Dangerous Insect Bite?

[jaidam]

Morning folks.

Any suggestions appreciated.Heres the story.

Yesterday 5pm I was carrying some old logs in my garden -SW Thailand- and felt something sting or bite me.The pain was instant and shocking.After 3 hours it was hard to move my hand and now( 14 hours later) my hand is largely numb although still painful but 2 fingers are essentially paralysed.Touching the end of these fingers feels like sticking my finger in an electrical socket.Shooting pain all up my arm and further.

Any ideas on what to do.I have seen a good few scorpions on my land as well as huge centipedes.Ive been bitten by both before and only had pain none of this tingling,numbness and paralysis.

Many thanks,

JD

[astral]

Instead of writing this message, why don't you go and see the doctor?

It may nothing just that the bite hit a nerve, but better to be sure!!

[pnustedt]

According to my wife those centipedes can deliver one of the worst stings. It is one of my dreads (that and snakes) as I have always had an allergy to that sort of stuff.

Get yourself down to the A&E dept. of your nearest hospital urgently. Best wishes.

[chanchao]

Yes, some centipedes are really mean m*therfcukers.. Get treated.

[chonabot]

Sounds like it could be a spider bite? Get it sorted before any nerves/tissue become damaged any further!

[Jai Dee]

According to my wife those centipedes can deliver one of the worst stings.

I was bitten by one of them on the foot once.... hurt like <deleted>!!!

I went straight to Pattaya-Bangkok Hospital (with the offending 200mm long centipede in a plastic jar) where they washed and disinfected the bite and gave me a shot in the butt.

The pain subsided in about 30 minutes but the swelling lasted for hours.

Not a pleasant experience.

Anyway, back to jaidam's predicament... go see the doctor... quick!!!

[Wolfie]

Definately go see a quack, as soon as your able to.

There are many weird and wonderful insects/critters in this country and a lot of them with nasty little bites/posions. Its always better to get these things checked out, we would hate to hear that your hand dropped off because you got bitten and waited a few days before going to the doctors!

Go now... stop reading this thread, dont even THINK about replying to this thread until youve been to a doctor.. ok?

[Phil Conners]

Heh, go see a ####### doctor ... sheesh

Probably a spider or centipede. In some cases their venom cause permanent paralysis unless antiserum is given so stop wasting your time on the computer and get down to the nearest emergency room.

[Jai Dee]

Definately go see a quack, as soon as your able to.

There are many weird and wonderful insects/critters in this country and a lot of them with nasty little bites/posions. Its always better to get these things checked out, we would hate to hear that your hand dropped off because you got bitten and waited a few days before going to the doctors!

Go now... stop reading this thread, dont even THINK about replying to this thread until youve been to a doctor.. ok?

I used to think that those "weird and wonderful insects/critters" that you see mounted behind glass in the street vendors stalls were special imports from up country.... they're not!!!

They are local indigenous residents.

Anyway, I note that the OP is no longer with us... hopefully he's heede everyone's advice and is now being treated.

[lampard10]

I was bitten by one of them on the foot once.... hurt like <deleted>!!!

I went straight to Pattaya-Bangkok Hospital (with the offending 200mm long centipede in a plastic jar) :

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Same thing happened to me. I took the offending centipede to Surin hospital where they gave it a shot and it recovered fully.

[cdnvic]

I was bitten by one of them on the foot once.... hurt like &lt;deleted&gt;!!!

I went straight to Pattaya-Bangkok Hospital (with the offending 200mm long centipede in a plastic jar) :

Same thing happened to me. I took the offending centipede to Surin hospital where they gave it a shot and it recovered fully.

Bet it treats you with the proper respect now eh?

cv

[RDN]

Yes, some centipedes are really mean m*therfcukers..  Get treated.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Be careful when you reach for the phone....

[Jai Dee]

Be careful when you reach for the phone....

That one's a baby RDN...

Judging from the mobile phone it's only about 100mm long.

Just out of curiosity did you take the photo during daylight hours or at night?

I was bitten at night... stumbling in the dark to the hong nam...

[penzman]

The picture above is a millipede, harmless.

This is a centipede.

[RDN]

Be careful when you reach for the phone....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That one's a baby RDN...

Judging from the mobile phone it's only about 100mm long.

Just out of curiosity did you take the photo during daylight hours or at night?

I was bitten at night... stumbling in the dark to the hong nam...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it was late in the afternoon, but can't remember - if it had been dark, the shadow from the flash would have been more obvious, i think.

I know now that it was a baby because I went to a wat in Krabi recently and all the Thai kids started shouting and laughing because of a huge centipede they'd found.

OK, while writing this, penzman has posted a picture - that's like the one at the wat.

Enough said!

[Jai Dee]

The picture above is a millipede, harmless.

This is a centipede.

That's the one penzman!!!

[taxexile]

according to my wife (who ran out of the room when she saw the photos above....and wont come back in until i've turned off the computer ) , the ones that give the worst bite are the millipedes that are super hairy and about an inch long , they look they are covered in bright coloured fur.

Edited February 16, 2005 by taxexile

[Shola]

The picture above is a millipede, harmless.

This is a centipede.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Funny story, I was at my hubbys parents house in the kitchen with thier housekeeper,( A while ago, I was still a newbie to LOS,) just about to put my sandels on when I saw one of those things (above), well I knew it looked pretty gross but had no idea it was poisoness so I preceded to try and flick it off my shoe with my finger, all of a sudden the housekeeper lets out a blood curdleing scream, and starts dancing around me shouting, I had no idea what she was saying, and thought she was just scared of bugs! Well my hubby came in and told me that even the pointy legs on those things are poisoness and if you stab your finger on a leg you can get really sick!

Needless to say I've never touched one again and now act pretty much like the housekeeper did when I see one!

[chanchao]

Yes.. given how upcountry locals aren't that bothered about spiders and even eat some pretty dodgy looking insects, when even THEY seem worried about a particular bug then it's really time to start paying attention.

[chaladmak]

centipedes - scary !

but I saw somewhere, I think in Mae Sae, locals put them in Wisky bottle.... huge one ! I'd never want to drink that stuff !

[taxexile]

does anybody know the name (for the one that the kids are holding ) in thai.

the one on rdns' phone is a ging geu

[Shola]

does anybody know the name  (for the one that the kids are holding ) in thai.

the one on rdns' phone is a ging geu

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's called ตะขาบ 'Dakaab'

[Gazza]

Couple of weeks ago I heard a rustling noise and movement of the curtains in a corner of my living room. I thought 'Oh no, a &lt;deleted&gt;' mouse, rat or snake has got in from outside through the screen doors.'

When from underneath a chair out popped what I thought at first was a small snake. Turned out to be a 20 foot centipede. OK, OK, it was only 6 inches long but still scored a big nine on the Sphincter-Pucker-Meter.

Luckily it had difficulty walking on the tiled floor and seemed to be writhing and wiggling more than anything. This gave me time to go outside and get something to clobber it with before it found it's way behind some heavy furniture.

It's amazing how these centipedes can adapt their bodies to match that of a size 9 flip-flop tread pattern.

[ryanb741]

Just get it checked out. If it was in some logs it was most likely a centipede - you should see puncture marks if it was a centipede, spider or scorpion (Thai Scorps aren't dangerous though).

I actually collect tarantulas and exotic insects (e.g. praying mantis). There are a couple of Thai tarantula species that will give a painful bite (one is blue and very rare, the other is black and quite common - I have seen people around Chiang Mai eat them before!)

I remember coming unstuck once in Ratchaburi. You know those huge orb spiders you get in Thailand in the sticks (about 8 inches across with a white and black body and black and bright red legs?). You can't miss them.

Anyway, as they are an Orb Web species I assumed they would be harmless so I picked one up and let it run across my face to scare my wife. Good fun and all that but when I picked it up off my face to put back on its web it whacked me good with its fangs (drew blood) and the pain was awful. That's one spider not to touch, although the pain went away after an hour or so.

I own an African Starburst Baboon Tarantula - now if that gets ytou you KNOW you've been bitten! Ouch!

[chanchao]

> You know those huge orb spiders you get in Thailand in the sticks (about 8

> inches across with a white and black body and black and bright red legs?).

> You can't miss them.

No shit..! You sure? You bet your (*#$^&*^#$ I woulnd't miss it if I ever came across something looking like that.. Luckily I never have.

> Anyway, as they are an Orb Web species I assumed they would be

> harmless so I picked one up and let it run across my face to scare

> my wife.

<speechless>

> I picked it up off my face to put back on its web it whacked me good

> with its fangs (drew blood) and the pain was awful.

You know I'm always sitting there watching Discovery waiting for that to happen to Steve Irwin or one of those other clowns in shorts, but I'm always dissappointed.

[jaidam]

Good evening chaps,

Pleased to report that I'm still alive.After writing to you and waiting a bit for a reply my brain suddenly kicked in and I went to the village clinic on the double. Riding the motorbike wasnt easy as my right hand was twitching badly.

Given some yah mong and Atarax.The yah mong was applied locally and the Atarax pills were chased down by kratom leaves munched all morning.I started work at 9am and by 2pm the pain and strange feeling had largely gone.Now(6pm)its 99% normal again.Strange thing there is no obvious bite mark.2 tiny marks about a cigarette end width apart but the pain wasnt centered there just all over 1/2 hand the same.

Thanks for all the replies there.I will be buying a pair of thick gloves before playing in the jungle again.I blame the new UBC programming with that Alan Titmarsh and Charlie Dimock.Thats where the clever idea of making a border came from!

[Shola]

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You know I'm always sitting there watching Discovery waiting for that to happen to Steve Irwin or one of those other clowns in shorts, but I'm always dissappointed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You missed the episode I saw then!

One with some ginger guy who always wears a quality khaki get up, got munched on by a 'stelleto python' (I think that was the name) and ended up in hospital, actually he's been munched on a few times, Can't remember the guys name, but he's on Discovery and he's got a frizzy ginger mop (and he always get bitten!)

[booma]

The picture above is a millipede, harmless.

This is a centipede.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dunno about that? We had the same looking things on Koh Pha-ngan, the Thais where terrified of them.

B

[jaidam]

Hi Booma,

Big orange bug in last photo is a centipede.The smaller black creature with loads of red/orange legs is a millipede.

Centipede-100 legs

Millipede 1000 legs.This is an old asying and not exact

Centipede has a nasty bite,but not had the pleasure of a millipede bite yet.We have hundreds of them in our land and the cats dont play with them.I suppose they can bite as well?They are very timid and when prodded with a stick they roll in a circle and hide.Try prodding a centipede with a stick and he'll be up your legs before you hit him.They are very fast(and scarey!)

[ryanb741]

Hi Booma,

Big orange bug in last photo is a centipede.The smaller black creature with loads of red/orange legs is a millipede.

Centipede-100 legs

Millipede 1000 legs.This is an old asying and not exact

Centipede has a nasty bite,but not had the pleasure of a millipede bite yet.We have hundreds of them in our land and the cats dont play with them.I suppose they can bite as well?They are very timid and when prodded with a stick they roll in a circle and hide.Try prodding a centipede with a stick and he'll be up your legs before you hit him.They are very fast(and scarey!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Millepedes don't bite but the do secrete a toxin which will cause irritation

Here's a pic of the Thai Orb Weaver I am referring to;

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/attachment...tid=24963&stc=1