A RETIRED headteacher has thanked the NHS after dicing with death when she drank a glass of wine with a nasty surprise.

Jeni Boothman, who spent 20 years at the helm of Pennington CofE School, said she owes her life to healthcare workers and her first-aid-trained friend after drinking a glass of wine in her rural village.

The 73-year-old was enjoying a 'beautiful evening' in Bowland Bridge with friends when she felt a searing pain in her mouth and her tongue begun to swell.

A swig of red wine had contained a wasp, which stung the inside of her mouth and sent her into anaphylactic shock.

Ms Boothman, who has never before reacted in this way to a sting, initially underestimated the severity of what was happening to her.

But her first-aid-trained host knew how serious the situation could be, calling emergency services who immediately dispatched an ambulance.

The ambulance from Furness General arrived just 25 minutes later, by which point the former public servant was trembling and vomiting, struggling to breathe as her airways swelled up.

Paramedics injected her with three shots of adrenaline, before rushing her to FGH where she was put on a potassium drip and given steroids.

Over the ensuing two days, she was bowled over by the professionalism and courtesy of NHS staff.

She said: "Barrow gets a lot of stick and all hospitals in the country are currently going through a period of bad press.

"But Barrow was amazing. Paramedics arrived in 25 minutes, took me straight in, and the doctor and staff who saw to me all night were just so attentive."

Ms Boothman said she has always reacted strongly to animal bites and stings but these had always resulted in rashes or light swelling.

But her blasé attitude has now reversed as she has become 'neurotic' over the prospect of something similar happening again.

She said: "The paramedic told me that my husband did not seem very bothered. He was mortified by that but the truth is that I did not realise how dangerous this all was either.

"I would have called it a night and tried to go home with an ice pack on my tongue.

"At the hospital, I couldn’t have wished for anyone more caring. The doctor who looked after me was just lovely and the first responder followed the ambulance with my husband."

And now, she is looking into preventative measures for the future.

"You can buy topped glasses online, and I am visiting the doctor for an EpiPen later this week," she explained.

"I am pretty fit for my age but if that happens, it does not matter what age you are."