Bad reaction!

[westart]

Well I have kept bees for some time now, off and on over a space of ten year or so. Have been stung only a hand full of times and never realy had what I call a bad reaction. That is until yesterday! I keep nuc's in the back garden, and yesterday I was just going about my own business, and the bees theres all be it very slowly as the temp and wether conditions were not to thereliking, when one little darling bumped into me dropped into my shirt collar, got trapped, and stung my neck. Ten minutes later ambulance crew were at the front door and after treating me was taken to the local A&E.
Any way I'm all fine this morning and feel great. I have no intention of getting rid, much to the disapointment of my wife. I just been wondering how others that may suffer with bad reactions cope and carry on with our most enjoyable and intresting hobby. What precautions do you take folks?

Cheers Westy

 

[enrico]

Neck and face are bad areas and you have to expect worse reaction. I find the more I get stung in a year the better my immunity but in spring I have to start all over again!
E

 

[dpearce4]

Im sorry to hear about ur reaction, could it be due to the sting being in a bit longer than normal? that can make the reaction worse. I would possibly talk to your GP just incase though.

I have carried on, i am waiting for an alergy apointment from my bad reaction. i had 16 stings and ended up in hospital. I have always had a reaction where if i get stung on the finger my arm swells up halfway to the elbow but the 16 stings was all over including the airways. Adrenaline injected is not nice and i had chest pains for a few days after but better than being unable to breath.

Also there is a member in my BKA that is serverly alergic to propolis so carrys an epipen but still beekeeps.

 

[westart]

Thats intresting, However I don't get stung every year. In Ten years I think I have possibly only been stung four or five times. Thats one of the reasons I'm not getting rid. because it doesn't happen that often. For me any way. And I have had some bad tempered bees in the passed.

Cheers Westy

 

[thebhoy]

You may need check with your doctor and get an epi pen. For me, I get the worst reaction if stung around ankles / feet - swelling up massivley and going up leg to knee but stings on face, neck area have been surprisingly ok with very little reaction at all...even when stung on tip of nose then again, maybe my face is so bad it made no difference

 

[westart]

Yes, an eppy pen has been sujested by the staff at the A&E, but a dr has to issue one from what I can make out. Whats are the implications of using them and is there any side effects or tips on using it? Oh and They are referring me to an allergy clinic too.

Cheer's Westy

 

[dpearce4]

they do have a shelf life as with any drug, if you have need to use it you will need to go to A&E after its basicly a way of giving you time to get there.

I have my alergy clinic appointment on wednesday, i had to ask for mine as both A&E and GP didnt offer but i felt it was best to be safe.

 

[westart]

Have you been to an allergy clinic before Dpearce? What do they do to test you?

Cheers Westy?

 

[dpearce4]

not yet was sposed to go but it was cancelled i will be there on wednesday. I can give you more info after that if you would like.

 

[westart]

Yes please Dp. That would be great. I'll know what to expect from our's then. Or have an idea what they are on about any way.

Cheers Westy

 

[oliver90owner]

First question to ask is: Have you taken any medication recently? Some can seriously exacerbate the effects of getting stung.

 

[westart]

No I hadn't took any medication. other than my blood presure tabs. Would these esculate the problem.

Cheers Westy

 

[VEG]

Rab any in particular? As I have heard that anti inflammatory's can give a bad reaction, dont remember if I read that on here though.

 

[itma]

.. As I have heard that anti inflammatory's can give a bad reaction, dont remember if I read that on here though.

Nurofen/Ibuprofen - one example of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory - taken even a couple of weeks before, has been blamed.

One specific suggestion was that it was like being back to the first time - any acquired tolerance being (temporarily) lost.

Always a good thing to take along a detailed list of medications when meeting a new medical specialist.
Small skin patch testing ("RAST") to put a numeric measurement of the severity of reaction would be an expected first step at an allergy clinic.
If found to be highly sensitive, it might be a good thing to ask about local availability of desensitisation therapy. This is a course of injections, at first weekly but building to intervals of over a year, building up your ability to tolerate the bee venom. They want you to hang around, under supervision, for an hour or so after each injection - just in case... !
Desensitisation aims to avoid any severe sting reaction. Seems better than mitigating it with an EpiPen *when* it happens.
It should be on the NHS, the question is how locally it might be able to be done.

 

[drex]

Westart,

Wait and see what advice you get from the allergy clinic. You do not say exactly what sort of reaction you had and how it was treated.

In one individual reactions can vary, sometimes getting better sometimes worse.

Anaphylactic shock ( if that is what you had) can be fatal, and needs to be taken seriously. Desentisation courses are available at specialist centres on the NHS.

Might be better to avoid any risk of stings until you have seen the specialist at the clinic.

Dr. Ex

 

[MMJ100]

Westy,
I have not much time now but would like to offer my experience. I have posted a detailed account of my situation on this forum. In the end I was extremly allergic. I have not read all this thread so I hope that i am not going over things twice.

There are as usual with beeks a number of opionions on this subject. One thing that is mportant is what exactly was the reaction. If you were stung in a place and you had swellings welts, etc in another place then allergy is a distinct possibility.

It does depend on where you were stung and where the reaction was on your body.

Hope you can find the thread that i posted. I am now more or less desensitized and a few recent stings have been little more than a moquito bite.

Good luck and get an apipen and ask me if you need anything
I will look further to the thread tomorrow
All the best
Michael

 

[polomadh]

how many stings?

The low number of stings that some people get is suprises me.

I have 4 hives, and during the particularly grumpy October I have been stung around at least 5 times so far... typically I think I get stung once or twice a month. I put this down to me being careless eg whilst replacing supers I trap a bee under my finger during lifting, going through the wax bucket etc .

What I would like to know is at 1 or 2 a month, am I or my bees particulally bad ?

 

[Elaine]

The low number of stings that some people get is suprises me.

I have 4 hives, and during the particularly grumpy October I have been stung around at least 5 times so far... typically I think I get stung once or twice a month. I put this down to me being careless eg whilst replacing supers I trap a bee under my finger during lifting, going through the wax bucket etc .

What I would like to know is at 1 or 2 a month, am I or my bees particulally bad ?

I would only consider bees to be bad tempered if they stung/attacked without 'reason' - being partially squashed when the beek is doing something in the hive, I count as reasonable retaliation and the price I pay for being careless. (I have 4 hives, do weekly inspections, and have only had 4 or 5 stings all season - none of which I consider unprovoked)

 

[Saradan]

Hi Westy

A few years ago I was stung on three separate occasions over a couple of months.

Two were on the neck and I experienced a systemic reaction on both occasions. The third and last sting was on the chest where I got nothing more than a local reaction.

So in my case it would seem that stings to the neck are to be avoided.

Since then I've started wearing a thin hoodie under my bee suit so that neck stings are practically impossible now.

 

[drstitson]

"No I hadn't took any medication. other than my blood presure tabs. Would these esculate the problem."

both beta blockers and ACE inhibitors are on the list along with NSAIDs.