Wasp & bee stings

I hedge my bets by carrying 3 brands of antihistamines!

"Adrenaline has a shortish shelf life so need to be renewed at the start of each summer." I thought the epi-pen only lasted 12 months also? Am I wrong??

I think its the contents that determine the life of an epi pen but the only ones Ive ever dealt with were 12 months. Sting allergies are horrid in the bush as often the victim didnt even know they were allergic. They cant know till the first time they are stung.

Yep I was looking at them for my wife who is allergic but they cost $180 each and only had a 12 month shelf life. She isn't quite at the life or death stage but each time she gets stung its worse, I feel sorry for her, I don't even get itchy bites from sand flies myself.

first time I was ever stung was the middle of the bush... was a bit worried if I ended up being allergic, lucky I wasn't, not the place you want to find out..

Dont worry its not unknown for a person to develop an allergy. It happens regularly with medications. Next time you get stung it may swell up a bit but the time after it could be night night nurse. Last wasp sting I had gave me an horrendous headache so not sure what the next one will bring. The headache may of been due to other things. Who knows

The Epipen is a fancier and easier way to administer adrenaline. Same drug and effect if you give adrenaline from an ampoule via needle/syringe, but the Epipen is easier to use. Both have a short shelf life. I carry adrenaline and needle/syringe as it's quite expensive to get a new Epipen every year (I am not allergic, or wasn't as a kid at least, but carry it in case I or someone else needs it). I also carry an aspirin in case I come across someone who might be having a heart attack!

Hi guys. I'm an ex-Navy medic, and advanced/wilderness first aid instructor. Anaphylaxis (x, not p lew ;) ) is indeed a serious condition. If anyone has ever had even a moderate reaction to a bee or wasp sting previously, I would highly recommend carrying an epipen. For remote areas, I'd seriously consider two. At $100 a pop (and yes, they do only last 12 months), it's a bit of an investment, but hey, if it saves your life..... Whilst you may not be able to administer someone else's epipen, you can assist them to administer their own. And I can tell you from experience; administering an epipen is a shitload faster then drawing up and administering adrenaline manually; and a lot less likely for errors to occur. An important note: The yellow epipen is the adult one. The green one is the one for kids. DO NOT EVER ADMINISTER A YELLOW EPIPEN TO A CHILD UNDER 30KG. YOU COULD VERY WELL KILL THEM. The yellow contains 0.3mg of adrenaline (or epinepherine, as the Americans call it. It's the exact same drug), and the green contains only half the amount, at 0.15mg. Again, never give a yellow one to a child. Prior to administering the epipen, always check the following first: 1. It's the right colour epipen. This shouldn't be too much of a problem, because you should be assisting them with their own epipen. 2. Check the expiry date. As mentioned, it only lasts for 12 months. 3. Check the fluid through the clear window. The fluid needs to be clear, like water. If it is coloured in any way, usually a browny colour DO NOT ADMINISTER IT. Epipens are sensitive to light (after exposure to the sun they turn brown and can't be administered). Whilst trampers get in the habit of ditching unnecessary packaging, never ditch the epipen box. It keeps it guarded from the light. Pipeking, fork out the cash mate. Briefly, how anaphylaxis works: The first time someone is introduced to something they are highly allergic too, they have an anaphylactoid reaction. After that first one, the body now has a memory of it, and so reacts even more aggressively the second and subsequent times. The fact she has been stung several times and her reaction has been worse each time leads me to believe that she is at very real risk of death the next time she gets stung; particularly whilst out hiking the remote trails of NZ. Also, don't forget that if it's wasps she's allergic to, these have the ability to sting more than once. Just a couple of weeks ago I was doing some track maintenance and was stung 6 times. It sucked, but thankfully I'm not allergic. Having said that, I did have a mild reaction (pain/itchiness/minor swelling) that lasted several days. Thankfully, more people are allergic to bees than wasps, and it's predominantly wasps you'll encounter in the NZ bush. Having said that, if you're allergic to wasps.... Well, you can do the math.

In addition to my last, I'm actually going to tell you how to correctly administer an epipen. Because if you're on a trail with someone who needs them, you just might have to assist them. Firstly, remove the epipen from the packaging. Both the box and the inner hard plastic case. Check it's the right type of epipen (yellow or green), it hasn't expired, and check that the fluid is clear (through the little window). Remove the blue cap. This is the safety measure, so once you've removed the cap, the epipen is LIVE. Grasp the epipen firmly in your fist. Do not put your thumb anywhere near either end. Once, when I was working in pharmacy, we had an expired one come in, so I decided to do an impromptu lesson for the staff. Unfortunately, I got distracted by a customer, and ended up injecting into my thumb. It's a big needle. It goes in hard and fast. And it hurts. A LOT! It hit my bone, bent the needle, and my thumb went completely white. The flesh was numb, but the bone hurt like hell. SO. Grip the shaft in your fist! :D Locate the quadricep muscle on the casualty's leg. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT REMOVING CLOTHING. Push the orange end down - hard - into their quad muscle (straight down/in, not at any sort of an angle), and hold it there while you count for a full 10 seconds. When you remove the epipen, the orange part will extent to cover the exposed needle, thus rendering it safe from accidental stick injury. Massage the quad you injected the epipen into, working it into the muscle. If you have a second epipen, it is safe to administer it 20 minutes after the first. However, ONLY do this if there appears to be no result from the first. Sometimes, the symptoms will abate, only to return 8 or more hours later. Anyone who has been administered an epipen needs immediate medical assistance.