2 West Virginians died of bee stings in same week in Raleigh County
An otherwise healthy 63-year-old veteran with no known bee allergies died after suffering a single bee sting in southern West Virginia last month, leaving loved ones wondering how it happened.
Diane Tyson, a 63-year-old Air Force veteran from Raleigh County, was one of two people who died after being stung in the county last month. Curtis “Ted” Bolen, who was reportedly allergic to bees, died the same week even after being treated with multiple EpiPens.
As an avid lover of the outdoors, Tyson had been stung countless times by bees, wasps and yellow jackets throughout her life, all without anything other than a minor reaction, according to her friend and licensed Emergency Medical Technician Paula Johnson.
But on July 7, a single bee sting on her right thumb ultimately lead to her death, a situation that Johnson said feels unreal.
“It just doesn’t make sense to me that someone, at the age of 63, who was so healthy, you know, would have this type of response without having some sort of middle ground where she was progressing in her allergic reaction.” said Johnson.
Johnson said that Tyson stopped breathing within half an hour and passed away three days later on July 10 at Raleigh General Hospital.
Bolen had a similar reaction when he was stung on July 3. Even though he was only known to have mild reactions to stings and was treated with multiple EpiPens, he died of multi-system organ failure two days later on July 5.
So what caused them to have such severe reactions?
Dr. Justin Douglas, an ear, nose, and throat specialist with Beckley Appalachian Regional Healthcare, said the progression could have been immediate.
“Anytime that someone develops a severe reaction there’s a couple of rules that apply. So, the number one is they have to have been stung at least one time in the past by a stinging insect,” said Dr. Douglas. “And it’s usually the second sting that they use to determine whether or not they’re gonna have a severe reaction. If at first, when they were stung the first time, they just had a localization reaction, the second time, usually, is where it becomes a severe reaction,” Douglas said.
He said there are some signs to look out for in order to gauge the type of reaction you might have.
“The truth of the matter is that we can develop an allergy to anything, at any time. But the things that I ask people to look for…if you’re stung on the leg and then, all of a sudden, your throat starts feeling like it’s starting to be tight, itchy, swollen, you’re having a little bit of trouble breathing, then you ought to think this is a systemic reaction,” said Dr. Douglas.
Systemic reactions are reactions that have widespread symptoms, like trouble breathing, swelling or fever. Localized reactions are the least severe and include redness or minor swelling around the area stung.
Dr. Douglas recommends keeping a watchful eye on your body’s responses, and if you have a known allergy to anything, to always have your EpiPen close at hand.
