Bee-sting last night - conclusion - adrenaline isn't fun.

Richard M · December 08, 2015, 03:42:30 AM

Well my beeking days could be over.

Yesterday evening, whilst mulching some weeds, one of my girls stung me on the earlobe. Within minutes I was feeling pretty weird but also full feeling in both ears, red face, throat and chest, constriction in the throat, burning lungs, wheeziness and weirdly - incredibly itchy feet.

Told the wife I needed to be in hospital ASAP, we decided to drive (it's only 12km / 10 mins drive.)

By the time we were halfway there I was really losing it and can only remember disjointed snatches of the journey; by the time we arrived at A&E (ER), I have vague recollection of being hauled out by some burly ambos dumped in a wheelchair and suddenly I'm on a bed/table vaguely aware of getting great benefit from my medical insurance - the undivided attention of what seemed to be 20 odd people. It was about 40 mins before I started to recover my faculties - I thought we'd been there for 10 mins max.

Anyway, after 4 hours on an adrenaline drip which initially gave me a pretty impressive case of horizontal jogging, I was judged OK to leave A&E but was stuck on a ward for the night under observation before being sent home with 2 x Epipens and referral to an immunologist, who I'm seeing Friday.

Overall, it was a terrifying experience and one I'm not keen to repeat - it's all very well dying with your boots on but I don't think that gardening boots is what it means.

So the hive is going to my brother in laws to join our other 3 hives and my involvement will be very hands off. Dr at hospital advised that I've a 30-40% chance of another anaphalactic episode if I get stung again, so it's not looking good.

Does anyone have any knowledge on the efficacy or otherwise of bee venom desensitisation treatments?

Dave86 · December 08, 2015, 04:26:20 AM

Funnily enough I do.

I work for the council in Toowoomba, I caught a swarm in queens park. One of my work mates got stung beside the eye and went down like a sack of spuds.

He carries an epipen as a result but he has done 12 months of imuno therapy with the now retiring dr solly from the Gold Coast.

He started out at 1/100th of a sting and progressed to a full sting within 3 months, he then went to 2 full stings a month and now goes every 6 weeks for a dose.

Be mindful that it is synthetic venom, he hasn't been stung by a real bee yet, I think it's more to do with the size of the epipen needle more then anything. But in any case he still has 4 more years of increasing doses at longer intervals before he would be classed as immune, even then I think it's a case of beware.

Richard M · December 08, 2015, 04:49:16 AM

Googling frantically, they're talking in terms of around 96% effectiveness. Not sure what that means exactly 96% of people will never get an episode, or for all people treated who were previously sensitised, they will now be safe from 96% of sting episodes?

If it means the latter, well I'm prepared to take the risk because I wouldn't be going near a hive unless fully suited with long trousers and long shirt under my beesuit and within a few paces of an epipen; putting hives on the leatherwood down the SW would be out too as I wouldn't want to be too far from a hospital/ambulance station.

I guess really I need to talk to the immunologist.

And yeah, Epipen - I got hit with one of those too - thigh is still sore. I'd prefer a bee-sting anytime.

iddee · December 08, 2015, 05:55:29 AM

Here's a lady's ongoing story.

http://www.worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/index.php/topic,572.0.html

Lancej · December 08, 2015, 07:35:07 AM

As a small kid ( 5,6,7,?) I used to help my uncle with his bees, being stung was just something I didn't like, one day at home in the burbs I stood on a bee. The medical staff believe that the sting went into a vein between my toes, venom into the blood stream and through my body within minutes. Ended up being a 5hr stay in hospital, foot and leg swollen for a few days. 4 years later I finished my desensitisation course. Since then I have had 1 trip to hospital after being stung on the face. ( had a swollen face, no other problems) This year I have been stung 4 times with 1 reaction when stung near my glands, bit of swelling. Although I may get a reaction here and there l have never had any problems with breathing or anything else to worry me. At least my partner gets to shake her head at me.

splitrock · December 08, 2015, 08:03:46 PM

Hmmm. Interesting.

Some beeks I know have very little reaction to stings, and I was jealous of them. Myself, I react pretty good to stings, plenty of swelling and the suckers hurt for a while too.

I thought I read on here a while back, or maybe it was in the ABJ, that people with the strong reactions rarely have the serious kind of episode or reaction previously mentioned. I have been taking some comfort in that bit of knowledge. I hope it's true.

Richard M · December 08, 2015, 08:14:18 PM

Quote from: splitrock on December 08, 2015, 08:03:46 PM
Hmmm. Interesting.

Some beeks I know have very little reaction to stings, and I was jealous of them. Myself, I react pretty good to stings, plenty of swelling and the suckers hurt for a while too.

I thought I read on here a while back, or maybe it was in the ABJ, that people with the strong reactions rarely have the serious kind of episode or reaction previously mentioned. I have been taking some comfort in that bit of knowledge. I hope it's true.

Yeah, well that's what I thought too after posting this about a year ago - http://www.beemaster.com/forum/index.php?topic=45943.msg397516#msg397516

Anybrew2 · December 08, 2015, 09:54:01 PM

Twenty years ago I was stung on the head,I felt dizzy and sick and lost my vision for a good 40mins. I was taken to Hospital and they pulled out the big adrenaline needle as thick as a knitting needle

I came good and within a hour I walked out the door all smiles, well mostly.(They didnt give me the needle either)

I avoided bee's for years and I now have 30 Hives and get stung routinely with the usual pain and swelling but nothing else.
Just my experience.

Cheers
Steve

Lancej · December 09, 2015, 02:30:32 AM

The more I read the better I feel, looks like I dont have it to bad! Just the same I will give vitamin C a try.

Richard M · December 09, 2015, 08:25:12 PM

Lying in hospital the other night, I more or less decided to get out of the whole beekeeping thing but I'm seeing an Immunologist tomorrow about desensitisation. From my forays into Google, it would appear that sting desensitisation is expensive and ongoing, however I'm probably going to need to consider it as much of my work is scrub-bashing on foot outdoors in bushland areas so the risk of stings is always there whether I stop beekeeping or not.

As the preliminary part of the desensitisation injection course takes about 6 months, I'm hoping that I can get away with a temporary lay-off for this season and start again next year. My home hive is going to my brother in law's place to join the three hives we share; I might stand off in my beesuit and watch him working on them (shouting helpful suggestions! :-)) and I can certainly help with running the honey extraction later in the season.

I'm really hoping I can make it beekeeping work in the future as it will be a big chunk out of my life if I have to give it all away.

GSF · December 09, 2015, 10:07:34 PM

Richard,

I don't know the ends or outs, but a member in our club went through some sort of treatments. I'd have guarded optimism .

Richard M · December 10, 2015, 12:17:49 AM

Quote from: GSF on December 09, 2015, 10:07:34 PM
Richard,

I don't know the ends or outs, but a member in our club went through some sort of treatments. I'd have guarded optimism .

Fingers crossed then. From what I hear, it's going to cost a small fortune but I can justify it on work safety grounds alone, before beekeeping even comes into it.

Richard M · December 14, 2015, 09:30:04 PM

OK, so I saw an immunologist last week and he said it was essential, whether or not I keep my hives to do the desensitisation programme, which will start in mid-Jan. The initial phase of weekly injections will run for 16 weeks, following which it's fortnightly for a while, then monthly and then yearly.

He was pretty optimistic that the condition will be largely tamed within about 6 months (no guarantees though) and that 90% of people have no reaction to stings after 6 months, the other 10% have much reduced symptoms, virtually 99% reduction of risk of serious/life threatening sequel. Overall though, with maintenance doses, looking at a full programme injections taking any thing up to 10 years but that's no biggie - no worse than having my annual flu shot.

For the benefit of Australian members, the bee sting injections are covered on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, so I'm looking at around $38 for the initial course of 16 shots and my immunologist has said that as they're pretty quick consultations, (you just have to sit in the waiting room reading magazines for 45 mins to make sure you don't react), he'll bulk-bill those on Medicare too, so apart from my initial consultation of $338 ($128 refunded on Medicare) another in Jan to look at my blood test result/conduct skin test and I imagine one every 6-12 months thereafter, it's not costing too much at all.

So roll on next Spring.

And after spending $30 on a twin Heckler & Koch MP5 magazine pouch from ebay to hold my Epipens when out in the scrub, I've found that my FXD work pants and work shorts (http://fxdworkwear.com/pants/fx01136001-grn#green)have a right thigh pocket that's just perfect for securely storing 2 x Epipens.

And no need to have gone on the Australian Federal Police/ASIO watch list after all. :-(

Acebird · December 14, 2015, 10:18:23 PM

85 dollars for a pair of pants for beekeeping??? My wife gets my pants at Salvation Army for 4 dollars. Somebody probably paid 50-60 bucks for them and they went out of style.

Lancej · December 14, 2015, 10:32:36 PM

Hi acebird, au$85 is about us$60, our dollar has dropped a bit.

Richard M · December 15, 2015, 07:18:13 AM

Quote from: Acebird on December 14, 2015, 10:18:23 PM
85 dollars for a pair of pants for beekeeping??? My wife gets my pants at Salvation Army for 4 dollars. Somebody probably paid 50-60 bucks for them and they went out of style.

They're not bee keeping pants, they're my work pants. And I paid about AU$60 for them.

I won't ever have beekeeping pants ever again - I'll have a Beekeeping Suit

And at risk of causing a ruck, $4 pants wouldn't really be a surprise as most of the world is generally of the opinion that the only people who dress worse than country Australians would be country Americans.

Seriously though, clothes are generally cheaper in the USA; I have a relative who travels to the US regularly - he gets me new Fruit of the Loom Ts for about $5 each - crazy prices. I think our average median income is a bit higher than in the States too.

Michael Bush · December 15, 2015, 09:05:01 AM

Everything is definitely cheaper in Nebraska than in New South Wales... I wasn't a whole lot of other places for very long, but Australia is expensive.

If you want full protection, get a full ventilated suit such as the Golden Bee Products or the Ultra-Breeze. I won't say you can't get stung while wearing one, but you won't get stung through the suit. You may get stung on the hands or if you don't keep the cuffs tight, the legs... but I've never been stung THROUGH the suit.

Acebird · December 15, 2015, 02:01:30 PM

So far I haven't been stung through clothing only on my bare hands and in the face not wearing a veil.

herbhome · December 15, 2015, 02:14:35 PM

My wife has an allergy to insect stings. Had a really bad episode many years ago. After desensitivity treatments she is much better, occasionally gets a sting that prompts her to take benadryll. We keep a epipen on hand just in case.

Richard M · December 15, 2015, 07:59:11 PM

I've got one of these suits:

I'm not that happy with it; in hot weather I tried wearing it with no shirt - harsh plastic mesh on nipples was horrendous!!!

The 2-way zip holding the hood on popped o[en at the rear where I couldn't see it one day - copped a heap of stings on neck and back of head - I had to completely replace those with a single, heavy duty zip.

The cotton fabric has gone sort of limp and soft after a few washes; I found that when wearing shorts, I was getting stung on the knees and thighs where it stretched tight against the skin.

Yeah, so definitely in the market for something new - I like the idea of the 3-layer ventilated mesh fabric.