Stung by a Scorpion
Texas Cave Scorpion photo from Bug Guide
Every once in a while we find dead scorpions in our house when we sweep the floors. Less often do we see one run across our floor in the late evening. I do not like it at all.
Scorpions give me the creeps. I have always been afraid that one would sting someone in my family. Last year Lane was stung through his work glove while gathering firewood. He said that his hand ached for days.
Luckily the scorpions that call Texas their home are not deadly. However, you can be allergic to the sting and have problems breathing, etc. If that happens, you must seek medical attention immediately.
On average the scorpions here are 2-3 inches long including the tail. From experience, I can tell you that scorpions play dead better than the most trained dog. They can make themselves appear to be flat and stiff. When you go to dispose of the body, the scorpion springs to life and strikes out with its tail.
I never touch one with my bare hand. I scoop them up with a broom and dust pan. Well, I never intentionally touch one.
Last weekend my husband and I went on a mini-vacation. When we returned home Sunday afternoon, I immediately began unpacking our stuff and putting away our things. Our dirty clothing made almost a full load, but I had a few colored clothes in the dirty clothes hamper in my bathroom. Naturally I added them to the pile.
Instead of using a laundry basket to carry the wash to the utility room, I grabbed them in my arms. As I was dropping the clothes into the washing machine, I felt a shot of pain. My hand involuntarily jerked away from the pile of clothes and I gasped in pain.
At the time I had no idea why I hurt. I carefully peered in the direction of where my arm was when I got hurt. A scorpion was crawling out of Isaac’s swim suit. Its pinchers were feeling around and its tail was curled up ready to “defend” itself again.
With the help of Andrew’s tiny tennis shoes, Jake struck at the scorpion sending it to the floor. Lane finished it off. I would have taken an original photograph of a scorpion, but there was not much to see after my men made sure it was dead.
The pain was worse than a bee or wasp sting. After getting the load of laundry started, I sat down and iced my arm. It stung me on my right arm just below my wrist. I iced it for 15-20 minutes.
A welp began appearing at the actual site of the sting. A splotchy red rash began spreading around the welp in an inch radius. I took my aunt’s advice and made a paste from baking soda and water. I spread in gingerly over the area and covered it with a large bandage.
After 3 hours, I removed the bandage and rinsed off the baking soda. I no longer had the rash or welp. In fact you cannot even tell where the scorpion stung me. The pain was better, too. It was not throbbing anymore.
Now a little over 12 hours later, my arm burns slightly. It is not too bad though. I hope that I can live the rest of my life without being stung by a scorpion again. However, I would gladly get stung if that meant that my children did not have to endure the pain of a scorpion’s sting. I will also shake out the laundry before scooping dirty clothes up in my arms.
sorry this happened to you. thanks for sharing. I dislike most creeping creatures. i sometimes pray for substitution too…when we are bothered by a wasp or bee during a walk i pray, please dont let it sting us, but let it be be who gets stung rather than the kids.
Adolph’s Original Meat Tenderizer works also. I have seen them play dead. I can say unequivocally I don’t like stingy insects.
I’m sorry you got stung! We’ve recently moved to the Hill Country of Texas and have seen our share of scorpions… and now I will be sure to carry our dirty clothing in the basket!
Don’t have scorpions in VA but saw them a few times in FL. I’m sorry you were stung. I wonder what your charcoal would have done for it.
I agree with you–scorpions are SO creepy! I hate them! I don’t like getting stung by wasps, but I share your horror of being stung by a scorpion. I think it’s the creep-factor! Even touching a dead one by accident makes me shudder in revulsion. My sympathies!
I chose not to use charcoal because there was no visible opening in the skin, just a welp and rash. It might have been a better choice, but hopefully I will never have to choose again. I sure don’t want to get stung again.
Lara
I’m so afraid that the baby is going to pick one up and chow down. We find 2 or 3 a month in the house. Just the other day a tiny scorpion (about 1/2 inch long) was only inches from her foot on the back porch. Wear shoes! I also found a mother scorpion with her many babies on her back while I was weeding the flowerbed Yuck! Wear gloves. I committed scorpionicide that day. Sorry you got stung.
I love your use of the word, scorpioncide. Did you take a picture or call all the kids to come see the mother with the babies? That would be neat.
Lara
Allyson, you are a riot! That cute little baby wouldn’t “chow down” on a scorpion–or would it?? What a funny mental picture, a cute little tike nibbling on a scorpion! Yeah, I can see THAT on the front of a jar of Gerbers!
Lara, I got stung on the back of the leg just a day or two ago for the first time, and trust me, I was the biggest baby in Texas!
I wigged out my two boys, hopping around and screaming and holding my thigh. This will no doubt come up in a therapy session later, poor guys! Anyhow, it was like a yellowjacket bite, but the thing crawled up in my shorts and I had it pinched between the folds of my-er-back pocket and needed to take my shorts off real quick, but only kept hopping and screaming and saying go out of the room boys, no, come here boys till I gathered my senses back together.
The stinging was not as bad as thinking that nasty little demonic bug had actually TOUCHED me! Yeeeeecccccchhh!! I REALLY admire your calm, Lara!
And aj, I picked it up from sitting on my son’s bed and am so glad that it was ME and not him!
I can honestly say that I feel your pain. I am glad you are going to be alright.
Lara
I think I was just stung by a scorpion. Well last night anyways. We have never seen them before. Not in our house or even in our yard. But yesterday I was out in the yard barefoot and something got me on the top of my foot. It burned REALLY bad. But we have had numerous problems with fireants and I have been attacked by swarms of them twice. So I assumed that is what had happened. Well when i woke up this morning my foor is swollen and the pain is even worse. It is hard to walk or bend my foot because of the pain and the really heavy feeling in my foot.
Oh, Sarah, I am so sorry. I did not have that reaction to a scorpion sting. Are you thinking about going to a doctor or are you keeping a close eye on it? Please keep me informed. I would really like to know when you are healed and walking back to normal.
I will say a prayer for healing.
Lara
I recently moved to the country from Houston. I can say that I have killed probably close to, if not more, than a hundred scorpions. My son was stung within a week of us moving here, and myself a month after. I was terrified at first, but now I’ve learned to keep a close eye out for those things! I refuse to allow them to keep me terrified of living in my own house! We have a pest control service come out every 3 months. Who knows how bad it would be without them!
The pest control guy recently came out to spray my father’s cabin. My dad was there and presented a mason jar of dead scorpions to the man. My dad has apparently been keeping a collection because he did not think anyone would believe how many he has found/killed. The pest control man was amazed. He said that the scorpions have been worse than ever this year and he does not know why. Would be interesting to know why.
Lara
I just got stung my a scorpion in the Texas Hill country last night. I picked up a rock that was holding a door open inside the house. Guess the scorpion was sitting on the other side. It nailed me on the top of my big finger. I have been stung by wasps and bees before, but this thing hurt like hell. Not sure if burning would be the best description, but it was sure the worst sing/bite I have ever endured. The only good news is that it resolved itself relatively quickly. I used a anti inflammatory cream plus indirect ice for a 2 hours. It felt somewhat better when I went to sleep after that and nearly 100% better in the morning. Lesson learned: don’t pickup rocks, even indoors.
OUCH!!!!
This is one case where I am happy to learn from someone else’s mistake!! Thanks for sharing…
I am so sorry to Lara and everyone else bit by a scorpion. I agree with “Adriene” about her description of the scorpion looking “demonic.” That is EXACTLY the way I see them, as evil and “demonic.” I moved to the Texas Hill Country this past October. We live on 1.7 acres of land in the country. We have found 3 scorpions in the house in the past 3-4 weeks in spite of a pesticide service every 3 months. Needless to say, we have committed “scorpiocide” (thank you Allyson for that apropos word!) with all 3 of them without feeling the least bit guilty. So far, the cat alerted us on the first 2 by playing with them (fortunately no bites, thank goodness). The third one was in the master bedroom making its way directly to the bed, YIKES! Had the sprayer come again and do all four of the outer doors. We’ll see. I fear these demonic things and hope and pray to never get a bite from one although, I’m sure it is just a question of time when it will happen.
This is thee second time I have been stung first time was about a month ago I felt a sting on my neck I was sleeping. I felt something crawling on me flung it off turned on the light and it was a scorpian that one wasn’t too bad.
I jus got stung this morning on my foot and omg this one was really bad. My foot was hurting so bad.
I washed the affected area and put ice on it. The pain went away a little bit. But now my foot aches and feels cold. And the burning feeling came Back. This is 11 hours later.
I so hate them.
Someone was telling me that cedar oil works thinking about trying it. It’s a spray you use around your house to keep them out.
Cedar oil would definitely be worth the try. Do you have stacks of firewood around your house? Or decaying stumps in your yard? I have heard that these attract scorpions. However, we have had an influx of scorpions this past summer. The pest control man said that we were not alone. That perhaps they are frantically trying to find water. Whatever the reason for their appearance in your home, their sting is incredibly painful. I have now gotten stung twice by doing laundry. I never knew it was so dangerous to wash clothes!
Lara