A Really Close Call

When most people think about allergies, they think the seasonal, sneezing, watery eyes version.  But this summer we were introduced to the other kind. 

When our kids were little, we always watched the first time they were stung by a bee to make sure they didn’t have any reactions.  This summer for some unknown reason, our oldest got stung by a wasp and her whole face started itching – not a normal reaction. 

After multiple doctor’s appointments and 2 rounds of allergy skin testing, we discovered that she is allergic to all venom – bees, wasps, hornets, yellowjackets – All flying stingy things.   (In addition to a few trees and dust mites)

And we live in the South!!!   I swear it feels like we have no less than 600 wasps or bees flying around our house on any day in the summer.     We carry epipens everywhere and try to reduce her time outside. 

The plan is to begin the LONG (3 years) process of weekly venom allergy therapy to reduce her lifelong risk from 60% down to 2%     

Well, after the third round of venom allergy shots, we began to notice that her skin would feel itchy around 45 minutes afterwards, especially on her ears. The doctors all felt it was a mild reaction, but they stepped the shots back one level to give her body an extra week to adjust.

There are signs all over the doctor’s office advising patients to wait because most reactions occur within 30 minutes.    In some people, allergic reactions take longer than the 30 minutes that is frequently posted everywhere.  Her doctors just wanted us to keep a close eye on her for an hour or 2 after each round of shots.

We tried every combination of OTC antihistamines and pre-treating that we could to prevent the skin itching.  (We did discover that Allegra was much better at controlling her dust mite allergy than Claritin or Zyrtec)

We did 2 more weekly doses of venom, waiting 45 minutes each time.  When the itching starts, they take her back to room and check her vitals.

This particular day, everything started the same way.  At 45 minutes she started with itchy skin, and they brought her back to a room again.  About 5 minutes later, I looked at her, and she had tears streaming down her face. I realize she is in anaphylactic shock and can’t breathe.  Her doctor and nurse quickly responded and treated her with epinephrine and prednisone to calm down the reaction and reduce the risk of her relapsing.  Thankfully, the medicine worked quickly and her breathing started getting easier and less labored within a few minutes.   They watched her for another 2 hours, and then we watched her for another 6 at home to make sure she didn’t rebound.  

Somehow instead of helping her body adjust to venom, the allergy shots made her body overreact to even the smallest drop of venom.   I am scared to think of what could happen if she actually got stung by a wasp or bee. 

Recovery:

We continued to watch her for the first 24 hours for any signs of relapse.   She was tired for the first 48 hours but otherwise physically fine.

Mentally and emotionally however, the recovery took longer.  The anaphylaxis triggered her waking up with nightmares that she couldn’t breathe and gave her intense anxiety.  That recovery took around 2 weeks to begin slowly getting better.