Bee sting desensitisation course

Fatbee said:

That Cellectronic and glad you're ok and managing to carry on beekeeping. I would be gutted if I had to pack up.
Can I ask what treatment you had at hospital and do you now carry an epipen?

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Hi, I had a canula fitted in my hand then three syringes full of clear liquid pumped in (that,s almost an arm full ), I think it was anti-histamine,
then put on prednisolone for 5 days.
I have to do an inspection later this afternoon, Full suite and boots with antihistamine tabs ready, Just in case.

Just finished the last of my 12 updosing sessions. One visit the week after next and it is then onto a 4 week maintenance dose for almost 3 years. I am getting swelling, itchy and hot patch around the site of the injection, but no systemic reaction!! Generally those having wasp allergy treatment get worse reactions.

Surprised that other hospitals let patients go straight after their injection. Newcastle strictly adhere to the 1 hour policy, as stated in the literature from the supplier.

If you can get hold of this data sheet it makes very interesting reading. For instance, the treatment can be done in less than a week, but requires hospitalisation! It also covers what happens if you miss weeks.

Very happy with the outcome, apart from bees swarmed last Wednesday as I haven't been able to do inspections. Still it was the hive that stung me that went, so I've lost the queen for an unpleasant hive.

abi-e said:

I saw my GP last week after an allergic reaction that took me to A and E - he seemed very doubtful that Addenbrookes had a) an allergy clinic or b) a Bee sting desensitisation programme. I told him that 'the beekeeper's say there is'...he promised to look into it and prescribed me an epi-pen, prednisolone and told me to keep piriton on hand. I will ring later in the week to see if I have been referred.

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Hi Abi-e

Addenbrookes most certainly have got an allergy clinic - I have been on the de-sensitising programme since July last year there!

Mind you my doctors were worse than hopeless, I asked to be referred to Dr Grattan at Norfolk and Norwich and from there he referred me to Addenbrookes. If it wasn't for a friend giving me Dr Grattan's name and if it was up to my doctors this would never have happened.

FB

Hi kermit,can you give reference for the data sheet you mentioned in your post. Thanks

Johoco said:

Hi kermit,can you give reference for the data sheet you mentioned in your post. Thanks

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Nice guide lines:- http://www.nice.org.uk/newsroom/pressreleases/PharmalgenForBeeAndWaspAllergy.jsp

http://publications.nice.org.uk/pharmalgen-for-the-treatment-of-bee-and-wasp-venom-allergy-ta246

http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/13671/58195/58195.pdf

http://www.drugs.com/uk/pdf/leaflet/239843.pdf

hope these help u johoco

Thanks Doug, despite 10 years beekeeping - one sting caused me to go unconscious a few weeks ago, taken to A&E for IV with antihistamine and steroids,ended up with 2 Epipens. Now waiting for GP to do referral letter to Allergy clinic in London.

Glad I could help you johoco. Its been a revelation being on the course but I still carry my epipens with me and have one extra for work where I teach gardening so the risk is still there.

doug

The technical leaflet information is available from:
http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/19596/SPC/Pharm......om

It has a bit more info than the patient leaflet. This gives you dosage for each week and shows just how rapidly it increases - week 3 you get 100X the week 1 dose.

dpearce4 said:

Glad I could help you johoco. Its been a revelation being on the course but I still carry my epipens with me and have one extra for work where I teach gardening so the risk is still there.

doug

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Do you tell other people how to use your epipen in case you need it and aren't able to do it yourself?

Thanks Dave, this is very helpful. Surgery has sent my referral letter to Allergy clinic so waiting for request to attend.

John

BeeJoyful said:

Do you tell other people how to use your epipen in case you need it and aren't able to do it yourself?

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Yep was given a dummy one so they can use and practice with it. All staff and pupils are aware how to use it and where its kept if needed in an emergency, H&S says it should be kept in the safe with other drugs, in a room that only 2 people have a key for. I explained that it wouldn't be very useful if I wernt able to breath having to wait maybe an extra 5mins, so it has now been agreed it is kept in the office where all are able to get it.

I have found this thread really interesting and informative. Been keeping bees for just two years now and have had many stings in the past year or so. I had a bad reaction a couple of weeks ago and felt faint with my top lip feeling a little swollen and low blood pressure. Ended up in ambulance and A&E. Saw my GP next day and got two epipens. So I was very glad to read this post. I have asked to see an allergy clinic and have chosen the Churchill in Oxford as it is the nearest. Haven't received an appointment yet. I was wondering, in the many conversations you must have had, has it emerged that once a person has a bad reaction is it inevitable that a second sting will cause a similar or stronger reaction? I still have bees that need some attention and obviously take extra care but feel a little apprehensive even when walking in the garden and hearing buzzing insects close by.
Also I wondered what was the thinking behind someone suddenly becoming allergic after having been stung often in the past with no serious consequences?

My consultant said that there was a 50% chance of my next sting resulting in an anaphylactic reaction as bad or worse than my previous one. From basic maths this leads to a 25% chance of getting away with it twice etc - the odds aren't worth it. I'd get someone to look after your bees until you're cleared. Don't expect that to be too soon. The clinics seem to run the bee/wasp sting treatment during the winter, so you are clear for the spring.

As for your second question - that's just the way it goes. Your body just decides one day to react in an over the top way and that's it. Nothing you can do and it can happen to anyone. You don't build up immunity and you don't build up an intolerance. It just happens...

This is where my understanding lets me down. If you can't build up a resistance then what is the principle behind the de-sensitisation course? Equally, could one have total confidence of not having a reaction once the course has been completed?

It was explained to me that it is a case of resetting the system. Start with very low doses and then build up. This stops the whole system from collapsing. you are trying to teach the body to react sensibly to a sting. Bit like training a dog...

Not sure about your second question. I'll try to remember to ask tomorrow, as I'm going to hospital for the first of my maintenance doses.

Thanks for your time. I haven't received any appointment slots yet.

Is this Normal

I have had a few stings this year 17? none last year and 3 the year before. I now find that the stings are less painful, yet often the area stung does swell. My normal course of action is 4 days of antihistamine along with ibuforen, which after the 4 days is then back to normal. Would a controlled course be of any help?
In the year I had 3 stings I had little in the way of swelling but they did sting for a short while. My latest the sting was for a minute now day 2 and my ankle is slightly puffy but is stiff which in uncomfortable, but gets better with movement.

1% hydro cortisone cream helps greatly in swellings..http://tinyurl.com/pbhgvt9

I am not quite immune to stings - soft tissues in hands still swell a little. Cream helps a lot.

I had my initial appointment at the allergy clinic at Addenbrookes a few weeks ago. I didn't react at all to the surface prick tests, but did react to the subcutaneous venom injection, they took a blood sample, a urine sample and measured my peak flow. I have been offered the bee-sting desensitisation programme and today received the appointment card for 11 weekly appointments throughout the winter.
Now I just need to get my employer not to have a hissy fit about the time off work!!

I've been away from this forum for some while so didn't pick up on this very interesting thread until this evening - even then, having read the first 10 pages I mistakenly hit 'Last' and was glad that I had done so when I saw it was 28 pages long !

My condolences to those who have had to go through this irksome process and it is good to see that the de-sensitization 'service' seems well founded, and is enabling you to get back to looking after your ladies.

But .... I've been keeping bees for over 50 years in a low key way; at a maximum I had 6+ hives, but most of the time it has been 2 to 4, and I really do have to ask the question as to why are you keepers getting stung so much? What is coming across is beeks who are getting full dosage stings in multiple counts - this seems totally unreasonable and makes me wonder what I am doing right or wrong that I have never been stung, that I can remember, to the levels reported here. I get the occasional 'prick' through my suit and/or gloves, but rarely anything that can be said to be the 50ul of a full dose.