You Just Never Know....
| By:
Ray Harvey Sippy@foolsinternational.com Fort Wayne, IN |
This ended up being long but please read it may help save your life if you get stung by a bee.
When I say bees I mean the yellow/black flying insects that nest in the ground. I was on duty and we got a call about a tree that had fallen into some power lines and was on fire. When we got on scene we had a tree leaning on 2 wires burning a little. The power company got there pretty quickly and shut off the power. Then the base of the tree cut so it would fall off the wires. When it hit the ground it must have landed on the nest. I went to the tree to make sure it was not going to keep burning and I felt something stick my hand. I thought it was a thorn and kept checking the tree. I felt some more stings and noticed the bees on the ground and flying around me. At this point I got out of there.
The tree was not burning so we left the scene. As we left the scene I told Shammy I had gotten stung a few times, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I said it would suck if the first time I got to use an Epi Pen on someone was on myself, in hind sight I should have.
I had driven about a mile and started to have vision problems. I stopped and told the Shammy, other guy with me, he needed to drive. He asked if I was serious and I said “Yes, I need you to drive, like to the hospital.” He asked if I wanted to jump in with the chief who was behind us and I said yes. We had gone about a half of a mile when I don’t remember anything till I got to the ER and one of the city Cops opened the door to pull me out. I walked to the wheelchair and then helped take off my bunker pants and get on the bed.
They stuck me with Benadryl, Epi, started an IV with a 300cc bolus and 2 other shots. My blood pressure and pulse was LOW. They put me in the trendelinburger(sp) position, (laying flat with my body angled head down). I can around fast and was released after a little over an hour.
I had been stung about 2 years ago on my lower leg and it swelled up and took 3-4 days to go away. No other problems at that time. This time I got hit by 2 bees hard and 3-4 others a little bit. This morning my finger and hand that took the first and hardest hit is still swollen some and the side of my face is a little also where I took the second hardest hit.
When I got in with the chief he asked if I wanted him to use an Epi Pen on me, we carry them on the Engine and 2 others truck but not in the chiefs, I said no didn’t think I was that bad or would get that bad, I should have had him use it.
The important thing to learn from my experience was that it you get stung it can knock you down QUICK!!! It was about 15 minutes from when I got stung till I was OUT!!!. The good thing was my vision was going but I had motor function so I could stop the Rig. I also didn’t have any problems breathing that I know of, chief said I was making some strange noises as I breathed after I went unresponsive.
I now have an Epi Pen. I hope you take this to heart and take stings serious, because I didn’t but I got lucky this time because of who I was around and how close we where to the ER.
