Coytee Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Yesterday was kind of a good day for me, especially when you consider the alternative! About 3 years ago on November 29 (2006), I was stung by a VERY lethargic wasp. Bottom line, I ended up in the emergency room with an IV and about 5 viles of "stuff" pumped into me. My breathing was very hard, but never closed off. My body was simply COVERED in hives. Clearly, I was having a negative reaction to the little wasp sting. What intrigued me was the wasp was indoors, cold outside and was in slow motion because of the cooler weather yet still had enough woomph to put me into the emergency room. Since I live 15 miles out of town, cut 100 acres of fields, dig with my backhoe... I'm realizing I'm GOING to be tangling with a stinging little SOB again so I started taking allergy sting shots. When they tested me, I don't know their scale so just to make one up... on a scale of 1-10, I'm allergic to wasps at about 4 and this is what put me into the emergency room. I'm about a 6-7 for bees and for vespids (yellow jackets & hornets) I was probably a 9.999. It was a very good thing that if I was to be stung, it was done by the SOB with the lowest reaction score. So, today, 3 years later, I've been going through the injection process and am on a monthly maintainence program where I go in once a month, they give me three shots and I have to sit in their office for an hour to make sure I don't go into a reaction. I'll admit that with some morbid curiosity, I've been sort of "waiting" to get stung again to see what happens. Not that I really want to suffer from any stings nor do I really want an episode but frankly.... I really need to know if the program is working. I'm less worried about taking shots to live than I am to simply buy me time if something did happen out where I live. Hopefully, it would simply buy me time to get home, call 911, stab myself with my epi-pen, jump in the lake, SOMETHING. Yesterday, I jumped on my backhoe and went to the back side of farm to get some dirt. Did my digging, brought a bucket load back to house. Was spreading the dirt next to my house, bent over to pick something up off ground and whammy! right next to my belly button... a little SOB yellow jacket had somehow gotten up my shirt, was trapped when I bent over and busted me in the gut. I happened to have my phone with me, epi-pen with me and the wife was home as well so I wasn't worried (and didn't use either) Long story short, went inside, took a Clariten (anti-histimine) cool shower and just took note of what was going on. About an hour later, although my belly still hurt and had a red spot the size of a lemon on it, I concluded everything was fine. Went to the allergist today for a normal shot & talked about what happened. (doc not there, talked to nurse). She agrees with me that it looks as though the program is working. Had this happened to me in November of 2006 it could have been a more interesting result. It's always nice when you pass the test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormin Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Congrats on the yellow jacket sting[] My brother in law has the same issues. He is allergic to anything and everything. I don't envy allergies one bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigStewMan Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Thank God that the allergy treatment is working. i'm happy that you are okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I took allergy shots for 4 years. They really work. I was basically allergic to anything green. Grasses and trees were the worst. The difference in what I could tolerate before and after taking shots was miraculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Coytee, it's always great to have one less thing to worry about in your life. Good for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted August 10, 2009 Moderators Share Posted August 10, 2009 Glad your still breathing [:|] I think I would have been a little more nervous considering what happened to you last time. Taking the shots was a good idea considering where you live and how much land your dealing with, your going to have a more than normal chance of being stung. I have been stung by many different kind, the worst for me is the little Yellow Jackets that build a nest under ground, and it's usually to late by the time you know there there. I have escaped a couple time by not moving and leaving the tractor running, they seem to go after the noise or vibration and try to sting the tractor, then I try to get away slowly until they calm down, the first time i jumped off and ran and a few chased me, I did get stung that time. They are about the smallest but they hurt the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islander Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 The reaction to a bug sting or bite is not the only dangerous thing. Years ago, when I was on the racetrack with my motorcycle, a bee (or some other sort of stinging insect) flew in the neck of my leathers and got trapped on my chest and started stinging me. Luckily, I was on a straight and not in a corner, but I actually partly ripped the zipper loose from the leather in my frenzied effort to get the suit open and release the critter, then I started swatting my chest as quick and hard as I could, to stop whatever was happening in there. It was a good thing it was during practice laps, so there was no-one near me. If I'd been in a first-lap pack entering a corner, it could have been disastrous, for me and everyone around me. It turned out to be a pretty minor sting, but it must have looked pretty amusing from the trackside. I started wearing a bandanna or neck tube after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 So has your morbid curiosity been satisfied? [] I never could quite understand why my allergist told me that having a dog was bad for my allergies, but somehow injecting me with the dog dander I was allergic to wasn't bad for me? I originally tested equally bad for both cats and dogs, but I can't be in a room with a cat for more than 5 minutes before my breathing turns off. Dogs don't bother me at all anymore. Maybe it's not a fair comparison because when I was first tested, everything was off the charts and they had to give me shots to calm down my reaction (and it was the lowest dosage scratch test they had available). Everything but the cat dander has pretty much gone away, and that's probably the allergen I've had the least exposure to outside of the allergy shots. All that to say, maybe your body decided it wasn't such a big deal to get stung and didn't overreact like it did the first time? I think I know of a good way to test that hypothesis.... [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Top Notch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 From my personal experience, I would much rather get a yellow jacket than the wasp. As your tests showed we have a higher reaction to different types of stings. I sit here wondering what your reaction to the yellow jacket sting would have been without the shot regiment? I got stung by a bumble bee under the eye the day before school pictures. Don't you know I looked pretty with one eye swollen shut. I also sat on a hornet once while cutting firewood, now that one really hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 I also sat on a hornet once while cutting firewood, now that one really hurt. [:|] I thought that only happened in the movies? I feel for what the outcome of that might have been (or indeed was) however, now that it's over, much like racing a bike down the straightaway while wildly slapping at yourself, it's kind of funny in hindsight. Doc... I"m also allergic to cats and evidently always have been. (took me several years as adult to finally put the cause/effect together) The shot program I'm on is supposed to last for 5 years and I'm 3 years into it having only missed a single shot and that was because I was in europe for 3 weeks. My concern to start the program was to simply buy me time if (when) I ever got stung again. I then realized if I'm stuck going through this process for 5 years, I may as well try to fix several other allergies I was found to have (certain pollin, grasses, some evergreen trees...NOW I know why I itch like a SOB when ever I put the Xmas tree up/down and get pricked with all those needles!!! I'm allergic to them!) When they went through the mix of ingredients I would need for my allergies, I asked the doc "Can you add cats/dogs to that mix since I have 2 indoor cats and 6 indoor dogs?" Fortunately, he said it would be no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me Loves Khorns Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Dude, you may possibly have the most dangerous backhoe of all times! Have been treating her poorly? Talking bad to her? Changing fluids regularly? I would suggest you contact a Back Hoe Whisperer as soon as you can! She has some issues with you right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Coytee, Wonderful news. It's great to be vertical, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnatnoop Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 great to hear your doing fine now....i'm very interested in the treatment you have been receiving... "on a scale of 1-10, I'm allergic to wasps at about 4 and this is whatput me into the emergency room. I'm about a 6-7 for bees and forvespids (yellow jackets & hornets) I was probably a 9.999. It wasa very good thing that if I was to be stung, it was done by the SOBwith the lowest reaction score." my wife is about an 18 on your scale. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM3 Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Glad you are ok! A few years back a friend of mine was stung outside about 15 ft from the door and passed out before she got inside. Fortunately she nade it home ok after a trip to the ER but it was touch and go with her breathing. You can see the hospital from where she lives. I had to have allergy shots as a kid. I started out once a week I think (30 plus years ago). I was allergic to pollen, dust, trees, grass, animals and watermellon. The shots do work because now I don't have any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winchester21 Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 Poor Wasp!!!!!! I bet he was just chillin in the bass bin of the jubilee. Then the horrible sound of Marie Osmond at 130 db blasted the poor critter to the floor. The poor creature flew out into the room to find Richard dancing around the room singing along with the CD. It was more than he could stand. In one final act of revenge- using his last ounce of energy- he managed to sting Richard. JK LMAO I have had borderline reactions from wasp and hornet stings myself. Yellow jackets dont seen to bother me for some reason. Glad you are OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted August 15, 2009 Share Posted August 15, 2009 to find Richard dancing around the room singing along with the CD. Now there's a sight I don't ever want to think about, let alone see! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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