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My Systemic Allergic Reaction Experience

18K views 47 replies 36 participants last post by  Nabber86 
#1 ·
I've kept bees for almost 20 years now and never had a problem. I don't particularly enjoy getting stung and don't go out of my way to encourage it, but usually I get stung a number of times each season, probably less than 50 times per year all told though. Usually the reaction is confined to a local one with minimal swelling if any at all and a red spot that quickly fades. I have just about 50 hives now.

Yesterday I was working in the bee yard applying meds. Weather was warm, not much breeze, bees seemed in a good mood generally. For unknown reasons one hive wasn't in such a good mood though, as when I lifted one of the boxes off the stack a number of bees immediately attacked. Within a few seconds, I received approximately 10 - 15 stings through my bee suit, on the tops of my shoulders and on my sides under my arms. About 10 minutes later I began to have a systemic allergic reaction. I'm recording the symptoms here for future reference. Any questions or comments feel free.


Symptoms:

Intense itching of palms, later spreading to the whole body generally

Feeling of lips swelling, although this wasn't perceptible visually

Weakness almost to the point of fainting

Nausea

Urge to defecate

Muscle cramps and intestinal cramps (rather painful)

Redness of skin over whole body

Slight feeling of having a lump in my throat

Visual and acoustic disturbances, notably a "whiteout" of the visual field almost to the point of blindness

Sense of possible impending death

--

Notably, there was NO swelling, vomiting, heart racing, or difficulty in breathing. Previously, I was under the impression that difficulty in breathing was the most common symptom of an allergic reaction. Apparently this only occurs sporadically, or maybe only in more severe cases.

Symptoms passed completely after approximately 1 - 1.5 hours, with no residual indication of having been stung other than small red spots at sting sites.

Does this mean I must now be wary of stings forever? Apparently not. Was stung twice more today, with no reaction other than the usual red spots.
 
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#32 ·
Since Adam definitely had symptoms of pretty severe anaphylactic shock, it is unnecessary and risky to "just go back to the bees and hope for the best".

Adam, if you are unwilling to buy and use an EpiPen (which as others have pointed out is far less risky to you if you are truly having a big reaction), then can you at least:

1. Only work the hive(s) when there is someone else present to monitor you if you have another reaction...and get you to that Emerg or doctor ASAP.

2. Get a really good beesuit, veil, and gloves.

2. At least have a bottle of Benadryl around...a few swigs of that would perhaps have saved you the worst of your reaction symptoms, and in a pinch may have been the difference between being able to call for help or not.

4. Begin practicing a low-intervention style of beekeeping....perhaps a different hive design (Warré?), or a different approach to hives (ie. only work the honey supers, use observation windows etc.)

5. If you are a backyard hobby beekeeper, sign on for one of the programs where someone else monitors and works your hives in exchange for part of the honey harvest. You can sit back, have a coffee, and watch while THEY get stung!
 
#33 ·
Here's our recent experience: http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?268817-My-boy-got-stung-went-to-ER

More recently we were in the woods and got hammered by yellow jackets. I must have stepped on the hive. I caught one on the upper lip and cheek and a few on my legs and arms. My son got hit on the belly, lower back and legs. About half dozen each. My son took over the counter antihistamine diphenhydramine hydrochloride (generic Benadryl) within half hour and suffered no more than a non-allergic person. My lip swelled and "made me look funny" for a couple of hours of amusement.

Per our doctor, once an EpiPen is administered, you're on the your way to the hospital for monitoring.

Moving forward we're keeping the antihistamine handy and in all cars and take a first aid kit with an EpiPen on every outing. First we'll use the antihistamine and watch closely for symptoms. If symptoms accelerate as we saw in the above thread, we'll use the EpiPen and schlep to the hospital. We haven't encountered a need since.
 
#34 ·
Adam,

A similar thing happened to me about 6 weeks ago. I got about 15 to 20 stings on my feet and ankles. I also had similar symptoms. I went to the emergency room and they treated me. I got a prescription for an epi-pen also. I had residual affects for about 2 weeks afterward. I was told to give up beekeeping, that I had an allergy. I am going to see an allergist this week. However, I was stung about 3 days later with no effects at all, other than the normal local reaction. This sting was on my lower lip. Because I had no reaction, I investigated further and found that there are actually three different general kinds of reactions. First is the normal local swelling and itching. Second is the allergic reaction. Third is call a toxic reaction. The toxic reaction is caused by the amount of venom that is injected from multiple stings. It is not an allergic reaction. I believe that I had a toxic reaction. I had swelling in my throat, congestion, nausea, light headedness, itching palms (the first symptom), weakness, and redness over my whole body. Very similar to your symptoms.

Since you didn't react to the stings you got later, I would suggest that you are not allergic. However, a toxic reaction is thought to increase the likelyhood of an allergic reaction later. I take great care now to avoid getting stung, and I have Epi-Pens available all the time when I am around bees. I am hoping that the allergist will be able to confirm that I am not allergic at my appointment this week.

Ted
 
#35 ·
Honey bee venom is not the same as wasp venom and people can be: 1) not allergic to either, 2) allergic to both or 3) only allergic to one or the other.....

Allergy to bee venom can develop at any time. A person can be tested for this allergy.

People can become desensitized to honey bee venom and work bees with no problem even though they were previously allergic. Well worth it in my opinion even if they choose to not keep bees anymore.

Epi pens buy time and if one is used that person should be on their way to the ER pronto. Liquid benedryll should also be taken pronto if there is a problem.

The general public often mistakes wasps for bees. They often also mistake a lot of local swelling for an allergy. (not saying this is the case for you)

Beekeepers have a great opportunity to teach their families and also the public to not fear bees and why. Most venom allergies (comparing wasp and bees) are to wasp venom and not bee venom. Percentages are very low, however, you could be one of the few. Know how to deal with it, have a plan, make sure your family knows what to do. Do not panic!

Bee venom is reported to have medicinal qualities in many different areas (infections, inflammation, nerve damage, pain, cancer, scarring, arthritis, depression, immune system, etc.) Many of the chemicals in bee venom are also present in the human body.

Apitherapists promote and use products of the hive (honey, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, bee pollen, bee bread (can be sort of homemade) as well as bee venom) to improve/treat health issues.
 
#36 ·
During my 2nd year of beekeeping I got stung on the knee-cap, once. I had been stung many times before so I didn’t worry about it. When I got home about 30 minutes later my wife said I looked funny, well more funny than usual. In the next few minutes I broke out in hives across most of my body and my eyes began to swell shut. I took a Benadryl and we decided to go to the Emergency Room. By the time we arrived approximately 45 minutes later my eyes had swelled mostly shut. She had called ahead and they were waiting for me. By the looks on their faces I could tell they were concerned, no paper form filling out or waiting. I am not sure what they gave me, but it was many shots, and IV bags. A few hours later I was free to go and went home.

I have been stung a few times since them but have only had localized reactions. If I get stung I take two doses of Benadryl, 50ml. The smallest bottle we have at home is 8 oz., so I would not want to take half a bottle as that is almost 125 ml, or 5 times the recommended amount. The reason I take 50 ml is because that is what my doctor recommended. I carry an Epi Pen but have not used it yet. If the Benadryl doesn’t work you can bet I will jab myself and head to the ER.

I consulted with a local allergist who tested me for venomous insect stings and started a de sensitization program. Turns out I was allergic to white hornets, honey bees, wasps, and fire ants. Only time will tell if it works.
 
#37 ·
Adam,

Assuming you have a doctor it is always best to run the use of even OTC meds by them for treatment of reactions to stings. I sometimes have a localized reaction to stings. I have a little med kit with Claritin Redi-tabs and Pepcid in it. The redi-tabs dissolve on your tongue and do not cause the drowsiness of benadryl. The H2 blockers like, Pepcid, Tagamet or Zantac will also help reduce the severity of the reaction. Location and number of stings will impact your reaction.

Be careful,

Tom
 
#38 · (Edited)
I have mixed feelings regarding this thread. It is really nice to see that all people do care and propose solution(s), which are the best in their opinion/experience. From another hand, there is a little hysteria about how important to have epipen for emergency situation. Let me explain my thoughts about this:

- we had friends visited our house, their son had severe reaction to peanuts (common these days) and they had an epipen. So, we had an accident in our house. Kid had very severe reaction. When we called poison control (and 911), they urged us not to use epipen especially if we are not sure that could use it properly. Apparently, if epipen did not complete its operation (have no idea, I never saw actual epipen), it makes more damage than good. In our case paramedics come withing 2(!) minutes and everything was under control. The point is that epipen needs to be used properly. In emergency situation, there is a chance that person who suppose to provide epipen injection may do it wrongly just because of stress or inexperience.

- Epipen is not covered by most insurances and there is no "generic" epipen. It tells me that manufacturer of the epipen is taking advantage of all of us, forcing to pay $100+ for chance to be alive. It is very cynical. From another hand, if epipen is so promising, I am sure it will be covered by all insurances. In Russia, we do not have epipen. Could you imagine? 100+ million people surviving without epipen? In Africa,Latin America, Asia - do they have epipen?

- Adam's reaction was unexpected. I mean, he had no history of sensitivity to bees stung. Moreover, if I understand his original post properly, he is an experienced beekeeper and was stung before many times without any problem. So, his reaction were sudden and unexpected. Other people apparently had a similar situation. It means that practically everyone on this bee-forum, who has exposure to bees, have a chance to have an accident,like Adam had. So, all this recommendations to have epipen handy are directed to YOU - do you have an epipen in your pocket, right now It is not an advertizement of epipen!

I think, Adam's message was very clear: be aware! and made your own conclusion. My conclusion is:
- I would use a proper bee-protection especially if I am alone.
- I would invest in the bottle of the liquid benedryl and keep it in my bee-toolbox, just in case.
- I personally, would not invest in the epipen for simple reason -it is like my cell-phone, it is never in my pocket (or discharged) when needed!

Understand me correctly - I am not against epipen. But I am aware that many different accidents may happens and yes, we should be prepared. But you could not be prepared 100% to unexpected and sudden. I wish everyone health and such horrible accident will never happened to YOU!
Sergey
 
#40 ·
Hi Adam,

I'm 40 miles up the road from you. Had an allergic response last September (full body hives and rapid heart rate, though not what I would consider severe), went through desenstization shots, started stinging myself weekly once I reached maintenance dose. Allergist says I should continue the shots for five years. My perspective is why pay $$ to get fake bee stings (since the injection is just bee venom anyway and is supposedly equivalent to about 2 bees) when I can get real stings for free, so I've recently stopped going but plan to continue the regimen of weekly to biweekly stings, leaving the stinger in for five minutes or so to get the full dose. This week I've had more like five stings, only one of which was intentional. My local reactions have decreased somewhat in intensity (less swelling) and dramatically in duration (from ~2 days down to more like 6-12 hours) since I started the sting regimen. I do have an epi-pen and plan to renew it when it expires.

Whenever I post to an allergy thread I like to contribute these two links, which I find to be the best information on bee sting allergy on the Internet:
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/pdfs/Marterre.2006a copy.pdf
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/pdfs/Marterre.2006b copy.pdf

Mark
 
#43 ·
I found out over the last weekend that I was allergic to the bee venom, since I ended up in the ER again from a single bee sting. When I saw the allergist, he explained that I didn't react to the sting three days after my first reaction because I didn't have any histamines left after the initial reaction. Sunday I was helping with a cutout and the person pulling out the comb from the ceiling of a garage accidentally dropped a piece of comb on my neck with a bee under it. I got stung with very little venom, I think. About 1/2 hour later I started having symptoms. I took a couple of benedryl and went to the ER. I didn't use the Epi-Pen.

Ted
 
#44 ·
Stories like these are why I always suit up, always wear gloves and always light the smoker when I'm going to open up the bees. It does get hot, and I do feel like it is usually overkill, but I just make a habit of it. I know the OP had a suit on when stung, but I figure - better to slow them down than to go without protection, because sometimes, they just get nasty.

Adam
 
#45 ·
Ted, I also find that stings on the neck or head really make me feel woozy, something that does not happen with hand or body stings. Good on you for having the Benadryl handy. I have two bottles on my list for shopping today and will get an EpiPen next time I am in to the doc. I am not allergic, but I feel better being prepared for the maybe's!
 
#46 ·
"What about the "non drowsy" types of anti-histamine medication, are they just as effective? For example I have some cetirizine hydrochloride tabs."

I am currently on bee venom maintance shots. The allergist REQUIRES that we either take Claritin or Zyrtec 1hr before getting shots.

The advantage to Liquid benedryl ( or generics ) is that it acts in about 5 minutes instead of an hour.
 
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