Anaphylactic shock

Obviously there will be far better translatORS amongst us, but looking at the Google translation gives the following: Sono affetti da shock anafilattico dopo essere stato punto da una vespa, ho preso la mia dose di adrenalina da un EpiPen ma hanno bisogno di un ospedale per ulteriori trattamenti. It looks close to what I would expect with my limited italiano lingua ! Not sure what the "EpiPen" is though ? S

Bravo Sprostoni! One further clarification, EpiPen can be translated as "Autoiniettore di epinefrina"; however, the trade name EpiPen is known in Italy.

Just a couple of small corrections: Sono affetto da shock anafilattico dopo essere stato punto da una vespa, ho preso la mia dose di adrenalina da un EpiPen ma ho bisogno di un ospedale per ulteriori trattamenti.

In case you get stung by one of those oversize wasps you'll need to substitute vespa with calabrone. English people refer to them as hornets and as a rule everyone checks in to hospital when stung. We nearly had someone killed by one a while ago but luckily a neighbour restored life with an epi-pen.

Does this mean that if you don't have an EpiPen and get stung by one of these supersized wasps you are at risk of death? Or only those with 'wasp allergy'? Worried now...

Perhaps Italians do all check into a hospital when stung by a hornet. If so, I guess that's just another example of what fragile flowers they are (their susceptibility to deadly diseases as the result of draughts being another). One of us was stung by a hornet a couple of years ago. It was painful and the lump didn't fade for a couple of months, but neither Epipen, ambulance to casualty or coffin was required. Hornets are disconcerting to Brits because they're so big and noisy, but our experience is that they keep themselves to themselves and all you need to do is learn to keep calm when you see one. At this time of year, you do need to be aware that they like over-ripe fruit. If you should, for example, grab a fig that has a hornet happily munching away on the other side, you're likely to get stung as the insect reacts to being squeezed. You also need to be aware that they do fly at night seeking insect prey, so an open, unscreened window with a light on inside is a bad idea. However, keeping screens in place on open windows should be a no-brainer for anyone who has ever seen how squadrons of flies and mosquitos zoom inside a house the moment they spot an open window. Here's a couple of websites with info on hornets: http://www.insectstings.co.uk/hornets.shtml http://www.hornissenschutz.de/hornets.htm Personally, I am much more concerned about horseflies and mosquitos. Hornets don't really want to have anything to do with people and, in fact, given that they're insectivores, you can see them as good neighbours. Biting flies are fast, aggressive and difficult to swat as they go for any unprotected flesh and mosquitoes - including the day-time flying Tiger Mosquito - are numerous and very sneaky. Al

I was stung by a wasp last year when I was in Italy.... to be precise, we were visiting Montefegatessi, and I only went to the chemist to get some cream which will help with the pain and swelling, which lasted a couple of months. But just as Allan and Sprostoni said, it all depends on the individual and some suffer severe allergic reactions which need professional advice and care. In those cases, go to the hospital or the nearest Red Cross post, they will know what to do.

If ever you happen to be in my part of Umbria you will find a remarkable lack of “insetti molesti”, as my chase-away-candle calls them. This is not because we are in an insect-free zone but because I spend a lot of my time spreading all kinds of fly killer/wasp killer/mosquito killer products around the house and covered terrace. Indeed, if you see a grey-haired madwoman chasing flies with a fly swat in one hand; shooting down wasp nests with a vicious looking spray with the other; and setting anti-mosquito spirals aflame with her third hand, then you have found me! I can also be found in the insect-repellent part of any good supermarket looking for any new, improved insect assassination products… So, my house is insect-free but probably the most dangerous place in the world for toxic fumes – anybody visiting me will not need an Epipen but washing down in one of those anti-radiation showers you see in disaster films, followed by a more or less long stay in an oxygen tent.

Well done for finding out in advance what to do for your anaphylactic shock. Too many people leave things too late. In general hydrocortisone cream 1% massaged in gently twice within an hour of being stung by wasps or bees is just fine for most of us. As for mozzies you can't beat nets on all windows, a decent pull down type is a bit of a fiddle to fit but really works well and if you have grill-type shutters you can fit nets on the insides of these as well if necessary. In short, in Italy never put your hand anywhere you can't check out visually first.