Centipede Bite

Centipede Bite
(Alupihan)


This post is somewhat of a public service announcement regarding centipede bite or sting.

I knew that centipedes bite but never imagined before that it would hurt a lot.  Probably the worst part is that the pain lingers for hours after the initial envenomation and creeps up the whole arm.  My whole hand was swollen for 2 days before it sort of calmed down.

A few minutes after being bitten.  Bleeding just stopped.

The culprit

Right 4th finger bite site with Betadine.  Four to five hours after being bitten.

Side view of the swelling.

The back of right hand still swollen a day after.

What happened:
It was around 2 a.m. when I was awaken by something crawling up my shoulder.  I tried to swat it away from me, that's when I felt a sudden sting on my right 4th finger.  I got up, turned on the lights, and saw my finger bleeding.  I knew it was not just a kissing bug or a cockroach, because their bite don't cause bleeding.  A few seconds later, I started to feel the stinging pain traveling up my arm.  I knew then that there must be venom on my wound.  I put a hair tie on my wrist and a sports tape to delay or stop the venom from further spreading.  At this time, I have not found the culprit yet.  Woke up some people to help me find it (I could've been a snake).  We checked the bed and found the centipede hiding under one of the pillows.


What I did after being bitten:
I iced the wound and hand to constrict blood flow.  Swelling started to occur and pain intensified.  I took ibuprofen.  After more than an hour of unwavering pain, we decided to go to the ER  In the ER, they gave me anti-tetanus shot, steroid, and antihistamine.  Said I was the second patient bitten by centipede that night.  Sent home almost 2 hours after with prescription for oral steroid and antihistamine.

*If you get bitten, I suggest you also go see a doctor.  I rate the pain as 6/10 to 7/10.

*If you see a centipede, avoid it!  Don't touch it.  Mas masakit sa hantik na langgam and kagat nyan.

Update:
2 days after - no more pain but still with hand swelling.
5 days after - hand swelling completely gone.
7 days after - bite site on finger still red with minor swelling and numbness.
11 days after - finger pad still red and swollen/fullness
...to be continued