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[hlamb]

Does anyone have experience with scorpion bites?

Last week I was bitten by something during the night. I never did see what it was, but it got me twice on one leg while I was getting into bed. I had white welts surrounded by red puffy areas around both bites. My leg quickly went numb and then my mouth started going numb too. That really scared me so I woke a friend and went to the hospital. They gave me an IV shot of something that is supposed to slow the spread of venom and sent me home with an antihistamine to take for five days. The next day my entire body was numb and that took several days to pass.

I feel better now, though there's still a bit of numbness around the bites. But I'm a bit paranoid now, checking often to make sure there is nothing in my room.

Are bites like these common? Are there any specific precuations I should be taking?

Thanks.

[ls650]

Wow - scary. In this area the scorpion bites tend to be relatively mild - say about as bad as a wasp sting. Of course, everyone reacts differently to insect stings, so even a wasp sting that might just hurt me could kill another person.

[saraswati]

Everyone reacts differently to bites and it sounds as if you are VERY allergic! The last time I was stung by a scorpion, my tongue and lips went a bit numb and I could feel my heart rate slowing down a bit, but that was it. The homeopathic remedy Lachesis Mutus is recommended for scorpion bites and I put tea tree oil directly on the bite to stop the swelling/itching/pain. You probably won't be able to find those in Mexico but you could keep a bottle of Benadryl in the fridge. That's what a doctor told me to have on hand...

In any case, going to the hospital was the best thing for you to do...considering how badly you reacted to the bite.[/i]

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I don't know what kinds of scorpions are found in Cuernavaca. Where I live, there are two kinds: little brown ones and big black ones. The place isn't crawling with them or anything like that, but it's not uncommon to see them either. Maybe 3 or 4 times a year at most, I encounter one inside my house. For most people the normal result from being stung by the types of scorpions found in this part of the country is similar to a bee or wasp sting plus a numbing/swelling sensation of the tongue, which usually passes in an hour's time or less.

[lozwich]

The People's Guide to Mexico suggests bombarding scorpion stings with lime juice, but I think each type of scorpion has a different strength of venom, so maybe that doesn't work for all stings. It sounds like you're like me; allergic to bites, so you might want to try putting the lime on next time, just to help while you're on the way to the hospital.

I prefer not to get stung at all, so, I am a complete freak about making sure my bed is made in the morning (keeps out all kinds of nasties - you should have seen me jump the night a huge cockroach was in my bed! ) and also, when I was in Mexico I gave my bed a good looking at with the light on before I got into bed. My ex-housemate once got stung by a scorpion under her pillow, so I started including that in the pre-bed check too. It might sound a bit neurotic, but it means I've never been stung by a scorpion and never had to go through the consequences.

Cheers,
Lozwich.

[MELEE]

As other's have said, it's like bee stings, for some people no worse than a mosquito bite, for other's potential for death. I've worked with 4 teacher's who have gotten scorpion stings, out of more than 60 co-workers over the years that's pretty good. Loz mentioned one of the cases, that happened in an appartment with a history of having a lot of scorpions. Another one was also an under the pillow incident, this in a hotel. She went to the hospital because she happened to be pregnant at the time! She'd shown no symtoms but they insisted on giving her the antidote. She said that was worse than the sting. The other two stepped on them when walking barefoot in their apartments at night. I always recommend that you never walk barefoot at night around here. One of those two's entire leg went numb by the time she got to the hospital (she had several known allergies) the other had mild symtoms and followed a home remedy of raw tomato slice over the bit (acidic like lime). We just have the little brown/opaque buggers in this area BTW.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Guy Courchesne]

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[leslie]

Bye

[danielita]

We have the brown/opaque suckers in this neck of the woods too, but I haven't heard of anyone being stung by them.
Scorpions were a monthly occurrence in my last house-- that was until I plugged a hole in the wall of my house. After that they pretty much disappeared. Although I always wear shoes at home, I don't check my bed or pillows before I go to sleep. I have been fortunate enough to have never been stung by a scorpion--yet. I found the best way to get kill the suckers was to whack it with a sandal until I thought it was good and dead, and then hit it again just for good measure. I have read that scorpion stings are rarely fatal in adults, but it is best to head to the hospital just in case. Sounds like a good plan to me....

I hope your numbness goes away soon hlamb.

Maybe after his post, I will start checking those pillows....

D

[thelmadatter]

Gosh, this makes me glad I live in Toluca. They say scorpions exist here too, but Ive not seen one yet in 3 years. They must huddle together shivering somewhere.

[hlamb]

Thanks for the replies and good wishes, everyone. I am feeling fine now but am checking my bed, including pillows, every night before getting in. I stopped walking around barefoot when I first arrived in Mexico, after seeing my first roach. It just didn't seem like a good idea here.

I live on the edge of a ravine here in Cuernavaca and there are a fair number of scorpions around. I think my housemates and I killed about one a week for the first few months I was here. They definitely need to be hit very hard and I like to scoop them up with something and flush them down the toilet. It makes me feel better.

I don't have any other allergies, but it is possible that maybe I've discovered one. However, one of my students was bitten a few days ago and he had to visit hospital as well, with a fairly severe reaction. Hopefully I never have another one so I won't find out more about it!

[Jetgirly]

^ But what if they're not dead and they swim/climb out of the toilet when you're sitting on it?

It could happen. Really!

I wish I hadn't read this thread. I have an extreme phobia of spiders (and actually most other bugs). When I "encounter" a spider I break into a cold sweat, see black spots, get light headed and sometimes vomit. It's so bad that my doctor suggested I go on long-term anti-depressants (as a side effect is diminished phobias). I hadn't really given much thought to creepy crawlers when applying for my exchange in Mexico!

[danielita]

...a recommendation to check your airplane seats too...