On the 30th july 1996 (my birthday) one of these stung me.... I had been stung a lot as a child but nothing would prepare me for what was to follow.... it started in my feet, severe itching, prickley pain, like being pricked with a needle all over them....this rapidly turned to burning and started spreading to my legs, I could feel my eyes starting to close, watering voilently, my whole body was now burning up, itching and stinging...intense panic hit me...every sweat gland on my body was enflamed and expanded to the size of garden pea's,trying to push out the venom, adrenaling pumping it around my body. it looked like something out of a horror film, my tongue started to feel really strange, numb yet prickley, this was all going on in around 3 minutes.... My sister was with me, she was hysterical, going "what's happening to you"!!! i told her to phone an ambulance, by now my vision was blurring in and out of focus, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to breath, luckily my neighbours were home and they rushed me to hospital, I lost consciousness on the way there, and my heart stopped while I was dragged into the hospital.(what i saw and where i went in between my heart stopping and being revived is another story!) after around two hours, I came round, noticing steroid drips, adrenalin injections, numerous heart, pulse monitors and antihistamine drips attached to me. the doctor came and told me i had the severest form of anaphylaxis shock, and they almost didnt bring me back...the doctor wanted to keep me in observation for two days but as it was my birthday (i had plans to meet friends) i discharged myself and went to the pub, feeling very lightheaded, i met my freinds and told them what happend, they didnt believe me till i showed them the discharge sheet... Depending on which way you look at it.. that might have been the best birthday present ive ever had, or the worst............