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Debra
Super Nomad
Posts: 2101
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Port Orchard Wa./Bahia de Los Angeles BC
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Nat: I'd like to know where you find Epi Pens for a "minimal cost" up here they are $80 without insurance.  Or maybe you "minimal" is different than mine?  Really glad I have good insurance!
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Natalie Ann
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2819
Registered: 8-22-2003
Location: Berkeley
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Wow, Debra, that is a lot of money. Mine came from MediCare via Kaiser Permanente and co-pay was $15 for 3. Receipt said my insurance saved me $25.
I felt that was a minimal cost; musta been my lucky day.
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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Don Jorge
Senior Nomad
Posts: 638
Registered: 8-29-2003
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Hyposensitization or allergy desensitization
Years ago the same thing happened to me. Mowing a field I was attacked by some bees. Having been stung many times before I was shocked when for some
reason I went hypersensitve and ended up in the ER at the hospital.
Since I raise bees for pollinization and honey, have about 20 hives, it was a problem. I chose to go with a Hyposensitization treatment. It is a
gradual exposure to the antigen through a long series of injections of gradually increasing doses. It worked for me. I have been stung many times
since and never a reaction.
Although not for everybody, it is worth discussing with your doctor.
Good luck.
�And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry
years. It was always that way.�― John Steinbeck
"All models are wrong, but some are useful." George E.P. Box
"Nature bats last." Doug "Hayduke" Peac-ck
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8805
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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Mood: Full Time Residents
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I have a girl at work that's stinging herself to get rid of arthritis...
Bee Therpy
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
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Glad you all reminded me about all this - I need to get some new ones. I have been alergic to honey bee stings all my life, getting adrenalin
injections after each sting since about 5 years old.
But the really (to me) interesting thing is that the bees in Mexico do NOT affect me at all. I've been stung about 12-15 times in the last 10 years.
Small bump, itch for a day and that's it. So I keep the kit for if I need it (or someone else does) and say "Thanks" that the Mex bees are
different.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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Same for me Bajalou
I was stung in a nursery about 10 years ago, when I reached down to pick up a plant down close to the soil it was in. I let out with a yell and my
husband came running. I warned him that I was allergic and to keep an eye on me.
The nursery helper took the plant for me and I paid for it, all the time wondering where my husband had gone.
When I got back to the car, he had the dictionary out frantically looking up wasp, allergy, etc.
BUT I had absolutely no reaction.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64490
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Debra
Nat: I'd like to know where you find Epi Pens for a "minimal cost" up here they are $80 without insurance. Or maybe you "minimal" is different than mine? Really glad I have good insurance! |
Debra, I get Chris' at COSTCO... about $50.
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oladulce
Super Nomad
Posts: 1625
Registered: 5-30-2005
Location: bcs
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| Quote: |
...I would guesstimate that my "swig" is the equivalent of 4 teaspoons. I'm 5'10" & 160 pounds & that's worked to keep me alive twice; albeit
in various stages of anaphalacic shock; to get to the hospital. |
I've been trying to figure out how to write a response without sounding know-it-all-ish, but I'm worried that some of you guys might give Benadryl too
much credit for the treatment of a severe allergic reaction, so here goes:
I once had a 30 year old patient who was allergic to shellfish. He was leaving a restaurant with his wife, and she handed him the doggie bag from her
shrimp dinner as they began to cross the street. From the time he stepped off the curb til they got to the middle of Pacific Coast Hwy, some shrimp
juice leaked through the bag and on to his hand. He went in to full arrest (cardiac and respiratory) in the middle of the Hwy. This is an anaphylactic
reaction and Epinephrine is the treatment.
My husband and I came in from surfing 9 Palms one day, and were talking with a guy on the beach. He was eating some trail mix and suddenly became
anxious and restless looking. He admitted that he was allergic to cashews but "Dude, I was really hungry", and was now having trouble breathing. We
"convinced" him to let us give him a shot of Epi because it would have been a long trip back to San Jose on the dirt road with one of us doing CPR on
the floor of our camper. His wheezing subsided within a few minutes. This is an example of a severe allergic reaction and the treatment is Epi.
Benadryl would not have delayed the symptoms or treated either of these scenarios, and the same is true for some sting reactions. Benadryl is not a
substitute for Epinephrine- it is an adjunct to Epi when it's used in the treatment of severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reactions.
That being said, everyone should keep Benadryl on hand especially when you live or travel in Mexico where you may not have immediate access to medical
care. Benadryl can greatly reduce the localized symptoms of an allergic reaction such as swelling, redness, or itching at the site of a sting but an
oral dose won't take effect fast enough to decrease tongue or airway swelling which can occur within minutes of exposure. By all means, go ahead and
take some Benadryl capsules on your way to the hospital in Baja. But please seek further medical care if you have a history of allergic reactions and
carry some form of Epinephrine if you've been advised to do so.
Over the counter Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) comes in 25 mg capsules in the US and I would guess it's of similar strength in Mexico. The adult dose for
an allergic reaction is 50-100 mg. (the 100mg dose is usually for IV or IM administration).
So Vandenberg, an initial dose would be 2-3 of the 25 mg capsules. The liquid Benadryl is the pediatric strength. It would work in a pinch but would
require twice as much and does not take effect any faster than the capsules.
[Edited on 2-12-2006 by oladulce]
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Debra
Super Nomad
Posts: 2101
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Port Orchard Wa./Bahia de Los Angeles BC
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'oladulce" PLEASE "know it all away!" I was in the middle of responding to your post of a couple of days ago when my computer disconnected me and my
G-Son was demanding attention (I never went back to finish)
I wanted to thank you for your good info. You sounded in that post that you knew what you were talking about (Dr., Nurse?) I stated in my first
posts about this that I am not a Dr. just passing on the information my son's Dr. gave me........Your info. was much more detailed, Thank you....
Nat: I have Group Health which is also KP.....perhaps the difference in the price you were charged was the Medicare that you mentioned? I only paid
the $15 that you mentioned, but for only one. On the package also shows the non-insurance price of $80.
David: Since this all happened with Dustin I have often thought about Chris and you needing to carry a Epi Pen for him..... My concern is what was
stated on the package about how to use it and at what temp. it must be stored. (As I stated in my post) I know you have Chris's in the glove box of
your truck, which is handy (where needed most often since you are there so much) but, with the high temps. will it be effective when
needed?........Maybe "Oladulce" can give us a heads up on how to store them best? (in Baja conditions) This has really scared me since Dustin had his
episode.....(he was, according to the ER Dr. 10 mins. from death, MAX!)
Also as I mentioned in my original post.....Benadral is just a first responce, only to be used if it is all you have while you get as fast as you can
to a Doctor!
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