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Okay, you’ve waited all year for this vacation. You can’t wait to open your suitcase and find anything inside but a business suit and tie.
“There’s my suntan lotion and flip-flops,” you say to yourself. You then put on your shorts and Hawaiian shirt and head out into the exotic surroundings of your temporary locale. Out of the Pacific blue, something starts buzzing around your ear. It just won’t leave you alone. You take a swing at it. Big mistake. You didn’t expect to find a hospital emergency room on your vacation itinerary, did you?
Where did you go wrong? It was likely that brightly-colored Hawaiian shirt you just couldn’t wait to wear. Not only did you like it, so did Mr. Stinger. That’s because bees and wasps are attracted to contrasting color and they’re looking to pollinate.
Your second mistake was swatting away the bee or wasp. According to entomologists, you should have slowly raised your arms to protect your face and stand still. Though it was a normal reaction, flailing your arms only provoked an attack. If it were a wasp, you were really in trouble because the venom in a wasp contains a chemical that signals other wasps to attack whomever and whatever gets in their way. In the event you were allergic to insect venom, you could have been signing your own death warrant.
It is estimated that as many as two million people in the United States are allergic to bee or wasp stings; about 100 people each year die from severe allergic reactions. Many of the deaths are often misdiagnosed as cardiac arrests or respiratory failure. It is a documented fact that more people die annually from the effects of insect venom than
from spider or snake bites.
An allergic reaction starts a few minutes after the sting occurs; it affects the entire body. You will feel dizzy, nauseated and weak. You may experience a warm feeling as though your temperature is rising. You might also start coughing and break out in hives, followed by wheezing and shortness of breath. Unless you seek immediate medical assistance, you could die within thirty minutes. Some severe allergy sufferers die within five minutes or less.
The safest way to avoid a bee or wasp sting is to take precaution. Even if you don’t know you may be allergic to insect venom, it is an intelligent choice to include Benadryl in your carrying case while on vacation or at an outdoor event. Benadryl is the most powerful antihistamine you can purchase over the counter. For severe allergy sufferers, an EpiPen is highly recommended. An EpiPen is an auto-injector containing a measured dose of
epinephrine. It is prescribed by your physician for allergic emergencies only.
Although Hawaiian shirts are fashionable, they may not be a suitable choice in some areas of the country. In the meantime, be prepared or save that colorful,floral shirt for either an evening out or an indoor party.
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