Well known Sonoma racer died from swallowing bee/bug

[merckxman]

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...l-heiman-dies/

This hit home as if I get multiple yellow jacket stings I swell up, one sting doesn't cause a problem I carry Benadryl tablets just in case.

[StressStrain]

Once while racing a bee flew right into my anaerobic gasping mouth. It stung me on the inside of my lip. It was surprising and a bit painful but I finished the race. I guess I am luckier than some.

[crankles]

Originally Posted by merckxman

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...l-heiman-dies/

This hit home as if I get multiple yellow jacket stings I swell up, one sting doesn't cause a problem I carry Benadryl tablets just in case.

Meant to post earlier. This has hit our community hard. I was at the race, but left before Phils event. We raced together many times, shared post race beers, ran around in the mud. Such a sad series of events.
The SacCX and Rockville series will be far less bright.

[kiwisimon]

heard about this on the paceline poddy. He sounds like a great guy, condolences to his loved ones.

[jadmt]

Originally Posted by merckxman

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...l-heiman-dies/

This hit home as if I get multiple yellow jacket stings I swell up, one sting doesn't cause a problem I carry Benadryl tablets just in case.

My Dr buddy told me to carry benadryl gel caps and if you start having a reaction to bite the cap and let it release the liquid under your tongue as it gets into your system quicker. A person can go years without having an allergic reaction to a bee/wasp sting and then out of the blue the next one can cause a reaction.

[coffeecherrypie]

Sounds like a fail by the medic tent, they “told him to go to the ER”, he walks off toward his vehicle and dies.

[benb]

I'm not allergic and usually have no reaction but I got stung in the inner lip riding a few years ago.. hit a hornet or something nasty right on my lips and it nailed me.

That one really sucked. Blew up like a boxer hit me right in the teeth. I'm always paranoid because my mother goes into anaphylactic shock if she gets stung but I've been stung a ton without a reaction so I'm seemingly lucky.

I would agree with some of the comments on that article that this is pretty screwed up the medical tent didn't immediately call 911 if they weren't prepare to give him an Epi-Pen right on the spot and should have never let him leave. This is pretty well known first aid stuff.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by coffeecherrypie

Sounds like a fail by the medic tent, they “told him to go to the ER”, he walks off toward his vehicle and dies.

that's a whole lotta supposition.. from the article, we have no idea what level of medic was onsite, what the medic was told, what exactly the patient was told, what the presentation was, etc.. if the presentation was minor, with no history of reactions, and was just a basic EMT.. you just don't know the situation..

sad case regardless.. I didn't know the gentleman, but he was certainly well-regarded around here..

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by benb

I would agree with some of the comments on that article that this is pretty screwed up the medical tent didn't immediately call 911 if they weren't prepare to give him an Epi-Pen right on the spot and should have never let him leave. This is pretty well known first aid stuff.

unless things have changed, an EMT can only help a patient administer their own prescribed epi-pen, they can't administer one on their own.. as I said above, what level of "medic" was onsite.. were they a level 2/intermediate or Paramedic? (probably not) not sure what the liability insurance requires, but might have just required a first aid/CPR trained person..

honestly, if someone walked up to me right now and said they got stung, I'd ask if they had any trouble breathing.. if they they said no and they didn't present as having issues breathing, no history of reactions and otherwise looked fine, I might have them hang around for 10 or 15 minutes, but I certainly couldn't make them.. I'm not trying to defend the medic here, I just know, having ridden a rig in the field, the couple lines in the local paper doesn't paint the whole picture as it pertains to the subjective, objective, assessment and reaction (men are often stubborn, just saying) of the patient.. and ALL of those things matter..