A HOLIDAY-MAKER has spoken out after finding herself ‘10 minutes from death’ when she suffered an allergic reaction on an aeroplane.
Mum-of-two Andrea Scholes is warning others to be prepared and act as quickly as possible if they see someone suffer an anaphylactic shock.
The 46-year-old from Halliwell experienced the severe allergic reaction, believed to be caused by bronchitis medication, on a Thomas Cook Airlines flight from Cuba on June 12.
She said: “The crew thought I was suffering from an asthma attack and they put a call out for a doctor.
“He told me it was the worst case of anaphylactic shock he’d ever seen. He said 10 more minutes and I wouldn’t have made it.
“I carry an Epipen but the last time I used one was 22 year ago.”
An Epipen is an emergency treatment for life-threatening allergic injections.
Miss Scholes added: “I want to make sure people don’t go through the same thing. People should know you carry a pen and how to use it.
“On a long-haul flight there should be a trained medic. I’m shocked there isn’t in this day and age.”
A doctor and nurse, who were passengers on the flight, helped Miss Scholes, whose neck was so badly swollen she had to be treated with two Epipens - her own and one of the airline's.
After landing in Manchester on June 13, she was taken to Royal Bolton Hospital.
A spokesman for Thomas Cook Airlines said the first action of the crew in a health emergency is to ask for a qualified medical person on board to lead the treatment.
If no qualified medic is aboard, the crew are trained to respond, including applying Epipens.
They added: “We’re really pleased that our customer recovered and would like to thank those medical professionals on board for their actions.
“By following their training in how to respond to anaphylactic emergencies, our cabin crew played a crucial role in achieving this positive outcome.”
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