[Brucester]

It's been over 30 years since being stung by yellow jackets that sent me to the ER in the back of a Mercedes Benz driven by a famous Yale New Haven cardiologist with a few minutes to spare.... I was trimming a hedge way back then. I've switched careers since and still pack the pen....When I don't, I carry the dreaded Benadryl. I've been stung a few times before and since the near fatal original incident but never had a severe reaction. I've even been stung in the eye socket by a hornet on the PCT near McKenzie Pass. I took one Benadryl then but never had a severe reaction like I had expected. I carried the Hollister Steer syringe then, in 2002. It's time for a new Epi Pen since the syringe kinda creeps me out. They are crazy expensive yet the generic's are not as bad. Experiences or stories? As always, I appreciate your knowledge!

[Anne Elk]

Don't know about the generics. Since becoming a beekeeper I've thought to have an epi-pen on hand "just in case", although I've been stung hundreds of times and appear to be immune. But I worry about visitors. One thing I didn't know is that not all allergic reactions to bee stings result in anaphylaxis; you can also experience a precipitous drop in blood pressure which can be life threatening. This happened to one of my bee club pals. He reported having such a reaction after getting stung in the face (he'd previously been stung to no apparent ill effect). He ignored it at first, then went in the house and told his wife he felt odd and was going to have a lie-down. She looked in on him a short time later and said, "we're going to the hospital". They used 2 epi's on him, and I think they kept him overnight for observation.