Stay Calm-- You Won't Die!!
- After two years in AZ, I finally got paranoid about scorpions last week and read up on them, even this forum. Sure enough, I then got stung! It was in my bed (!!!) and got me on the back of my knee. I stayed pretty calm, immediately washed it, iced it and kept my leg elevated. I have to say, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The initial sting was less painful than a bee sting. The noticeable difference is that this was a prolonged discomfort. It felt like I was getting poked by needles for a couple hours. Not really painful, just unpleasant. Despite being allergic to bees, I didn't have any other reactions other than a minute or two of tingling in my hands/feet. I was able to fall asleep again within a couple hours and felt more oddness in the morning but by afternoon it had all passed. Don't know if the location of the sting was lucky or if I have a high tolerance to pain or if others are drama queens but it wasn't the horror I anticipated.
- —Stingirl
Big Surprise
- A couple weeks ago I was stung by on my finger while I was sleeping. I felt severe pain right away. Luckily it bit me and not my 5 and 3 year olds who were sleeing on both sides of me. This happened at 2 am and it hurt so bad I couldnt sleep. I started having panic attacks from the numbness which pretty much ran from my face to my feet. I had pain for approx. 3 days and the numbess well it isnt all the way gone yet. It is very annoying and I am starting to think that it might be permanent since its been about month since it happened.
- —Guest Cody
mark
- have never had scorpions,planted a palm tree yesterday and found one in the root system.we did kill the scorpion,we have not found anymore,but should we spray just in case thre were more in the plant?
- —cpcslim
Bad reaction
- I got stung on the back of my leg while getting out of a car. It felt like someone stabbed me in the calf with a knife. The pain went away shortly and was followed by numbness. A few hours later I was feeling intoxicated and my eyeballs were twitching uncontrollably in my head. My mouth, nose, and throat went numb. I tried to wait it out until the following morning. I didn't sleep at all throughout the night. The best way to describe the feeling was being uncomfortable in my own skin. I ended up having to go to the hospital in the morning and spent almost the whole day in the hospital. I went too late to receive anti-venom so they gave me valium to ease my symptoms until the venom wore off. The pain wasn't the issue for me, it was the neurotoxin.
- —Guest Chris
Not That Bad
- Visiting from out of town, and got bit on the hand in the middle of the night. The scorpion was tiny and pale, and so I assumed the worst. I washed with soap and water, iced it, called poison control for instructions, kept my hand elevated and went back to sleep after an hour. By late morning I felt allright, just a bit sore with a headache and sore eyes. My hand is a bit numb still, but not in pain. Trippy experience, but I've had worse poisoning by alcohol. I must have been lucky that the scorpion did not get me good or that I am not that allergic to their venom.
- —Guest Pineflakes
Got me when in bed
- It was 2:30 am when I felt the sting. Not bad but shot up knowing I had to get whatever it was off of me. I felt it as I swooped across my chest to knock it off. It got me again on the side of my right hand. My husband also shot out of bed and found the little bark scorpion on the floor. I called poison control and they calmed me down. My right hand throbbed went numb. My left pointer finger also went numb. I'm on day two. I feel better today and I can use my right hand but the finger still doesn't have any feeling. Exterminator coming back out tomorrow. I think the scorpion might have been in the blanket that had been on the floor. No more leaving anything on the floor. Not a fun experience AT ALL.
- —Guest Donnac
got stung on my wrist
- It stung me on my wrist in the middle of the Night I feel fine but my tounge and lips feel numb ..is this normal??! It's been around five hours since the sting
- —Guest mariana
holy hell that one hurt
- went to put a shoe on felt a small and not overly painful but sharper more large areas up my legs and feet went numb and a little prickly to the touch. went to sleep after a couple jack and cokes (helped) then woke up and bottoms of feet were numb not much swelling but went to take a shower and warmed up the water (bad, bad, idea) while my foot was in hot water pain level went from about 2 1/2 to about a 7 1/2 foot almost instantly swole up and i cant stop gasping when i touch it on the floor or taking my foot off the floor.... this SH*T sucks... feels like hot heatwaves and pins and needles.... sucks
- —Guest thomas
Hypochondria much?
- Wow.. Lot of scared people out there... I live in cave creek, AZ... Have many friends that have been stung and had my first encounter about an hour ago by a bark.. Exaggerate much? Electric socket? Well I have not had the pleasure of trying that but I have to say that sounds like a bit much.. It felt like I stepped on a thumb tack, if that... Just more startling then anything. No numbness pain or anything, no call to poison control.. I am 31 yrs old, 6'4" 210 lbs so maybe that helps.. People just need to relax, some cultures use scorpion venom as medicine! I'll repost if it gets worse.. Until then maybe a chill pill would be my recommended treatment!?
- —Guest Jack
Daughter with Autism stung
- I heard my 24 year old daughter with autism scream in the middle of the night from across the house. Due to the autism she couldn't communicate to me what had happened. I saw the Bark Scorpion while straightening her sheets for her. I asked my daughter if she hurt anywhere and she pulled up her shirt. She had been stung three times under the left breast and once in the belly button. At one point she giggled so I thought we were OK - but then it started. She complained about her throat saying a bug was in her throat and stinging it. An obvious reaction to the venom. When she started vomiting I called poison control. My daughter's reactions to pain can be very different than expected. In fact the throat pain and nausea were worse than the stings. I applied ice packs to the stings and had her take Ibuprofen when she was able and watched her for 4 hrs for seizure activity. After 12 hrs she could eat, after 24 the numbness in hands and feet were better. She is bruised a the site
- —Guest Karri
Stepped on a Scorpion
- I was walking from my bedroom to the living room, and I didn't even see the baby bark scorpion that was in the hallway. Stepped right on the little motherf--ker. Hurt like hell! It stung for about 20-25 min, then the pain started to go away. About 30 min later it started stinging again, and my arms, legs and lips feel numb. This is my third encounter with a scorpion within 3 months, but the first time I've been stung (and would very much like it to be the last!). I'll be calling pest control tomorrow to have them spray for a third time. Maybe I should get a cat..
- —Guest Katie
Numb
- It was a normal day, I got up and went to my bedroom, but whhat suprised me was when I Suddenly felt a jolt go through my right leg and I looked down to see a baby scorpion staring at me. Now im eleven so naturally i start to scream "bloody murder" through the house. I was on the couchh for 2 days withhh a full numb leg Lesson: Never step on baby scorpions with a bare foot. they fight back.
- —Guest Michael Sauer
bark scorpion sting
- I was stung inside of my fore arm. Luckily I didnt know I was stung or by what right away. I would have had a panic attack thinking I was going to die. Anyway I had red tiny bumps around the sting area. I even had a circle appear in the middle of it all by the end of the day. My throat felt funny. I took bendryl and called poison control once the throat issue started and severe pain which was about 3 hours after. I was stung by a little guy. I had severe arm pain for 3 days. SEVERE. It was clammy only on that arm and sweated easy. I had tingling but not nice tingling. It was like pins and needles. I noticed someone commenting having numbness too weeks after. I called poison control and they said no. But my throat is numb, my underarm is still getting muscle twitching and my temple twitches a lot and the muscles around my eyes feel funny. Im in good health. It is either a coinsidence or I am still experiencing symptoms.
- —Guest jessica
Ouch!!
- Was making the bed and started to fluff the pillow and HOLY [expletive deleted by About.com Phoenix Guide]!! I grabbed a scorpion. I guess I stunned it when I grabbed it Picked it up in a tissue and flushed it. The sting was on my thumb and it felt like I had stuck my hand in a electric socket and fire all at thesame time. I called the my Drs.office and was told to take to take benadryl and ice it. Well it was hurting more as the day went on so went to the Dr. they gave me cortisone shot,I don't think it helped because the pain still bad. I dread sleeping in that bed tonight. We thought we were doing every thing we could to keep them out of the house but guess one slipped by.
- —Guest Apple
stung on the toe
- I was surprised at night walking to the fridge in the dark I thought I stepped on a cholla cactus but instinctively knew a second later what it was. Holy crap my toe at the sting site feels hot and if it touches the ground it hurts bad! I have cramps all the way up to my thigh already and it was only an hour ago. This is my 2nd time being zapped by one and I'm not looking forward to tomorrow!
- —Guest taargus taargus
