Bug Bites and Scorpions Stings (Warning, gruesome photos)



"Oh, what is that?" Nick asked as we were dragging ourselves through the South Korean airport.  Earlier, while wrangling 3 kids and too much luggage off a sleepless overnight flight, I felt a sharp pain but had no time to deal with it.  We needed to get off the plane.

Waiting for our plane in Bangkok.  My arm was really starting to bother me here...

Fast forward a few days to our final destination of Penang, Malaysia.  The bite that was originally the size of a dime has continued to grow and is now bright red and forming a hard lump under my skin.  After urging from Nick and strange looks from my friend Mary I went to a specialist who immediately proclaimed it was a scorpion sting.  Funny, I don't hang out with scorpions, but he was sure that's what got me.  Doc gave me lots of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and away I went.

Fast forward another week and meds are not working.  Sting area is now the size of a large orange, hard as a rock, my right foot and ankle have started to swell, large bumps appearing randomly near my ankle and my joints started to ache all over.  Time to get to the emergency room.



The ER admitted me straight away hooking up the IV and pumping me full of super antibiotics and other meds all through the night.  I felt like a rockstar since it seemed like every doctor and nurse in the hospital stopped by to see my disfigurement, I mean sting.  It was a teaching hospital after all.  The eww, ahh, look was always the same.  But whatever they gave me that night, I was on the mend by morning.  They wanted me to stay a few more nights for observation, but home was calling, well, Camden at least, he was hungry.  Plus I didn't want to spend our travel dollars in a hospital.  With loads more meds in hand and a $400 USD hospital bill later home I went.


After a week, my foot and arm were back to normal.  The pain lingers but the swelling and redness are gone.  The skin on my arm and foot has started peeling which looks like a bad sunburn.

As for the scorpion and how I got stung?  We left from Arizona and think it might have caught a long ride on my back pack and decided to get off once we got to S. Korea

As for the hospital and all the staff at Adventist Hospital in Penang?  They were all amazing and gave excellent medical care.  I even enjoyed my rice bowl for dinner.  Thanks, Erin, for the crackers!


Have you had any nasty encounters with a scorpion?  Visit the hospital while traveling?  Let us know in the comments...


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