--- In insectstings@yahoogroups.com, "David Glaser" <david@...>
wrote:
>Happy new year to all-I still have a ways to catch up to you. I'm
at maintenance shot #15, my allergist will re-test me after 3 years,
if I'm still positive, the shots will be spaced out to 8 weeks for
for another 2 years. If I'm negative I have the option to stop, in
fact I was re-tested a few months ago and my tests were positive to
all hornets, yellowjackets, wasps and honeybee before i started the
shots!! On re-testing I still showed weakly positive to honeybee &
whitefaced hornets. Those were the strongest positive before I
started the shots!!Yellow jacket, yellow hornet & wasps were all
negative. That was about 6 months ago. I was only on maintenance
for less than a year at that time!! although they were weakly
positive to start the doctor felt they were only positive due to
cross reactivity to hornet and honeybee venom!! Anyways, it was
still nice to see them go to negative!! Hopefully the next test will
prove the other 2 venoms negative!!
Rich


> Happy New Year to you too Robyn - and welcome to the "After Three
Years" club! A very select and small bunch of folk indeed!!
>
> Unfortunately the medical advice now is that anyone that has had
severe reactions to the venom during the build up program requires a
more extensive protocol than the standard three years. Five years
seem favoured by most allergists.
>
> Adverse reactions to the treatment as we all know are really quite
rare so for those new folk on the forum please do not worry as the
great majority go through immunotherapy with no problems at all.
>
> There are also some allergists who suggest that if there has been
particularly severe responses during the build up programme (eg loss
of consciousness/heart failure) then the maintenance should be for
life! That is really quite a thought!!
>
> In any event I am on my 47th maintenance shot (I have mine four
weekly) and hoping that come shot 65 in June of 2008 I will be off
the hook. I am still not quite sure what my allergist has in mind.
>
> How is everyone else doing with their shots at the moment?
>
> David
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: maxboots1
> To: insectstings@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 4:39 PM
> Subject: [insectstings] Maintenace shot #36..........:)
>
>
> Hey Ya'll
>
> Happy New Year!
>
> and what a way to start it off! I recieved my #36 set of
maintenace
> shots tuesday, ( I get to go twice this month )
>
> So I'm all happy and full of hope.......but alas. My doctor said
I
> would be getting the whole five years worth of maintenace.
> Oh well...... I didn't really think, with the still painful and
> reactive injections, that I would be able to stop at the three
year
> mark anyway.
>
> With 'just a couple' of 'really' cold days here and there, we
are
> having a warm and wet winter. On the warm and sunny days, the
honey
> bees and paper wasps are flying around in their lazy daisy way,
even
> a few bumble bees....the fire ants bring up their queens, to
enjoy
> the sunshine and their mounds are very visible...some are quite
huge!
>
> Alot of my springtime songbirds have arrived.... Robin's
greeting me
> with their 'cheer'ing song and tons of gold finches fussing over
> the sunflower seeds, within another month the purple martins
will be
> here!
>
> Hope Ya'll have great Joy this Year, 2007
> and no unfriendly buzzing woes
> :)
> Robin,
> down in Louisiana,
> where the fire ant mounds grow.
>