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5/20/25 Meeting Minutes:
There were 17 people in attendance. David made a motion to approve the 4/15/25 minutes as emailed out on 4/21/25. Dean seconded the motion. All were in favor.
John Carrico was our guest speaker. John has been a paramedic for 20 years and has been flying with MOMMA as a paramedic for 11 years. His presentation was on anaphylaxis.
1 in 50 people will have an anaphylactic reaction sometime in their life. The word is from Greek; Ana means against; Phylaxis is reaction. It is a severe, potentially life threatening, systemic allergic reaction that usually happens in less than 2 hours. The body reacts to exposure of an antigen.
Benadryl can help with the allergic reaction. Seasonal allergy medicine will not help. You need benadryl.
However, if it is a severe, life threatening reaction, you need to call 911 to get help right away. You will need a shot of epinephrine, if you don’t have an epi pen available. When using an epi pen, you need to keep it in for 2-3 seconds for it to work. Make sure to put your thumb in the right place in order not to jab your thumb instead of your leg or arm when administering the epi pen. An increased heart rate is one side effect of epinephrine; therefore, it may be best to call 911 if you have a history of heart or other medical conditions. After 5-10 minutes, the heart rate will start to go back down to normal.
There is no rhyme or reason for anaphylaxis shock. Someone never allergic can all of the sudden become allergic. The number one anaphylaxis reaction is a food allergy (shellfish, fruits, nuts, etc.). Other causes are insect stings, animal dander, latex, medication.
There are different levels of an anaphylaxis reaction. The first level is a localized reaction. The reaction happens in one spot. Nowhere else on the body reacts to the sting/exposure.
The second level of an anaphylaxis reaction is systemic. Benadryl is a good antidote. One may have hives and itching all over the body. The reaction happens in multiple systems in the body. There are no life threatening symptoms.
The third level is anaphylaxis shock. The body tries to shut down to other antigens in the body. Vasodilation occurs. One becomes pale, sweaty. Blood pressure drops making the person dizzy, light headed and confused. They may feel like they are going to pass out and speak without making sense. Smooth muscles start to swell (throat, mouth, tongue), making it difficult/impossible to breathe. Wheezing and coughing may occur. The GI tract may become affected making one feel sick to their stomach, or have diarrhea due to the fact blood moves away from the digestive tract.
The more exposed one is, the reaction may become more severe. 30 bee stings are more likely to affect someone than 5. More people die from drug allergies (see attached chart).
If you have an allergic reaction, you will probably react again to the same allergen again. If the reaction happens suddenly, you should be more concerned.
When you are stung, it is best to scrape the stinger out using a hive tool, credit card, or finger nails. Then smoke the area to prevent bees from coming after the infected area to sting more. Don’t use tweezers. Tweezers, or squeezing the stinger just squeezes more venom into the sting area. A good beekeeper always keeps benadryl on hand.
All in attendance appreciated John Carrico’s presentation. We learned a great deal about anaphylaxis.
Several different swarms have been caught by those in attendance. The honey flow is sporadic. Good in some places and not so good in others.
Next meeting will be June 17, 2025. 6:30 to 7 pm will be social time. 7-8 pm is the official meeting time.
