Twice a year we take the honey filled frames from the beehives and extract honey we tend to this at the end of May and end of August. Its normally always a very hot day and to ensure we don’t get stung we tend to wear two sometimes three layers under our protective bee suits.
As soon as we got up we knew it was going to be one of those days. Although forecast for a clear day by the time we had loaded the car with our equipment and we were ready to go there was a torrential downpour.
We got to the site and donned all our layers, over time we have perfected a system that works well for us. We remove the supers from the hive and I carefully brush the bees of each frame and my husband is situated about 10-15 metres away ready to take the frames from me and get them into the car minus bees. We always end up taking some home.
The supers from the first hive had been removed and I was gently brushing the bees from the frames when I got stung on the finger – through a leather pair of gloves with a pair of nitrile gloves over the top. I thought nothing of it, we do on occasion get stung.
After literally a minute or two I start sneezing and coughing, I thought maybe I was reacting to the pollen. Then I started to get a lot of spittle in my mouth, so much so I wanted to spit it out but couldn't as I had my bee hood on. I carried on working on each frame and start to think the hat I’m wearing under my hood to keep my hair in place has fallen over my eye. I persevere with the coughing, sneezing and wanting to spit till I’ve finished clearing the supers. By the time we’ve finished one hive I’m not feeling good I tell my husband I’m not ok and we get in the car. My other eye is starting to close and my heart is beating faster as
I realise it had nothing to do with my hat – my face is starting to swell.
A few minutes later and with a tight chest I ask him to take me to A&E. The penny has dropped I’ve had an anaphylactic reaction.
A few minutes later and with a tight chest I ask him to take me to A&E. The penny has dropped I’ve had an anaphylactic reaction.
Still in our bee gear we pull up outside A&E and I run in, to find I’m in a queue and the lady at the desk is busy chatting up the guy in front, clearly in no rush. By the time I get to the counter I can no longer talk properly or see. Ive left my husband trying to sort the car out as we have no money to pay for parking and he can’t leave the car in an emergency bay. I’m rushed through to resus, given adrelin and put on oxygen, they insert a cannula and give more adrelin.
My breathing steadies and one of my eyes start to open, I notice about 6 or 7 doctors standing around. I later found out these were there for me in case my throat closed up. My husband has managed to get some money and park the car, on his return he's shown into a private waiting room and told a doctor would come to see him, he was thinking something had gone wrong.
By the time I get to see him one of my eyes is opening, they tell us they are keeping me on the ward for about 6 hours to monitor me before they release me with an epipen and medication to aid the swelling.
We were told a few more minutes and the end result could of been quite different.
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