Bee sting desensitisation course

[Norton]

Interesting. I was told that bee and wasp venom are not the same. If you are allergic to bee venom you may not be allergic to wasp venom. A farmer died last week in the next village after being stung by a wasp in his waterproof jacket.

 

[dpearce4]

Karol

that link is really useful. so much info will need to read a few times to understand it.

Also they did make up a new batch this time for me. so that could be why i havent reacted so much to it this time.

cheers

 

[dpearce4]

Interesting. I was told that bee and wasp venom are not the same. If you are allergic to bee venom you may not be allergic to wasp venom. A farmer died last week in the next village after being stung by a wasp in his waterproof jacket.

you are right Norton, they are different, they have different products for beekeepers and people that are alergic to wasp stings at the hospital.

 

[Andy Fotheringham]

Just thought you might like to hear my experience on the desensitisation course. I had done the weekly build up and was about 6 months into the monthly injections. Throughout the injections I had had no local reaction or any hint of the anaphalaxis. I went and had my injection as normal, went back to the waiting area as normal and then woke up in casualty. I had apparently just fallen off my chair! There was no apparent reason for my relapse but then I thought a bit further about it. I had been suffering from severe toothache during the previous couple of weeks and had been taking Ibuprofen. This rang a little bell about NSAIDs and sure enough thats what Ibuprofen is. My consultant said he was not convinced about the supposed link between NSAIDs and increased sensitivity but it seems like a hell of a coincidence. There seems to be some debate as to whether there is a link or not. Still it might be better to stay away from them just in case. I restarted the desensitisation process and things are progressing OK once more.

 

[oliver90owner]

My consultant said he was not convinced

Well, there we go again; those at the sharp end seem to identify a link yet some at the comfortable consultancy level are not 'convinced'.

There is always an 'unproven' response when they don't really know the whole pathway of evidence and the actual 'nuts and bolts' of the reactions between venom and the drugs. I am convinced enough not to use them; I also know my 'ramipril cough' almost only appears after I get stung. My Dr is doubtful of a link, but eventually they will catch on.

Nothing wrong with smoking - for years; nothing wrong with asbestos - for years; nothing wrong with strong electromagnetic fields - for years; nothing wrong with neonics - for years; nothing wrong with CFCs - for years. The list could go on - for years.

 

[drstitson]

pbh4 - cannot see the logic of patch testing for wasp venom allergy in a beekeeper - yes joe public things anything that buzzes is a honey bee and that two insects make a swarm (as all the swarm collectors know too well).

karol - the datasheet makes interesting reading since the contraindications seem to include a large proportion of the people who might need densensitisation!!!!

 

[pbh4]

pbh4 - cannot see the logic of patch testing for wasp venom allergy in a beekeeper - yes joe public things anything that buzzes is a honey bee and that two insects make a swarm (as all the swarm collectors know too well).

I agree. They did not doubt my identification of the culprits but it is their protocol to test for both. It is good to know I'm not allergic to wasps. Though I did not react to the bee scratch test either so I guess it does not actually tell me much.

Interesting thing at yesterday's clinic: the little, named boxes they keep the vials of venom in for each patient were lined up on the side and there were only two bee but seven wasp patients. Wasp allergies seem to be a bigger problem than bee.

Paul

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[dpearce4]

Week 5

Good Day today

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=803lbq0JTrs[/ame]

Just a bit of pain for 10mins or so after the injection, no swelling, itched most of the day but stopped now. Yay.

 

[VEG]

Sounds like you are nearly at normal reaction nice one.

 

[dpearce4]

Sounds like you are nearly at normal reaction nice one.

Lets hope so, mind you still only equivlent to week 4 which is 5meg dose, as i didnt move on last week, the final dose will be 100meg.

 

[VEG]

Is 100meg dose equal to one bee sting?

 

[dpearce4]

I have no idea.

 

[VEG]

Could you ask next time it would be interesting to find out (if you dont mind)

 

[pbh4]

The maintenance dose of 100 Mcg (not Meg - it's micrograms) is equivalent to two beestings.

Paul

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[VEG]

cheers pbh4

 

[dpearce4]

i did think so but as i had got stuff wrong in the past i didnt want to commit to writing. lol

but i will also ask next wednesday to.

 

[itma]

Definite progress compared to the extreme reactions to the first tiny doses.
A good day indeed!

 

[Karol]

pbh4 - cannot see the logic of patch testing for wasp venom allergy in a beekeeper - yes joe public things anything that buzzes is a honey bee and that two insects make a swarm (as all the swarm collectors know too well).

karol - the datasheet makes interesting reading since the contraindications seem to include a large proportion of the people who might need densensitisation!!!!

I find this topic difficult to contribute to (for professional reasons). If I were to offer advice on this subject then I would just caution those who have undergone desensitisation that it's not full proof. That being the case, it is still advisable for those who have completed a course of desensitisation to still follow all of the necessary precautions both to avoid being stung and to carry appropriate meds just in case.

To draw an analogy - taking malaria tablets doesn't mean that one shouldn't continue to sleep under a net.

 

[Karol]

Interesting. I was told that bee and wasp venom are not the same. If you are allergic to bee venom you may not be allergic to wasp venom. A farmer died last week in the next village after being stung by a wasp in his waterproof jacket.

They are most definitely not the same and wasp venom is certainly more problematic.

The striking thing about wasp venom is that it has evolved to actually cause anaphylaxis and allergic type reactions. IMHO the correct way to regard wasp stings is that those of us who don't react have been lucky that our bodies have been able to fight off the allergic reaction. This is very different to the mind set that some of us are 'sensitive' to wasp stings which basically ignores the intent of a wasp sting to kill through causing anaphylaxis or reactions such as Kounis.

Wasp venom has a chemical in it which is specifically designed to de-stabilize and set off our immune response in one large uncontrolled 'explosion' (which is what anaphylaxis is). At the same time, wasp venom also has other components designed to confuse our immune system further so that our immune system then attacks our own bodies.

 

[drstitson]

quite right karol - although the desensitisation courses do have an excellent track record for bee venom they aren't a magic bullet that makes you invulnerable - a suit full of angry bees will still be just as dangerous.