A rude awakening this morning (this one's for you, Tholek)

So, about 540am this morning, I'm dozing while the wife is taking a shower (I don't normally get up until around 615). I'm pretty sure I was dreaming, but suddenly awoke to a pretty sharp burning pain in my back, around the right shoulder blade, followed by a tickling sensation. I jumped up outta bed and just before I hit the light switch I saw something dark crawling under the pillow. I hit the light and grabbed the pillow to find one of these

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It was about 4 inches long. At first I was so freaked I didn't feel anything after the initial sting. The centipede immediately crawled down behind the head-end of the mattress. I ran to the bathroom and grabbed a wad of TP (the wife asking what the hell was going on from the shower. Did I yell? No, surely not. I did NOT yell like a little schoolgirl) and went back. As I was wrestling the mattress up to find the critter, it tightened the skin across my shoulder blade and it was like somebody suddenly injected liquid fire under the skin. Ouch.

Anyway, I got the thing and flushed it. I laid back down and my back pulsed with a sensation like somebody poking me with a red-hot needle every 2-3 seconds. Not excruciating but pretty uncomfortable. A pretty good welt with obvious puncture marks swelled up in the center of a 3 inch or so red spot.

It's less painful now but feels tight and slighly burns, like a mild sunburn. This is a first for me. And it's odd since it's only the second "regular" centipede (as opposed to those creepy looking house centipedes that Tholek likes so much) that I've seen in the nine years since we built this house, yet we've had dozens of scorpions and I've never been stung by one of those.

I'm still breathing so I guess I'm not allergic. I really didn't think much else about it until, on a whim, I Googled for centipede envenomations, and found some pretty nasty stories. Thanks, Google -- that'll teach me to have whims...

damn, that thing is nasty, where do you live?

i fucking hate bugs and shit like that that bites

I find it incredible how something so small can do so much damage.

Glad you're not allergic d. Do you have to do anything to treat it or does it go away on its own?

Damn, I didn't even know the things bite.

[quotec62ddc9a9c="JOSHBOX"]damn, that thing is nasty, where do you live?[/quotec62ddc9a9c]
Georgia. They're pretty common in the southeast. We also have lots of snakes, spiders, and scorpions. An etymologist's dream.

Wow. That really sucks. It could have been worse though. I've heard many stories about brown recluse bites upon awakening. Now THAT would suck. Good to see that you're alright though. )

[quoteeaa45472fd="aviendha47"]Glad you're not allergic d. Do you have to do anything to treat it or does it go away on its own?[/quoteeaa45472fd]
It goes away on it's own. For most people it's about the equivalent of a bee sting.

Of course during my Google meanderings on the subject I came across the case of a man who contracted necrotizing fascieitis (sp?) (the flesh eating bacteria) from a centipede sting. He died 5 days after being bitten, despite going to hospital immediately after the bite and being treated. shock

[quoteeaa45472fd="J4320"]Wow. That really sucks. It could have been worse though. I've heard many stories about brown recluse bites upon awakening. Now THAT would suck. Good to see that you're alright though. )[/quoteeaa45472fd]
Yeah, we have those too, as well as black widows. Fortunately I've never found any in the house, but have run across countless numbers in the yard, garage, etc.

The thing about those spider bites is they are seldom painful at the time of the bite (unless they just happen to nail a sensitive nerve). You just wake up later, or after going about your business for awhile, and notice the localized reaction, which becomes pretty painful (especially black widows, which I understand cause excruciating pain later on).

A guy at my wife's former church nearly lost his leg after working in the yard and getting bitten by a brown recluse. He didn't want to go to the hospital, but when he couldn't walk anymore his wife called us. My wife went with them to the ER, and the guy was in the hospital for a week. They almost amputated. Recluse bites are highly necrotic.

BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN!!!

I would not have yelled like a little schoolgirl either. I would've screamed and shrieked like one though.

I can't imagine living with scorpions, big spiders, and/or centipedes. I would seriously move since I am such a pussy.

Good hell, remind me to never ever go to Georgia

Hmm I live in the north metro area of Atlanta and I was excited to be escaping the crazy bugs and reptiles I had in south florida (was not fun when you had roaches, lizards, coral snakes getting into your house). In Georgia I have only had a few little skinny spiders, whatever they are called. Im so excited to have left the land of the roaches, lizards and snakes.

[quotea273ae4084="ahaxton"]Hmm I live in the north metro area of Atlanta and I was excited to be escaping the crazy bugs and reptiles I had in south florida (was not fun when you had roaches, lizards, coral snakes getting into your house). In Georgia I have only had a few little skinny spiders, whatever they are called. Im so excited to have left the land of the roaches, lizards and snakes.[/quotea273ae4084]
Umm, you're certainly not away from roaches and snakes. Lizards, we have the cute little ones and they're harmless. But there's definitely plenty of roaches and poisonous snakes in North Georgia!

[quote2a9508cab4="mnx12"]Good hell, remind me to never ever go to Georgia[/quote2a9508cab4]

Yes, 100% of the worlds biting insects/poisonous snakes are located in Georgia.

dude out here i was checkin the mail around 7 one day and i went outside to a bobcat givin me a "fli%k off" stare

[quote867d0d5dbe="Wolfeman"]BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN!!![/quote867d0d5dbe]

[quoted6ad541027="syriandoode"]dude out here i was checkin the mail around 7 one day and i went outside to a bobcat givin me a "fli%k off" stare[/quoted6ad541027]

Hahahahah, what the...?

I hate bugs, especially the flying ones you always seem to miss.
So dmorris, what treatment did your Googling help you find?

[quote6fa48b1fa5="tylerc"][quote6fa48b1fa5="mnx12"]Good hell, remind me to never ever go to Georgia[/quote6fa48b1fa5]

Yes, 100% of the worlds biting insects/poisonous snakes are located in Georgia.[/quote6fa48b1fa5]
You were being sarcastic, right? Cause we have seriously like none of that stuff here, and this is a desert....

thats so nasty wow i feel for you, i HATE bugs that bite and crap wow

[quote287be068e4="mnx12"]Good hell, remind me to never ever go to Georgia[/quote287be068e4]

Oh my - my sister lives in Georgia. I had no idea.

I am glad you are okay. You can make a paste of baking soda and water to draw out the poison from the bite or sting. wink

I see these things in NC all the time. Nasty little critters.

God, I hate those things! Those things are pretty common in Japan, where I grew up. My grandfather got bitten once on the neck (it fell from the ceiling while he slept) and spent about 3-4 days really sick with a high fever. And I hate to tell you this, but I've actually seen them crawl UP from the toilet and out of faucets at the sink...hopefully yours didn't manage to cling on to any of your pipes and come back! I used to kill them by furiously crushing them with a broom handle while calling for "MOM!!" in a flustered panic. Ahhh, those were the days!

[quotef45a1727a5="maksmom"]God, I hate those things! Those things are pretty common in Japan, where I grew up. My grandfather got bitten once on the neck (it fell from the ceiling while he slept) and spent about 3-4 days really sick with a high fever. And I hate to tell you this, but I've actually seen them crawl UP from the toilet and out of faucets at the sink...hopefully yours didn't manage to cling on to any of your pipes and come back! I used to kill them by furiously crushing them with a broom handle while calling for "MOM!!" in a flustered panic. Ahhh, those were the days![/quotef45a1727a5]

you just made me cringe...

Thank god I live in the great Northwest, we don't have anything up here. I could not handle bugs in my house and scorpions.......oooo gives me the willies.

[quoteae116f2e98="maksmom"]God, I hate those things! Those things are pretty common in Japan, where I grew up. My grandfather got bitten once on the neck (it fell from the ceiling while he slept) and spent about 3-4 days really sick with a high fever. And I hate to tell you this, but I've actually seen them crawl UP from the toilet and out of faucets at the sink...hopefully yours didn't manage to cling on to any of your pipes and come back! I used to kill them by furiously crushing them with a broom handle while calling for "MOM!!" in a flustered panic. Ahhh, those were the days![/quoteae116f2e98]


Luckily we don't have a problem with these things in Pittsburgh but now I can't get the image of a centipede crawling out of my toilet out of my head. Thanks a lot, I'll never be able to go to the bathroom again.

Bugs are always crawling up pipes and in little holes in your house that you may not even know are there. I hate bugs, especially ants.

Man, the worst we get is hairy spiders running across the floor. Although in the last place I lived (in Victoria) we had a gap under the door so sometimes when it had been raining and I got up in the morning to go use the can in my barefeet, I'd step on a slug or worm on the kitchen floor.

[quote013a6401c5="JennyWren"]Man, the worst we get is hairy spiders running across the floor. Although in the last place I lived (in Victoria) we had a gap under the door so sometimes when it had been raining and I got up in the morning to go use the can in my barefeet, I'd step on a slug or worm on the kitchen floor.[/quote013a6401c5]

I could not handle slugs in my house. I would line the doorways with loads of salt. Teach those damn things to come in.

I'd burn my neighborhood down if I saw one of those centipedes...

[quote8741d82b40="egyptianruin"]Bugs are always crawling up pipes and in little holes in your house that you may not even know are there. I hate bugs, especially ants.[/quote8741d82b40]

The most I ever saw was an earwig in my kitchen drain. I never had a centipede in my toilet... I'm not normally afraid of bugs but just the idea of one of these things popping up to say "Hi" while I'm taking a.... I think I might have to burn my house down.

According to Snapple, The average human will eat an average of 8 spiders while sleeping.

Ironically, living the desert SW, I've yet to see a scorpion, tarantula, or black widow. We have infestations of crickets, ants, and random spiders instead. I'll take those any day )

Hope you get better Dmorris!

Thanks, but I'm fine. I only felt it for the first day, by the next morning all that was left was a couple of tiny puncture marks. No swelling or pain, and surprisingly enough, no itching either.