only gave him a shot but put him on a IV for a 2nd dose
as I think he was as frightened as we were and relived when we all
walked out.
 
Less then an hour later, sixty five dollars lighter we were on our way
to the beekeepers meeting and all enjoyed a evening of good talk and
a nice chicken dinner as I remember it, but it was as close as I want
to come to a close call with someone who is allergic to bee stings.
 
I could tell you two more personal stories but won't bore you with the
details except to say that my x wife and step daughter were also
dangerously allergic to bee stings and were able to get de sensitized
by bi-weekly trips to the doctors for shots, and my x wife has kept up
her immunity by an occasional bee sting. They were lucky as they both
were able to take the treatments and it worked, some are not so lucky
and should have the prescribed medicine ready to use at any time.
 
                             ttul Andy-
 
 
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