Wasp allergy.

[hellymelly]

I have a wasp sting allergy,and since having my dds have become much more worried about being stung,to the point of being scared of taking them out in the summertime unless dh is with me as I am scared of being stung myself as they are so little,and also of them being stung and me being unable to help.anyway I have an appointment looming to discuss desensitisation,anyone here been through this? Anyone else with this allergy? Last year our garden was awash with wasps until NOVEMBER and it was hideous,I hardly went out so I am dreading the wasp season starting again.

Hi hellymelly

I totally understand your fears as I also have a wasp allergy and where I live in Spain we are awash with wasps from March until November. It's a nightmare.

We are also out in the country, away from immediate medical assistance and so my fears are increased as to what would happen if I get stung when home alone with my two dds (2 and 4). But I have already had to face the issue twice of them over me and stood by whilst my then 2yo was stung as on balance of risk it was better for him to get stung as then I could look after him. The alternative was for me to bat the wasp off his arm and risk getting stung and the resultant reaction as whilst have an epipen with me at all times don't want to test it working.

I am now 2 years into my desensitisation with injections every 4 to 5 weeks. My numbers so far haven't decreased dramatically but I am optimistic as my mil went through the programme and in 3 years she dropped to a level where when she did get stung again she didn't have any reaction having previously had anaphylactic shock.

Let me know if you have any specific questions, certainly hope you have a positive appointment so you can start the treatment.

Poor you. If it helps, the wasp and bee sting immunotherapy is one of the most successful.
Oh and we get a wasp man in every year - it's amazing how many nests he finds in our roof - he clears them out for about £40.

Never thought to have anyone look in our roof.We did have a really good look in our fairly small garden but no sign of any,we are in a village and there are so many places nests could be,but last year certainly was a bumper year.ltemadrid,how is the treatment ?is it v painful? Apparently it is a five year programme.It is tricky for us too as the hospital doing the programme is at least a two and a half hour drive from here,and DH would need to take me each time,which means all of us going.there is a two year waiting list too ,but I am so worried about it that I am thinking it will be worth it.The doctor told me there was a 30% chance of it not making any difference,which would be grim after all the treatment...My two dds are much the same age as yours,it is nice to hear from someone else in the same boat.We lived in london until two years ago and UCH was just down the road so I was less worried there than I am here where the nearest largeish hospital is an hour away.I do have an epipen ,i haven't been stung for 20 years so I have never used it.I am almost phobic about wasps now and yet I spent years not really worrying about it.It's just having the girls that has made me much more frightened.

topiarygal are you allergic too?

bump.

I have a wasp sting allergy.
I don't have an epipen, but do have to take antihistamine very quickly if stung. I also haven't been stung for a very long time, and I don't really worry about it much as I know that wasps don't generally sting for no reason, and I don't want to scare the dc by being all flappy around them.

My dd was stung when she was about 18 months or maybe 2, and she didn't react thankfully (although not sure if she would on first exposure or not).

I wouldn't bother with desensitisation myself as it seems a lot of faff for something which is unlikely to happen, but that's just me.

hellymelly i had an allergic reaction the last time i got stung by a wasp. i swelled up badly and am now very scared of being stung on the head or neck.
i asked my friend what i can do if i get stung again (she is a medical herbalist) she recommended i take 2000mg of vitamin c, with another 1000mg every hour until the reaction is under control. the reason is that vit c is a natural anti histamine. The soluble 1000mg tablets would be ideal, as being soluble they work quickly, and you can carry a tube of them around.

Maristella, ask your GP for an epipen too,as if you do get stung and swell very rapidly,an epipen is the only thing that works fast enough I understand.I am very scared of having to use mine as the needle is humungous but it can be a life saver.Also some people do swell badly but will never have an anaphylactic reaction,up to a whole limb is common,so you may be in this group.I would still get an epipen though.I haven't been stung for a long time either,but as my neighbour was stung three times last Summer I am always worried that it will happen,particularly later in the year when they are everywhere.

that's not a bad idea, but when it happened i felt really fobbed off. i went to casualty the next day because my lower leg had doubled in size. the swelling did occur slowly, but i didn't feel i was taken seriously.
am i right that the allergy becomes worse in severity each time you get stung?

Wasp allergy must be very scary but do NOT fear using an epipen. They work very quickly and although the needle may look scary it has to go through clothes. My nut-allergic child assures me it really doesn't hurt more than a bruise and they were petrified of ever needing to use it. They were needle phobic and cried at the mere idea of using the pen but faced with an anaphylactic reaction the pen wasn't bad.

Hi Hellymelly - I'm not allergic but have a massive phobia of wasps (weirdly though, not bees). I think it's because I know bees don't sting unless really provoked/scared whereas wasps chase after you! It's got progressively worse over the last 5 years I'd say but it's now got to the point that I dread summer and refuse to go anywhere like parks/zoos/restaurants to sit outside in the summer. My DH gets really cross as he says I put the kids in danger; he's referring to one time when DS was in a pushchair and a wasp chased me. I let go of the pushchair and ran off whilst the pushchair slowly started moving down the hill - we were in a car park! I got slightly better at not panicking last summer but because DH said how selfish I was. I think I really need help but luckily know I don't have an allergy. 2.5 hrs is a long drive for the prgoramme for you.

My MIL has an allergy but isn't as phobic about them as I am. Her's has got worse over the years and she fears ebing stung - she's missed it so far though. She tends to swell/rash but not anaphylactic. It gets worse each time though so maybe if it hapens again, she could. Hope you are okay this summer..

Maristella the reaction tends to get progressively worse,but it can vary depending on how long it has gone between stings (the longer the better) and even by how angry the wasp is,or what the wasp has been feeding on.Obviously multiple stings would be worse too.Luciemule,I feel that way about bees,funny isn't it,as until I was tested last Summer I thought I was also allergic to bee stings but I have never been afraid of them.I suppose their behaviour is easier to predict than wasps',who just seem to get randomly annoyed! I used to use a repellent by "jungle formula" that did seem to work and really repel wasps but it is no longer available,I don't know why.
I saw two queen wasps in my garden today so I am feeling the dread....

Hey hellymelly - nope only ashtmatic, DS (7) is allergic - was allergic to everything it seemed and he's outgrown most things. Now he's allergic to nuts and kiwi and idiopathic (goes into anaphylaxis when his body wants to - grrr) so I just spend a lot of time in allergy meetings, trying to learn as much as I can to help him. BTw - he was stung 16 times by bees when 2 so i know he's OK with that ;D.
Immunotherapy seems to be promise some magic solution one day - fingers crossed!

I have a slight problem with kiwi too,it makes my lips swell,luckily it is fairly easy to avoid!Must be scary for you and your DS.

funny how many people have kiwi allergy, my lad used to be able to eat it - we did lots of seed sieving and touching to lips etc 'til he could eat it normally, then as he didn't like it he had none for a few years, then, he tried it again and bingo - reaction. Really annoying!!1

I think sometimes with fruit like kiwi the ripeness of it makes a difference.

DH has problems with melon and avocado and I have had problems with persimmon and plantain which made my lips swell up

Both the persimmons and the plantain were under ripe. After the plantain, bananas made my lips tingle for a few weeks but thankfully that wore off.