Bee sting desensitisation course

[Luminos]

Only one way to find out , cut along to local association apiary 'Ormskirk branch in my case , you'll so find out
VM

 

[busybee53]

Yes Ben. Clive de Brun goes so far as to state in one of his books that he made sure beginners on his courses got stung. Not sure if he still does but your local beekeeping association should be able to help.

 

[MMJ100]

DPearce,
Just caught up with your progress and want to wish you the very best. The pain will be worth it in the end.

I have been having the treatment in France for a couple of years. I have much less injected. I feel quite bad for a day but only so bad that I feel I should not drive a car for 24 hours. I get nausea and pins and needles. I have been stung a few times this year and the reaction to the sting is so small and short in duration that it almost makes me happy - if you see what I mean!
For anyone in France who wants more detail I will me pleased to help.
Good luck and thanks for the details

Michael

 

[hedgehog66]

Hey DP

where are you with todays update

not toooooo painful to update us i hope

watching in eager anticipation

lol
k

 

[dpearce4]

Week 4

Turned up today feeling a little nervous after last week, made sure i had both my eppi pens not just one just in case.

While making up a new batch of diluted venum for me i chatted to the doc about my reaction last week, she was really nice about it and gave me 2 options 1 was to have the same amount as last week or increase to the amount that she would normally use for week 4, I took the cautious option and went with the same as last week. The third option wasnt even offered, that being to give up as she could tell I wouldnt have taken it.

when i was injected there was a little pain at the injection site for maybe 5mins. But great news 11hrs later, no swelling at all and just a little itch where i was injected.

So relieved.

 

[dpearce4]

Hey DP

where are you with todays update

not toooooo painful to update us i hope

watching in eager anticipation

lol
k

haha cheaky.

 

[itma]

...
While making up a new batch of diluted venum for me i chatted to the doc about my reaction last week, she was really nice about it and gave me 2 options ... I took the cautious option and went with the same as last week.

... when i was injected there was a little pain at the injection site for maybe 5mins. But great news 11hrs later, no swelling at all and just a little itch where i was injected.

So relieved.

indeed!

Feedback helps!
Now, if I were you, I'd be trying to get the good news back to the Doc, so that a carefully considered decision can be taken as to what dose they give you next week.
I think it sounds like you are indeed desensitising - but I'd hope they don't try and "catch up" to their standard timetable.
Your reaction this week sound much more like what I'd heard from others that had done the course.

 

[REDWOOD]

Bravo dp, have one on me

 

[hedgehog66]

hey DP

wasnt being cheeky

genuine concern - i may need treatment myself sometime (sooner than you think)

think you made the right decision, sticking with last weeks dose.

hope all goes well all week

already looking forward to next weeks installment.

lol
k

 

[Excession]

Great news! Keep going, and let us know.

 

[richardbees]

that's good news dp

 

[dpearce4]

hey DP

wasnt being cheeky

genuine concern - i may need treatment myself sometime (sooner than you think)

think you made the right decision, sticking with last weeks dose.

hope all goes well all week

already looking forward to next weeks installment.

lol
k

its ok hedgehog i was only joking, i was actually typing the installment just as u we asking.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Excellent news DP

 

[hedgehog66]

just out of curiosity, have you been stung by a real bee whilst on the desenitising course ??

if so, any change in reaction ???

lol
xxx

 

[dpearce4]

not yet, havent had a sting since august, been lucky in that respect.

 

[busybee53]

Hopefully your course will have done you some good before the real bees get too active.

 

[Karol]

Thank you dp. This is an excellent thread and the feedback is very useful.

There were questions raised as to why you had such a bad reaction previously. You might find this interesting as it gives quite a bit of information on dosing etc:

http://www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/medicine/19596/SPC/Pharmalgen+Bee+Venom/

One of the other reasons why you might have reacted differently is because there are natural variations in the composition of the proteins in bee venom. It may have been because you were given a different batch from the previous one and slight changes in the composition made you react more. This is a good thing because the more different batches you are given the more chance there is that you'll be desensitized to a wider natural variation in any bee venom.

There are other reasons why you might have reacted worse previously as well. If you were suffering or recovering from an infection for example, then your immune system may have been in a 'heightened state' of activity.

Anyway - excellent thread. Very informative and an invaluable help with my work so thank you again.

 

[pbh4]

Some of you may remember that I had a run in with my own bees back in July. http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=19501 I had a severe anaphylactic reaction to a dozen or so stings that put me in hospital. I did not have any breathing difficulties, so the ambulance was reluctant to come, but the cardio-vascular symptoms nearly killed me. My blood pressure dropped to 80/40 and I had ST depression on the ECG when I finally made it to hospital. I promised to get back to you after I had seen the allergy consultant and this excellent thread provides an ideal opportunity.

Six weeks after the anaphylaxis I went to see the consultant in Leicester. They arranged skin prick (scratch) tests for bee and wasp venom. I did not really react so they did an IgE test for bee venom antibodies. The normal range is 0-0.3 (don't know what units) and mine was 19, so 60 times the upper limit of normal. They offered me desensitisation.

I started the VIT (venom immunotherapy) at the beginning of November. It involves 12 weekly injections of gradually increasing dose and then four-weekly injections of a maintenance dose equivalent to about 2 bee stings for three years. I have just had week 9 of the up-dosing phase. (Christmas holidays slowed it down a bit.) I have suffered only minor symptoms. The injection site on my upper arm really feels like a bee has stung me now - red, swollen and itchy. Twice I have experienced tingling lips and tongue and they have made me wait for an extra hour just to make sure I do not get a full-blown anaphylaxis again. The main thing is extreme tiredness in the afternoon/evening after I have the VIT in the morning. It is unbelievable how such a tiny injection can knock the stuffing out of you. But then, it is somehow my whole immune system that is being reset.

The best thing about the whole process is meeting new beekeepers in the clinic! One week there were six of us all undergoing VIT and all still really enthusiastic about bees. The worst thing is paying £3 a time to park at Leicester General!

Below are the details of the up-dosing protocol they use in Leicester.

One final bit of good news. I have pretty much had to leave my bees to fend for themselves since August. Two colonies on double brood. I hoped they had enough stores. On Sunday I went to give oxalyic acid treatment, fully expecting them to have died from neglect, only to find both colonies doing fine! It is amazing how happy that made me feel. By the time spring comes I should be ready to be a beekeeper again (albeit a cautious beekeeper with an epipen in his pocket)

Cheers,

Paul

 

[whoosling]

Keep going well done DP and glad you're ok and still keen pbh4 (Paul) and still have your bees

 

[Luminos]

Good news pbh4