Allergies - an allergic response to a bee sting

Constantly looking out for buzzing bees can take the fun out of a backyard barbeque or a fall hike, but one woman is putting fun back in her life with treatments designed to cure her bee allergy.

"I was just standing outside my house talking to a friend and suddenly I felt this very hot sting on my finger." Bonnie Buchberger had just been stung by a yellow jacket. "Within 20 minutes I was breaking out in hives," says Buchberger.

It wasn't the first time she had been stung, but this time her reaction was much worse. She drove straight to her doctor. "The doctor said that it looked like each of my stings was getting progressively worse. My body must be building up a sensitivity to bee stings and the next one could close my throat," says Buchberger.

That's when she started getting allergy shots with Dr. Laura Dziadzio. The shots contain some of the venom of yellow jackets. "We start with really low concentrations and we give people shots of these and gradually increase the amount people get over the course of a few months," says Dr. Dziadzio.

The shots are designed to build up Bonnie's immune system, so eventually a sting won't give her hives or swelling. "It changes the body's immune response from having an allergic response to basically ignoring the allergen," says Dr. Dziadzio.

Bonnie's been getting injections for over a year. At first it was a weekly shot, now she only gets it every six weeks. "It's painless, virtually. A tiny little poke in the arm, which you hardly notice," says Buchberger.

It may take up to another three years of shots before Bonnie regains normal immunity to yellow jacket stingers, but she's willing to wait.

"I would definitely recommend it. I don't think it's worth risking your life when there's something that can help you," says Buchberger.

Bonnie says her insurance covers the cost of her shots, which she says are around $25 per injection.

Source: RefillPill.com Editors' Choice