Sometimes it can be tough being a multiple because medical issues can be affected by the presence of different personalities. It's probably easier when the "parts" have definite borders keeping everything in neat little packages where it belongs but once those boundaries get blurred it's difficult to know what to think......or do. Or at least that is the case with me.
The thing that bothers me the most is an allergy to bee stings. Over the years I have had some very extreme reactions to stings. After my therapy I've actually had times with no reaction at all and I thought maybe I was going to no longer react to bee stings. My most recent experience with stings this summer, I had what would probably be called a moderate reaction followed by another sting and a bigger reaction.
All of these different scenarios leave me wondering what I should be doing. I been told that it's possible that I could go into anaphylactic shock with no warning. Because of that it is recommended that I carry an EpiPen with me at all time. However, I find myself worrying about what could happen to me if I use the EpiPen and I don't need it because "someone else" has enough control that my body isn't going to be affected by a bee sting at all.
It's hard to know what to do..........I doubt that getting tested will help me at all. In the past I was tested for allergies and had no visible signs of a reaction to the patch tests on my skin but I nearly went into anaphylactic shock. So it's clear that my having multiple personality disorder affected the test as it does other things in my medical history.
At that time they tried to desensitize me with allergy shots but I was never able to even get to a maintenance dose. That means there is no chance that is going to work for me. So instead I sit here wondering if I really should use that EpiPen or not.
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4 comments:
well as we said today take a 50/50 you dont take it see what happens you do and see what happens, you know id prefer to take it rather than not but hey thats me LOL i said id say it, and my blogs up tomorrow yours better be also ;)
ok mine is up now
Have you asked a doctor what happens if you use an EpiPen and don't need it? Is that dangerous? Or is it like taking tylenol when you don't really need it - no big deal?
We also have had severe (anaphylacitc) reactions to bee stings...and no reaction to bee stings. Once, in Hawaii we stepped on a bee on the beach about 1/2 a mile from the nearest phone, and further from our epipen...no reaction. That time there were three possibilities to explain what happened. 1. What you are talking about. We have something similar happen with our asthma. Some are effected and some are not. 2. We had a severe respiratory infection prior to going on our trip and had been on prednisone. The steroid can prevent or lessen bee sting reactions. And 3....and this one is very important... different bees have different venoms. A person can be allergic to one and not allergic to another. A person who is stung and is sensative but not allergic can have a minor reaction and then when exposed again...a stronger reaction... which can lead to an allergy. The more often exposed, the more severe the reaction in this case.
My advice (which is probably too late) is if you begin having any trouble breathing at all...this is an indication of a severe allergy and an indication that the epipen is needed. If no trouble breathing...then no epipen needed.
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