Bee Sting Kit

[Gun Rod Bow]

Have a friend who may go with me on some in state trips. He's alergic to bee stings.

I've never bought a bee sting kit but now think it may be a good thing to have in my First Aid kit.

I think it's just Epinephrin (sp?) which also treats severe shock.

Anybody suggest the best place to get one?

[Get Bit]

I think an Epinephrine kit can only be gotten with a prescription. So a Doctor is the only place.

Get Bit

[bajadan2000]

Not sure you can get it for him, he may have to go see a doctor.

I developed an alergy to bee stings in middle age. Came as a big shock when it hit. I now carry a bee sting kit, however, have not needed to give myself the shot yet. I always carry anthistamine pills, and so far the pill is all I have needed to take. And I get stung alot.

You can get the anthistamine pills over the counter. I keep these pills everywhere, in my truck, all my packs, boat, you name it. I can get to a pill fast. These pills have even helped to stop the itching a day later.

Not recommending you replace the kit for the pills. However, for safety reasons everyone should have anthistamine pills as part of their first aid kit. You just never know when you might develop a bee sting alergy.

Better get your friend to a doctor for a test and prescription.

[MarlinMark]

Bajadan,

What kind of pills are you taking/stashing?

Mark

[Chrome Bumper]

Maybe call the red cross or fire department on their non-emergency line. During a basic first aid course the instructor said antihisamine can be a lifesaver. I think he mentioned benedryl.

[bajadan2000]

Not sure I want to take on a liability issues here by recommending a brand. I am not a doctor. I can only relate what has happened to me.

All allergy relief pills that have Anthistamine on the lable have worked equally well for me. Including the one mentioned above.

Please get tested for bee allergy by a doctor if you are not sure if you are allergic or not. It is a simple test.


I will bore you with my story how I found out I was allergic.





I had been stung 100's of times with no problem.

On a week long rafting trip on the Grand Rhonde River, in E. OR. I was strung 4 times when picking up a log for firewood. No big deal. It had happened dozens of times before.

Later in the day I became very, very cold. I put all the clothes I could and started a fire to keep warm. It was over 90 deg. at the time.

Everyone on the trip knew something was wrong but we did not connect it to the bee stings since I had never had any problems with bees before. It was a hard days rafting just to get to my truck, then a couple of hours drive to a hospital.

By the time I made it to a doctor, everything was back to normal. During the doctors questions, the bee sting issue came up and he tested me. Bingo.

So please carry anthistamine tablets with you in the woods. Some one else may need them.

[RidgeRunner]

I would check on giving EPI to a victim with shock. All my medical training I do not give EPI for shock. I give EPI for bee stings and for Heart attacks. And they are very different in doses. Do not give a heart attack victim your bee sting EPI. I would have your hunting partner get a EPI pen to take hunting, minutes is all it takes to have a severe reaction and close up the airway we breath through. Not all bee stings reactions are going to be the same, if you are allergic, be careful. :smile:

[Gun Rod Bow]

I just spoke to a fireman buddy who told me the same thing. He recommended Benadryl. Only to use the Epi or bee sting pen if the sting reaction was severe and danger of loosing the airway. Sounds like it requires a scrip. Sounds like a good thing to have in a back country kit though.

Dang, I was hoping to try out cutting a hole in the esophogus!

Just like in "The Doll Maker".

[Chrome Bumper]

Bajadan, my uncle had a similar experience on the farm, went to the doctor, was sent home, and died there.

[steelhead22]

Sounds like a good thing to have in a back country kit though.

Yes it is!

I've been in anaphylatic shock twice in my life. It comes on fast, within seconds, and there's a total collapse of all the upper airway. It's like the worst asthma attack EVER. If any of us have a severe reaction without a kit out in the backcountry, it's all over.

I don't have a kit yet, thanks for the thread and the reminder. I'm going to be picking one up very soon.

[Quaka Wacka]

Epi pens and kits are only available through a doctor because they are only to be given and a strict set of circumstances. If given at the wrong time or to someone who has other medical conditions it can cause heart damage and even kill you. Benadryl is what I always carry but is more helpful in an allergic (itching, hives, etc.) rather than the epi needed for an anaphylactic (airway comprimise) reaction.

Your best bet if you have a buddy who has a perscription for Epi, is to make sure he always carries it and maybe even have him show you how to use it. If he has an extra in the truck it's also good to know where it.(sometimes you need more than one for the drive to the hospital or to met an amulance) And if you have a buddy or yourself who has had even minor or moderate reactions in the past, its not a bad idea to talk to your doctor. That little bit of Epi can make the difference when you are in the middle of nowhere. We lost a local area firefighter several years back on a hunting trip over east, due to a reaction from a bee/wasp sting. From what I remember he was starting to have allergic/anaphylactic reactions leading up to the trip but hadn't got a prescription for epi yet.

[fishncliff]

Epi pens can only be gotten with a prescription.
If he has one and you have to use it:
Remove both caps, point the needle end toward the upper thigh, STAB it in and hold for 10 seconds.

It hurts like hell but you need to hold it in there to release the meds.
I have used 2 on patients in the field. One on a 10yr old at a ball game.

If he doesn't need a prescription: Carry Benadryl or any allergy meds that lists ANTIHISTAMINE on the outside of the packaging.

I carry benadryl with me all the time.

[Rank Amateur]

This all reminds me of a choker setter years ago. He comes stumbling into the landing and has this big goose egg on his forehead. Says he was stung and to get his kit, one of the other guys get it. Somebody grabs the syringe and gives him a shot in the arm, hmmm... the plunger only went a little ways, hmm.... if you turn it you can give more!!! Bottom line they empty the syringe in the guy. Mean while one of the guys is reading the instructions, "if stung, take a pill, if symptoms persist take another pill......ect." Bottom line the syringe was to be used as the last resort and only one dose at a time. It's a wonder we did not kill the poor guy. Moral of the story, if somebody is allergic to bees, have them show you the kit and how to use it.

[Yeti]

First of all, take the WMI Wilderness medicine course. Any one who is back country, more than 4 hours from help, should have this course.

Of course I would never think of doing this. But, a close friend of mine had his friends pick up an epi kit in Canada. (They are sold over the counter up there) His phylosophy was this. If he, or someone he knew, needed it for anaphlectic shock in the back country it could save a life. Obviously the litigious issues abound around this type of thinking. But if the patient found the kit in the first aid and used it it could save thier life. It is doubtful that they would sue the owner of the kit that save thier life. (and live to tell about it ) If that person died for lack of a kit my friend couldn't live with that.

As mentioned above, the epi kits are two doses just in case. Read the directions. Have your friend get one before going into the field with them. No kit, No hunt! Don't take that chance with thier life and your emotions.

Just my friends $.

Yeti