Destroyed by a wasp
Sting leaves dad paralysed
David Batten ... brain damaged following wasp sting
A DAD has been left paralysed with his life destroyed after being stung by a wasp.
Plumber David Batten, 48, went into anaphylactic shock, which starved his brain of oxygen and damaged it.
Now he is lying in a hospital bed unable to walk, talk or recognise his anguished wife Jackie.
Doctors have given the father of three little chance of a full recovery.
Tearful Jackie, who spends eight hours at his bedside every day, said: "He nearly died and our whole world has been turned upside down. It has ruined his life.
"I can't believe my husband, such a strong, active bloke, is now unable to move or talk.
"It is never going to be the same again. I know he won't walk back through the front door. I don't even know whether he will come back to the family home.
"He opens his eyes from time to time — but there is nobody there."
David, who has his own plumbing business, collapsed and had a fit after a wasp stung him on the head while working in a loft in Guildford, Surrey.
It came a month after he suffered a wasp sting for the first time in his life as he played golf.
Danger ... David Batten had a fit after a wasp stung him on the head
Medics believe the first sting — on his finger — created allergic antibodies in his blood, making him more vulnerable to the second.
David, previously an active golfer and footballer, has been in Guildford's Royal Surrey County Hospital for seven weeks.
Jackie, 48, said: "The doctors think he can hear but they do not know what he can understand. Sometimes his eyes follow me around the room but whether he is doing that on purpose or not we don't know.
Devoted ... Jackie and David Batten
"I would like to think he can see it is me — his wife — coming to see him every day. But I just don't know. It is really difficult."
David and Jackie — whose children are Tom, 22, Ashley, 18, and Millie, 12 — celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in Florida in August.
Jackie said she wanted to tell of her husband's plight to raise awareness of the possible dangers of wasp stings. She added:
If we can stop just one family from suffering as we have it will be worth it. If we had been more aware, we would perhaps have gone to the doctor's after the first sting and had him checked.He stopped playing his round of golf but was soon OK. And because he felt fine the day after, he never thought he should go.
The second time, he was with Ashley and told him he had been stung on the head. He felt a bit strange and asked Ashley for a glass of water.
By the time Ashley returned David was having a fit on the floor.
Ashley put him in the recovery position and called an ambulance. David was taken to intensive care. They put him on a ventilator and told me he was suffering from lack of oxygen to the brain.
At first they weren't sure it was because of the wasp sting. They couldn't believe that had triggered it. But the immunologist did some tests that confirmed David had an extreme reaction.
Jackie added: "The doctors have told us the worst case scenario is that it is unlikely he will walk or talk again. But we have hope. We have to believe his condition will improve and he will be able to communicate with us again one day."
Popular David has been visited by countless friends and customers — among them elderly people for whom he has done plumbing jobs free of charge.
A spokeswoman for the hospital's neurology department said it is "extremely rare" for the victim of a common wasp sting to be paralysed.
But she added: "If you are stung by an insect there is the potential for you to make specific allergic antibodies. When you have that antibody it means you are sensitised. Unfortunately, if you are stung again by the insect to which you have got the allergic antibody, you can then potentially have a severe allergic reaction."
"In the anaphylactic reaction your blood pressure goes down, which means there is less oxygen getting to the brain, which can cause brain damage."
Jane Murray-Obodynski, wife of former Charlton Athletic FC chairman Richard Murray, died in 2003 after spending three years in a coma caused by a wasp sting.
Peril of nasty shock
By EMMA LITTLE, Health Editor
UP to three per cent of adults are allergic to wasp or bee stings.
The most extreme reaction, anaphylactic shock, occurs because the body's immune system reacts inappropriately in response to the presence of a substance it wrongly perceives as a threat.
Insect stings are among a host of causes that include penicillin, injections or contact with natural rubber. Foods like peanuts, almonds, walnuts, fish, dairy products and eggs can also be a trigger. People who suffer a bad allergic reaction are likely to have a severe one on any future occasion.
Pre-loaded adrenaline injection kits, which aid fast recovery, are available on prescription for those believed to be at risk.
For more information go to www.anaphylaxis.org.uk. A helpline is available on 01252 542029.
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