I got stung by WHAT?!

This is no way advice on what to do when stung by a scorpion. This is my personal experience. If you are stung by a scorpion, please contact your doctor and poison control.

Day 1: I got stung by WHAT?!

It was a Sunday morning and I started the day feeling optimistic and eager to be productive. So, I decided to begin with the laundry. 8 in the morning and it was just me and my kids while my husband slept in. My youngest likes to help me clean and so she came with me to the laundry room. I had bath mats on the ground that were going in the washer next. I got on my knees to load the bath mats into the front load washer. Little did I know the bark scorpion was either near my leg or my knees were on top of it. I grabbed the bath mats and a double tap of excruciating pain hit my leg, just an inch below my left knee. Immediately I jumped up thinking a spider bit me so I began to hit my leg. I thought the spider was in my pajama pant leg so I kept hitting it! The pain was increasing, so I lifted the pant leg but didn’t see bite marks. It began to feel like I cut my leg with a razor. I looked on the floor thinking something was dropped from the garage that is connected to our laundry room. Nothing was there.

I want to take a moment to note that literally 24 hours before this incident we had our routine pest control out.

After there wasn’t a spider or blood anywhere, I started to think I pulled a small muscle I wasn’t aware of. I know, dumb thought. I got back down on the ground and lifted the bath mats again. There it was! I screamed, pulled my youngest out of the laundry room and yelled for my husband, “There’s a scorpion!!” That is when I realized, and began to panic. My thoughts at that moment? “Oh my gosh. I got stung by a scorpion! Really?!”

My husband took one of the clothes and began to punch the scorpion and it took four times until it finally died. I hobbled to our living room couch. The following is best way I can describe the pain that was happening simultaneously:

• The area was numb like ice was placed there.

• An electric web slowly spreading

• The area would begin to warm up

• As I stated previously, I thought I cut my skin with a razor

Within 20 minutes the two small areas swelled up and became red. I could walk. . .kind of. It was more of a “I’m hunched over, grabbing my leg, doing a hobbling shuffle.” Throughout the day I had waves of pain. There would be periods of time where it there was nothing and then all of a sudden it came back. About 6 hours later, I called my doctor because I had a crazy question, “Can I still breastfeed even though I was stung by a scorpion?” The on-call doctor called me back and the first thing she said, “I’m so sorry. I’ve never been asked this question.” She then suggested I call poison control. When I called poison control they had me answer a series of questions to see if I was exhibiting serious or mild symptoms. Luckily, I was considered mild and I could still breastfeed and did not need to go the ER.

About 8 hours, I began to lose the feeling in my left leg, both feet and all my fingers, not my hands, just my fingers. That night I slept, well tried to sleep, but my nerves kept reminding me in pulsating waves the pain of that double tap I received 12 hours prior. There were times where the area felt like it had its own pulse. I was told that the pain can last 24-72 hours and the numbness could last up to a week. . .

Day 2: Iced duct tape

By the next day, the pain finally went away, but I still had no feeling in my fingers. The area where I got stung was no longer in pain but numb. It felt like someone put a duct tape over my knee with ice. There were other times where it felt like I had a Charlie horse but only on the small area where I was stung. I was able to walk without having to clutch my leg. “At least you're mobile,” my husband said to me. I’m the type of person that needs to keep moving. I need to be doing something. (As I’m writing this, I’m watching Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear.) I will admit though I do have a slight fear now of entering our laundry room and doing laundry. I double check my shoes now, and every little thing is a scorpion in my eyes. The piece of lint, it’s a scorpion! Something flies near my face and I think, “Oh my gosh. I’m going to get stung by a bee now!” I’ll get over it after some time I guess. The second day was definitely better physically but the mental aspect of it was what I had to get through.

Day 3: Crazy enough to go get vaccinated

Day three was better. I finally got feeling back in my fingers but it was still a small amount of numbness and tingling. It basically felt like when your leg or a part of your body falls asleep and then the blood is rushing through. Mid-morning, I received a call from our doctor’s office saying they could take me in and give me the vaccine. I took the opportunity and then realized, “Will getting stung by a scorpion and the venom interfere with the vaccine?” I asked the receptionist and laughed with her. She said she would let the nurse and doctor know because she didn’t know the answer. In the end, it was fine to be vaccinated even though I was stung by a scorpion.

Conclusion

In the end, we had our pest control out again and my husband had saved the dead scorpion in case my symptoms turned for the worse and I had to go to the ER. Getting stung by a scorpion was one of the worse feelings I’ve experience and wouldn’t want anyone else to experience. My husband’s boss even said, “You’re the first person I know who has been stung by a scorpion!” My reply? “I’m the first person I know who has been stung by a scorpion!” There are some superstitions that if scorpion gets in your house it is because someone is having ill will towards you. Being stung by one must mean they wanted something bad to happen? I don't know. But few things I was glad with this experience is: 1. It happened to me and not my kids 2. I now know what to expect 3. If there truly was ill will towards me, well, karma. Things go back ten-fold.

Again, I want to note, this was my experience. If you are stung by a scorpion, please contact your doctor and poison control.