centepede bite - helpful advice needed

[oink]

Greg,
would an eppie(sp?)pen help in your case. I keep one for bees, etc.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[Greg]

I haven't gone into anaphalactic shock or anything, just major swelling and pain if I scratchem. Benydril or Sudefed seems to work. (Or maybe I should try an exorcism)

[missydog1]

I guess it's kind of late now ...
but here's what the ER did for me (I had an allergic reaction, hives all over my body).

Double dose of oral benadryl. Was told to take benadryl immediately if bitten.
Two doses of prednisone ... by prescription.

What I did:
Immediately slapped "drawing ointment" on it as I had a tube.

Clay, drawing salve, activated charcoal, are all remedies that help extract the toxins through the skin. Draw out Salve is cheap and sold at Longs. When you do a poultice, it works better if you cover it with gauze.

Plantain is a great poultice herb
here's and article on its work on stings

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0..._111696760

I'm not big on pulling up weeds from the yard that may or may not be what I think they are ...

Gaia makes a Plantain Goldenseal salve that I recommend highly for drawing out toxins; they sell it at Island Naturals and probably other places. (don't shop in Pahoa).

Centipede is a "dirty bite" and I was told by the doctor about half of them get infected. The flesh can get necrotic. Mine didn't. Either I was lucky or applying the drawing out stuff, clay, etc. continually helped.

Mine ached for a few hours, but the benadryl helped me nap through some of it.

The area of the bite continued to be reactive for SIX MONTHS. I had these two fang marks on my upper arm that were red and very visible. A year later, it is gone.

Watch the bite carefully and go get antibiotics if there's any sign of infection.
The ER wanted to start me on antibiotics right away, but I chose to wait and see.

Oh, I almost forgot, you can get TETANUS from centipede bites, so if you aren't up to date go get a booster TODAY. They didn't do it at the ER, so I had to take care of it. Safeway pharmacy will give you a tetanus shot at any time, no need to pay to go to a clinic.


Feel better!

[missydog1]

centipede, this is what I was told about centipedes and their aggression by my exterminator, who is well educated in entomology (as in he must have taken classes because his knowledge is scientific not just anecdotal).

Centipedes sense carbon dioxide emissions and follow them to hunt. They hunt at night when plants stop emitting and living creatures do. They are drawn to human habitats by all the C02. They do not consider humans prey, but sometimes if they run across a person they will give an "exploratory bite" to see what this thing is, whether it's tasty.

Their first reaction when threatened or stimulated is to bite. Yes, they will run away if they have the ability to get under cover quick, but they'll also run right at you.

If you are holding completely still they'll often run right over you and not bite, but if you move or twitch they are likely to bite, probably what happened to poor Greg (ouch!).

I was told by a Portuguese lady that in her culture centipedes are considered evil and they appear when someone is talking stink about you. They burn centipedes after killing them in order to exorcise the malignant spirit.

[Kapohocat]

We were instructed years ago to use slices of papaya (ripe is better than green). Place over sting.

Over the years it has seemed to work well.

[missydog1]

Papaya, that is interesting!

I figured it must be the papain enzyme and googled it to check.
Yes, it is papain, which is found in meat tenderizer and breaks down protein.
Supposedly it breaks down protein in the venom.

The tips I just found say that green is better than ripe (but you say ripe works better for you?). I do know that green papaya has more papain in it than ripe. One tip I found says that the papaya white sap has it too, so if you have a plant but no fruit (like me), you have a remedy!

I also read that it works for fire ant bites. Good to know.

[Andrew]

Update: Well it hurt a lot last night but today it's like it didn't happen except for some very minor aching when I rubbed the spot.

There are 2 little fang marks that look like someone sunk a staple into my foot and that's all. I am keeping an eye on it though in case of infection.

Last night when I was bitten I was walking outside after dark so I didn't see it. I went inside and washed the area carefully with warm water and soap. I then poured hydrogen peroxide over it to cleanse the area. Ice did a lot to ease the pain. I also took 2 antihistamines and 2 Advil.

Well now I can say I have been stung twice by scorpions, 3 times by Crown of Thorns star fish, twice by hornets and now once by a centipede. Just part of the package when living in the tropics.

Thanks to all for the advice.

Survivor Andrew

______________________________
DiveHilo Dive Club Website:
http://www.divehilo.com/

[missydog1]

I feel for you Andrew! I am so scared of those things, because I reacted badly.

Just so you know for any future events, doctors now advise against using hydrogen peroxide on wounds. Peroxide burns and damages the tissue, even though it kills the germs. Damaged tissue is more susceptible to infection.

It's better to use povidone iodine and/or an antibiotic if one isn't allergic to that.
What I was told about centipede bite infection is that cleaning it doesn't help because the infection isn't from the skin break. The bacteria are on the mandibles and the bite inserts them to where washing won't help, it's just wait and see. But washing does help with any skin break.

That's why the poultice is good, because it draws the venom and toxins out through the skin.

My son stepped on one last week walking around barefoot on a deck ... but he got lucky and stepped on the head and crushed it, and no bite.

That's quite a scorecard you have, Survivor Andrew.

Hope it goes away fast!

[Guest]

Benedryl! Benedryl! Benedryl! Benedryl! Benedryl!

[Guest]

then if you get a tough egg. pop it with a red hot pin to lance it.

Then have a beer.

Oh and did I mention benidryl?