My New Found Bee Sting Allergy...

[111]

I just found out the hard way I have a negative reaction to getting stung! I was biking with 2 friends, and as soon as I stopped to move a log that had fallen in the trail I got mobbed. I think there was a yellow jacket nest near by or maybe under the log, and boy did I piss them off! I got 4 or 5 stings (scalp, chest, and both legs). This makes 8 stings in 2 months, with the reaction from each sting being progressively worse. I kinda knew that 4 stings all at once would be a bad thing, so we went straight to the hospital.

In the 30 minutes it took to drive there, my ear canals started swelling up badly, then my face (which went quite numb after a while), then a slight throat swelling, but luckily that never progressed much further. By the time we were at the hospital I had full body hives/rash that itched like I had been rolling naked in a bark pile. I didn't have to get epi-penned, but got a SERIOUS dose of steroids and benadryl to help stop the swelling. I did get an epi-pen for the future which is good, but I am not excited about AT ALL! Now I have one more thing I have to remember to carry everywhere, grrr... Stupid bees.

 

My question is, the directions on an epipen are that it needs to be kept at very mild temperatures, no freezing or above 100F or so. Does anyone have solutions to preserving the contents in the extreme environments we play in? I am not assuming I'd be bringing this along on a winter epic, but at elevation freezing nights happen often enough. Any insights to this new affliction are appreciated.

 

 

Also, factoid of the day: the average human can survive 10 stings per lb of body weight! I would have never guessed it was that high!

[Lodestone]

I've also wondered about what temperatures outside of the approved range would do to the medicine. I have mine in my cragging pack and am hoping for the best. In cold weather one would probably want to keep it close to the skin.

 

 

 

Chad

[billcoe]

Also, factoid of the day: the average human can survive 10 stings per lb of body weight! I would have never guessed it was that high!

 

Congrats on that working out. Imagine being way out in the backwoods. Damn good thing I'm overweight. Got hit @ 200-300 (hard to count as the stings were so close in some areas) while rapping a route we were looking at last year. Unfortunately, my rope got stuck with me 20 feet below the bastards (they didn't follow) and I also had to rig a new rap point and do a 2nd rap to finally get down. We still haven't done the route, but the name is there. The Beekeeper route. They say August/late summer is when they are most aggressive, thanks for the reminder.

 

pfft: BTW, they were Yellowjackets on the Beekeeper route, not bees.