18 October 2009
I am recovering from the scorpion sting. Additionally, since being stung, I have learned quite a bit about scorpion toxins. It seems as though everyone in Estancia has been stung at least once, since they are very common creatures. My neighbors have all told me stories about various stings, with advice about prevention.
Here are a few things that I have learned, both from reading in textbooks and talking to people here:
Scorpions are hunters, and sting to get foot or when they feel threatened. They are creatures that like the dark, and so will hide under sheets, between mattresses and bedframes, in shoes, and in corners. Therefore, in order to prevent being stung, one should always shake out clothing, shoes, and sheets before using. People say that if a scorpion crawls on you, the way to avoid getting stung is to stay very still, because if you move the insect will feel threatened and attack.
Once the scorpion stings, it releases a toxin which has a half-life of twelve hours. That means that after about twenty four hours, a person still has about 25% of the toxin in their system. The toxin causes all sorts of effects, but the most striking is the numbness that occurs in the whole body, including the mouth.
Here is an excerpt from Harrison´s Principles of Internal Medicine (page 2604 of edition 16) about what happens when a person gets stung:
Patients present with restlessness, blurred vision, abnormal eye movements, profuse salivation, lacrimation, rhinorrhea, slurred speech, difficulty in handling secretions, diaphoresis, nausea, and vomiting. Muscle twitching, jerking, and shaking may be mistaken for a seizure. Complications include tachycardia, arrhythmias, hypertension, hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis, and acidosis. Symptoms progress to maximum severity in about 5 hours and subside within a day or two, although pain and paresthesia can last for weeks.
--Harrison´s.
When a person gets stung by a scorpion, first aid includes applying cold compresses to the site. This helps prevent the toxin from being absorbed. Unfortunately, in Estancia, electricity is lacking, and, therefore, refrigeration is absent. People here are not able to use cold packs, as ice does not exist. Various people mentioned the importance of staying calm and not moving once stung to prevent the toxin traveling in the blood. One family also mentioned a traditional method for preventing the negative effects. You must find and kill the scorpion, open its body, and rub the insides on the site. The family explained that the toxin would then travel back into the body of the scorpion and out of the victim.
I am feeling much better now, as I was stung almost 48 hours ago. However, it was a horrible experience, and I think that I worried Bela quite a bit. The day after being stung, my heart was beating very fast, and Bela repeatedly took my pulse at about 100 beats per minute. I was strangely sweaty and drooly all day long, and every time I ate I bit my tongue or the insides of my cheeks, assumably from my mouth being numb. The silver lining of the story is that as we often see patients who are suffering the effects of scorpion stings, I will be better able to be empathetic about their symptoms now that I have experienced them for myself.
--Calla
I am recovering from the scorpion sting. Additionally, since being stung, I have learned quite a bit about scorpion toxins. It seems as though everyone in Estancia has been stung at least once, since they are very common creatures. My neighbors have all told me stories about various stings, with advice about prevention.
Here are a few things that I have learned, both from reading in textbooks and talking to people here:
Scorpions are hunters, and sting to get foot or when they feel threatened. They are creatures that like the dark, and so will hide under sheets, between mattresses and bedframes, in shoes, and in corners. Therefore, in order to prevent being stung, one should always shake out clothing, shoes, and sheets before using. People say that if a scorpion crawls on you, the way to avoid getting stung is to stay very still, because if you move the insect will feel threatened and attack.
Once the scorpion stings, it releases a toxin which has a half-life of twelve hours. That means that after about twenty four hours, a person still has about 25% of the toxin in their system. The toxin causes all sorts of effects, but the most striking is the numbness that occurs in the whole body, including the mouth.
Here is an excerpt from Harrison´s Principles of Internal Medicine (page 2604 of edition 16) about what happens when a person gets stung:
Patients present with restlessness, blurred vision, abnormal eye movements, profuse salivation, lacrimation, rhinorrhea, slurred speech, difficulty in handling secretions, diaphoresis, nausea, and vomiting. Muscle twitching, jerking, and shaking may be mistaken for a seizure. Complications include tachycardia, arrhythmias, hypertension, hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis, and acidosis. Symptoms progress to maximum severity in about 5 hours and subside within a day or two, although pain and paresthesia can last for weeks.
--Harrison´s.
When a person gets stung by a scorpion, first aid includes applying cold compresses to the site. This helps prevent the toxin from being absorbed. Unfortunately, in Estancia, electricity is lacking, and, therefore, refrigeration is absent. People here are not able to use cold packs, as ice does not exist. Various people mentioned the importance of staying calm and not moving once stung to prevent the toxin traveling in the blood. One family also mentioned a traditional method for preventing the negative effects. You must find and kill the scorpion, open its body, and rub the insides on the site. The family explained that the toxin would then travel back into the body of the scorpion and out of the victim.
I am feeling much better now, as I was stung almost 48 hours ago. However, it was a horrible experience, and I think that I worried Bela quite a bit. The day after being stung, my heart was beating very fast, and Bela repeatedly took my pulse at about 100 beats per minute. I was strangely sweaty and drooly all day long, and every time I ate I bit my tongue or the insides of my cheeks, assumably from my mouth being numb. The silver lining of the story is that as we often see patients who are suffering the effects of scorpion stings, I will be better able to be empathetic about their symptoms now that I have experienced them for myself.
--Calla
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