>> As always, any used of epi should be followed up in a trauma facility.
>
>What does the trauma facility do to follow up?  What should a person
>do if they have to adminster epi somewhere far from emergency help,
>i.e. on a camping trip deep in the woods, etc.?

Depends on the trigger, the severity of the reaction, etc.

In general, an antihistamine is given. In addition, a steroid pill and/or
shot may be given. Anything to get the reaction under control before the
effects of the reaction return.

If the trigger was an ingested item, then there is a greater likelihood of
return of symptoms. If it was a passing trigger (e.g., topical, washed
off), there might be less of a concern. But either way, there needs to be
something in the patient for a longer duration than 20 minutes that holds
off symptoms. That's one of the reasons for the 24 hours of benadryl.

If you know you're going to be far, you may want to ask for an extra epipen
and possibly for prednisone and specific instructions. Again, better safe
and prepared...

> I know some people who
>live more than 20 minutes from a hospital carry more than one epipen.

Two pens is a good idea in general, in case one fails for some reason. And
if the reaction returns and there's no help nearby. It can take a while for
the secondary treatment to take effect.

>How do you know when/if you need another shot?

If you've taken the benadryl and/or the pred and the symptoms come back
*strongly* after 20-40 minutes, you might need another.



>When I had my one and only epi shot, they hospital just had me follow
>up with benadryl fro the next 24 hours.  I assume they were also watching
>for signs that I might need more epi before releasing me.
>

They likely kept you there for 2-4 hours for observation.

____________________________________________________________
Mark Feblowitz                  GTE Laboratories Incorporated
[log in to unmask]              40 Sylvan Road, Waltham, MA 02154-1120