Hunters with bee/wasp sting allergies....

[fullkurl]

I was going to post this under the mosquito post below, but I think this warrants its own posting.

The bees, wasps and yellow jackets are beyond belief in the interior this year. If you have sting allergies, have your kit with you, its not only possible you'll encounter these critters, its darned likely. These guys love to build underground nests in the rocks along creekbeds. Unlike bees, yellow jackets can sting over and over, they have no barb on their stinger. Most folks will be a far piece from a clinic for help...

Be safe guys....
Frank

 

[mainlyfishing]

Kenai Penn, Parks Hwy, Alaska Hwy.

Kenai Penn, Parks Hwy, Alaska Hwy.

I 'm allergic to Yellow Jackets. Will they be active in September? My wife and I will be fishing/sightseeing from a rented RV for a month beginning the 6th. Even if you don't have the allergy, the stings are very, very painful - much more painful than a honeybee sting. So watch your step. Don't swat or irritate them. Thanks for the alert, Frank.

 

[cold zero]

allergic reactions from insect stings

allergic reactions from insect stings

anyone who is allergic to insect stings should not be without an epi pen auto injector and make those traveling with them the location of the pen and how to use it.

enjoy, but be safe.

 

[bushrat]

Activated Charcoal

Activated Charcoal

Frank, good post. There are a lot of yellow jackets here this summer as well. They probably won't be that active in mid-sept.

One of the things we have always carried, along with our epi-kit, is a vial of activated charcoal. It works wonders for drawing poison out...if you can get to the sting area, put some activated charcoal in a bit of toilet paper or paper towel, wet it down and cover the sting(s) with it. Do it immediately and it will draw most of the poison out.

Mark

 

[Michael Strahan]

A trick with bee stings

A trick with bee stings

I have heard that Claritin works well with beestings as well. Anybody try it yet?

-Mike

 

[Snyd]

Bring along some Benadryl also. The EPI pen is for treating anaphylactic shock. You may just have an allergic reaction at the sting site that will get red, swell up and itch and hurt for a few days. No need for the EPI. Benadryl will help a bunch. If you need to use the EPI pen remember that it is NOT the final treatment for a bad allergic reaction to a bee sting or anything else that causes the shock. If you or your partner goes into anaphylactic shock and it takes the EPI pen to save him then it's time to bug out (no pun intended) and head for more definitive medical care. EPI pen is temporay treatment not the ultimate cure.

This gets me thinking that we should start a thread or even a forum on Outdoor Emergency Care. I am a trained rescuer (NSP/OEC Instructor) and I am sure there are many others on this forum who are qualified that can share knowledge and promote awareness as well. A little knowledge can save you or your partners life or limbs. I know this first hand. Any thoughts??

 

[Ronnie]

Bee stings

Bee stings

We have been using Adolphs meat tenderizer for years made into a paste applied to the sting site it will draw the poison if applied soon after the sting.
Good luck Yellow jackets hurt..Ronnie

 

[Vince]

hears a blast from the past... another good year on the bee pops.... so i figured the info in here could be well used...

 

[JOAT]

A few points to add about this very dated thread...

A few points to add about this very dated thread...

Clariton would be little value after the sting. However if you are taking it daily for normal allergy maintenance, it may help slow the onset of symptoms after the sting. It's just not powerful enough to take care of the acute and severe symptoms of a bee sting allergy.

Benadryl is a must have if you carry an Epi pen. Right after using the epi pen, take two Benadryl (50mg, twice the recommended dose on the box). It is naturally better to get the Benadryl via injection right after the sting, but even though oral admin is slower, it will still be getting into your system and start to reverse the effects of the allergy. If you don't get to medical help within the next couple hours, you may have to repeat the Benadryl dose again.

You can't "suck the poison out". There is nothing topical that will remove the bee venom. However, applying a cold pack to the sting site will slow down the spread of the reaction. Never apply pressure to the site. If the stinger is still attached (rare with yellow jackets), remove it with a quick sideways scrape with the sharp edge of something like a credit card. Never try to grab it with fingers or instrument. You'll inject more venom in the process.

Another oral medication that will help a bit over the next couple hours is Pepcid AC. It is also a histamine blocker with benefits during an allergic reaction. We often give this in an injectable form after all the emergency treatments are completed.

And don't forget to treat for shock (calm down, lay down, keep warm).

 

[mlwent]

wish I would of had something last weekend

wish I would of had something last weekend

I was sitting down to a cold one after cooking our supper last weekend camping. Nice long swallow and what is that....sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Well sediment dosn't normaly hurt. Wasp got me in the lip twice and I spit half my beer all over my four year old. At least I got him. Terrible after that he must have called all his buddies. Bad enough that the wife wouldn't leave the camper for two days. Anything smelly brought them out. From water to bacon. So I had a fat lip for a day but lucky for me I had another couple cold ones to soothe the pain. Kicker is that my wife said she heard something funny sounding comming from my beer bottle. Thanks for the warning honey!

Mike

 

[shphtr]

My personal recommendation for an antihistamine would be cetirizine - aka Zyrtec available without a prescription. It is a stronger antihistamine than either benadryl or Claritin and actually does last a full 24 hours despite what the manufactures of Claritin claim for their product. This of course would be in addition to an epi pen to be utilized for emergent anaphylaxsis.

 

[Vince]

I was sitting down to a cold one after cooking our supper last weekend camping. Nice long swallow and what is that....sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Well sediment dosn't normaly hurt. Wasp got me in the lip twice and I spit half my beer all over my four year old. At least I got him. Terrible after that he must have called all his buddies. Bad enough that the wife wouldn't leave the camper for two days. Anything smelly brought them out. From water to bacon. So I had a fat lip for a day but lucky for me I had another couple cold ones to soothe the pain. Kicker is that my wife said she heard something funny sounding comming from my beer bottle. Thanks for the warning honey!

Mike

i picked up a black wasp in a beer a few weekends ago.. but i felt the sharp and my mouth opened all on its own... could not believe the look on her face as i tipped forward and let all my beer fall out.. and lo-n-behold that bigaz bee!!!!!!!!!!! with my alergy...i would have been down... then and there....

 

[asrjb25]

I can relate many many times that a person who is given epinephrine for allergic reactions requires 2-3 doses 10 minutes apart. Epinephrine is very short acting and the return of symptoms can and often is worse than the initial anaphylactic reaction. The definitive care for severe allergic reactions is antihistamines and steroids.

Anyone who has an allergy severe enough to require an epi pen MUST talk to their MD about what to do when out in the field and many hours from definitive care. 1 or 2 epi pens can easily be inadequate and leave you in a world of hurt when they wear off, most likely your MD will give you a field kit that contains both epi and benadryl pens, and oral antihistamines and steroids.

 

[The Kid]

question for DR. types here

question for DR. types here

Ok I have an allergic reaction when stung by just about anything that has a stinger, IE. bees, wasps of all types and colors, hornets, yellow jackets, you get the idea. My question is what effect if any, does the old remedy that I grew up with of putting Copenhagen snuff on the sting site have.

I dont have terrible reactions, at least I dont think they are that bad. Just swelling at the sight and sometimes I get hives. I usually keep Benadryl in all my packs and vehicles, and that has always pretty well stopped the symptoms. But Ive always heard that chewing tobacco apllied to the site was a good fix if nothing was available.

I have used the remedy once and it seemed to work is there any merit to this or is it an old wives tale?

 

[GreginAlaska]

"....
One of the things we have always carried, along with our epi-kit, is a vial of activated charcoal. It works wonders for drawing poison out...if you can get to the sting area, put some activated charcoal in a bit of toilet paper or paper towel, wet it down and cover the sting(s) with it. Do it immediately and it will draw most of the poison out.

Mark

We get that stuff in 2000 pound sacks where I work...we could dive in and roll around in it.

 

[holly]

in summary

in summary

for allergic reactions, benadryl is the treatment of choice!!!

ADDING another histamine blocker or inhibitor is helpful (zantac, tagamet, pepcid) but not instead of.

charcoal, baking soda, and other topicals can neutralize, again as an ADDED treatment not instead of.
epi pen is for severe anyphylaxis. about a hundred people die every year from bee stings -which means it doesn't apply to almost everyone
i saw there were about 7000 tags drawn this year, so possibly 1 of those people could be the anaphylactic type.
don't be without a few epi pens if you're one of these rare people, don't bring them if it doesn't apply to you.

 

[Erik in AK]

I have heard that Claritin works well with beestings as well. Anybody try it yet?

-Mike

Benadryl!!!! Crush a pill and swallow with a sip of water. Works like a champ. Bee allergy sufferers should consider taking a half dose (one pill) every 8 hours to keep some in their system while out in bee country. I say half dose because Benadryl makes some folks sleepy.

All anti-histamines lessen the effect of the reaction BUT if a person is vulnerable to anaphalactic(sp) shock then the epi-pen is the only way to go.