Insect Stings & Wood Ticks
Insect Stings
Insect stings can make some people go into anaphylactic shock. The person will experience itching, burning, swelling of the lips and tongue, abdominal cramps, and have a difficult time breathing. People who already know that they are allergic to insect stings will carry around an Epi-Pen, which helps to quickly stop the allergic reaction. Get medical help for the person immediately especially if there is no Epi-Pen available.
Wood Ticks
Remove the wood tick by using tweezers to lift the tick’s body off the skin. Make sure to pull off the tick so it’s body is perpendicular to the skin surface; this will help prevent tiny parts of the tick from remaining in the skin. Burning the tick is the best way to ensure it dies.
How to use an Epi-Pen (auto-injector)
Always be very careful when using an Epi-Pen. Some people get into a rush to help and are not thinking clearly due to the natural adrenaline rush that occurs whenever there is an emergency situation. Never place your thumb or finger on either end of an Epi-Pen. If you accidentally have a finger on the wrong end the medication will go into you instead of the person who really needs it. There have been many times when a people have accidentally given themselves the medication and the person who was having the allergic reaction died because he or she did not get the medication needed to bring the body back to a normal state. Also, the person who accidentally injects the medication into his or her thumb will need medical attention because the contents inside the Epi-Pen causes the heart to race.
Scenarios
1. A
guy is sitting near a lake eating watermelon when he gets stung by a bee.
Immediately he starts to have a difficult time breathing because he is allergic
to bees. What should you do?
2. Late at night a guy notices that he has a wood tick sticking to his arm. How should you remove the tick and what is the best way to destroy the tick?
Answers:
1. Use an Epi-Pen if one is available. Remove the cap from the end, do NOT hold your thumb over either end of the Epi-Pen, and inject the medication into the person's thigh muscle. Call 911 if no Epi-Pen is available. While waiting for an ambulance try to keep the person's airway open (this will be extremely difficult to do since the air passages will continue to narrow and eventually close off until the person receives a dosage of the medication inside an Epi-Pen.
2. Use tweezers to grab a hold of the tick's body. Pull straight up. Pulling it out at an angle may cause parts of the tick to remain stuck in the sick that could be hard to remove. Destroy the tick by setting it on fire. If you are unsure how long the tick has been on the person's body, then have the person see a doctor especially if he or she begins to feel sick later on.
2. Late at night a guy notices that he has a wood tick sticking to his arm. How should you remove the tick and what is the best way to destroy the tick?
Answers:
1. Use an Epi-Pen if one is available. Remove the cap from the end, do NOT hold your thumb over either end of the Epi-Pen, and inject the medication into the person's thigh muscle. Call 911 if no Epi-Pen is available. While waiting for an ambulance try to keep the person's airway open (this will be extremely difficult to do since the air passages will continue to narrow and eventually close off until the person receives a dosage of the medication inside an Epi-Pen.
2. Use tweezers to grab a hold of the tick's body. Pull straight up. Pulling it out at an angle may cause parts of the tick to remain stuck in the sick that could be hard to remove. Destroy the tick by setting it on fire. If you are unsure how long the tick has been on the person's body, then have the person see a doctor especially if he or she begins to feel sick later on.