Did the Benedryl save me, and should I tell my doctor?

I have been stung by bees before, no problem, but this last time I got stung 3 times, twice in the boob and one by my underarm. I went into the house to put ice on it to take out away the sting. No big deal. Then about 5 mins later I started to sweat, my heart started to race. I thought " oh no" , so I went to the bathroom medicine cabinet , by the time I got there my voice was raspy and my throat felt like I had a big glob of mucus or something in it. There was a bottle of benedryl from when my grandchild had chicken pox, so i drank a couple big slugs. The sympts did not worsen and in a few mins got better. Did the benedryl ward off a full blown allergic reaction? Does it normally take a few minutes to feel this way? Should I tell my doctor next time I see him so that I should carry and epi pen?

First of all you MUST TELL YOUR DOCTOR,bee allergies can be life-threatening it does sound like you had a reaction.The Benadryl probably took the edge off,but you may need a stronger more effective dose next time and/or EPI-PEN.It sounds like you were on the verge of anaphalactic shock,its not something you want to mess with,report it to your doctor.

Absolutely! The Benadryl did its job! You and everyone else should keep it around just for emergency purposes. I do.
The reaction that you had can be fatal; by all means consult your doctor for an Epi-pen. This is something that you DO NOT want to play around with. Generic Benadryl capsules are fine, and they are cheap. For a reaction, you can take up to 75mg. Get some TODAY! Plus, make that phone call to the doctor. You never know when this could happen again.

Paramedic in SC