I have written before about my escapades of seeing a scorpion and going ballistic by killing them with spray starch. I tried to find the blog about seeing the one in the bathroom at about 10 PM and then trying to figure out what to do about it. I couldn't find the blog...oh well. I use the spray starch to freeze them in place and then whack them with the fly swatter or whatever will kill them.
Well, Thursday night I had another episode. I had just gotten out of the shower and was going to get ready to go out to dinner with friends. I reached into the closet to grab a pair of jeans and this scorpion came out of the jeans pocket and stung me on my index finger.
I cannot even begin to tell you the level of pain. It was like having childbirth in my finger, if that gives you any idea. I mean I screamed and flung the jeans on the bed. Turned around and ran up the stairs butt naked and grabbed the meat tenderizer and rubbed it on the sting. Nothing. It still hurt like hell. I mean it hurt like hell! I danced around, cursed a little and then tried to calm down.
I have used meat tenderizer on bee stings, jelly fish stings, man of war stings and it has always worked. For it NOT to work to neutralize this sting astonished me. Zowee it hurt.
Oops, then it occurred to me that I had no idea where the scorpion was. So I flung the jeans on the floor and used my sandal to smash the pockets of the jeans just in case it went back in the pocket. Then I gingerly turned the jeans inside out - no scorpion. Damn, now what?
Anyone who knows me knows that my bed has a zillion pillows on it along with a coverlet and a quilt. All this decorative stuff. No way, while my finger, hand and now arm was throbbing, was I going to tackle all that stuff. The heck with it. I just determined I wouldn't sleep in that bed that night but rather on the couch upstairs.
Then it was suggested by someone who I talked to, to put toothpaste on it. So I slathered that on it and let it dry. Nada, no help. Ok, enough of that. I got dressed, went out to dinner.
It took two hours for the throbbing to stop. Holy moly. All the time I still had toothpaste slathered on my finger which caused weird looks. Who cares? I was in pain.
What a relief when the pain stopped. Upon returning home I decided to tackle the bed. Removing layer after layer of covers, pillows and what-have-you. No scorpion........Who knows where evil lurks? Geez. I gave up, went to bed and actually slept.
IF anyone ever tells me that a scorpion sting is like a bee sting, I'll know he is lying or has never been stung. Hope it never happens to you. I hate those sneaky little creatures.
13 comments:
I had one sting me on the inner arm. Weeks later it would suddenly start stinging and itching....not like the original sting but still it hurt. Did you have any benedryl to take? If it hurts again, try that. I'm really sorry. I know it hurts.
Oh no, poor Babs!
It is one of those things we all secretly think about, then turn our minds away from...the scorpion that lurks.
If you get any sage information, please share with us.
I found one on the bathmat when I was in Mexico. But hubby removed it for me.
I cannot imagine getting stung by one. You poor thing. the craziest things happen to you.
By the way my sign is scorpion...my husband has told me I have the right sign..hmmm...wonder what he meant?
I've been stung, and scorpion bites do hurt. Unrelenting, unimaginable pain. And the bite left a hard place on my toe which took a very long time to abate. Since then, I've learned that rubbing garlic on the wound is supposed to help.
But while we're talking about agony, let me give you another scare. Do not, under any circumstances, touch the green, wooly gusanos which look like a tomato worms and manage to disguise themselves in innocent foliage. Last year, it happened to me while I was arranging some roses, and I couldn't even find the creature. Amputation with a butcher knife will go through your mind. Fortunately, the physician across the street shot me up with epinephrine and gave me some painkillers.
Steve Cotton blogged about it at http://steveinmexico.blogspot.com/2008/09/float-like-butterfly-sting-like.html.
During one of my travels while working, my company was assigned to go off the beaten path to remote mountain top locations, where we could be exposed to uninvited company, of the crawly kind. There is a kit that large camping supply places have that have a couple of items that you might just keep around for emergencies. One of them was a vial of epinephrine and the other was another anti toxin, along with a few syringes. If you have a battalion of these things around the homestead it may be a possibility. Luckily you have tons of medical facilities around town, I wonder what the natural enemy of those creatures may be? Probably something else you wouldn't want around the house either...Hope the pain and the memory of it disappears as quickly as it came.
"I cannot even begin to tell you the level of pain. It was like having childbirth in my finger, if that gives you any idea" What a line! I have been bit, but I recall during my year in Guadalajara, I was visiting a small pueblo in the mts. During a church service, a scorpion was spotted on the cross. Someone took off his sandal, and whammo! no more scorpion. Sorta looked like a crucified spider. He just was splayed out there for the entire service.
The consensus seems to be cold compresses, tylenol and a pitcher of martinis.
Or on a more medicinal note, a shot! Yikes - to me that is adding bad to worse. I'll stick with the idea above.
Rita - I clicked on your name and read your blog this morning. HOw beautiful. It was a treasure to read.
Jennifer - THANKS for the warning. Another sneaky creature to watch out for. Screw the drug lords, we could all die from stings of the garden variety!
Laurie, glad that line gave you a chuckle.....it did, after the fact, for me too.
And Constantino, well I think I'll pass on the shot idea.....thanks anyway.
Many stings take place during the fall months. Reason being, bees and wasps are cold blooded insects and they linger around people in order to absorb the body heat of humans, therefore increasing the chances of getting stung.
Last week, I witnessed a 4 year old girl with her hand and forearm swollen to her elbow, from a wasp sting that she received to her fingertip the day before. The sight of her hand and arm brought tears to my eyes because I knew that if she had had Baker's Venom Cleanser Bee Sting Cure
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Odd. Almost ten years in Mexico, and I have not seen a single scorpion. Knock on wood. Hope you´re feeling better. Such luck.
Pobricita! That kind of pain would ruin whatever appetite you had for dinner. Hope you got lots of sympathy and free margaritas.
I've only seen two scorpions, one in Arizona, cuddled up in a dress I was about to try on in my favorite thrift store, the other at my front doorstep. No bites yet. But if it happens I think I'll try the benedryl, much more bearable than a shot.
Felipe, I think becaue of the humidity in your area and the cooler temps that you don't have scorpioins. They like very dry, hot areas. We have NOT had the rain we usually have in the summer, not at all, and hence the scorpions are still around.
First Mate - I got NO sympathy or free drinks, darn. Glad you've never been stung! I agree the benadryl sounds better then a shot....
Chihuahua!!!
I am so sorry to hear this, Babs! I hope you find that little bas---- and whoop his sorry butt. (this is Texas talk for those of you who are offended!)
Cuidate, por Dios!
Our friend in Tequisquiapan, a scant hour from SMA, has given us a formal warning that they do indeed exist in fair numbers all over that area from your house to our prospective house in Tequis. He swears that every single night you must put a "door snake" at the base of every entry door to keep the demons from gaining entry into your home. He has no more problems with them. He truly swears by them! He also has screens on every window.
As for me, I will keep them at the base of the doors 24/7 just for extra insurance. (Heck, I may now go into the business of making the darn things in various sizes and of designer fabrics and sell them in SMA.) I am allergic to many kinds of stings and will be sure to secure another fresh Epi-Pen before we come down in February.
Get better and stay alert! Again, so sorry!
ml
Benedryl is a must to keep in the medicine cabinet for times like these. We have the non-deadly black scorpions on the island. The locals don't even use the term scorpion for them. (we have the deadlier red ones too, but are rare)
I rolled over in my hotel room as a tourist one night right onto one of the black ones. The sucker got me 13 times before I could get off it. I felt like somebody had hit me as hard as they could with a sledge hammer. My arm swelled up and got totally numb. A shot of antihistimine and I was fine in a few days. I still have the scars which can be seen even through a tan. Oh. And a tattoo on the spot as a remembrance!
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