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DavidE
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Atrial Fibrillation And Arizona Bark Scorpion Sting
This may be of interest to folks with "a-fib" and have not had a scorpion sting. My remarks are not meant as a treatise on the subject merely a
collection of notes and comments.
First: This has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with possible allergic reaction which can be life threatening.
I got nailed last night on the pinkie by a bark scorpion I.D. positively established.
Naturally I became curious as to what effect if any it would have on my (under control with medication) Atrial Fibrillation.
Cutting co the quick - I had no heart irregularity whatsoever. BP did not rise and pulse did not quicken. Even a tiny bit.
Hopefully this will serve to assuage fears by Afib patients about a possible reaction to heart firing regularity.
Again, this is not about allergic reaction. Different animal entirely.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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David K
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So what happened Dah-veed? Did you experience the tingling up one arm and down the other that Graham Mackintosh described?
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redmesa
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On my toe...like a painful bee sting.
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DavidE
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I've been nailed a dozen times and no two seem to have been the same.
An initial "prick" feeling much like getting a cactus fruit (tuna) spine embedded in a finger. It grew in intensity. I found the scorpion after three
seconds and six seconds after that it was not a happy scorpion. Genuine trichloroehylene spray brake clean is one unforgiving insect killer.
My sole issue is my seeming growing sensitivity to allergies. Flowers and medicines that once had never bothered me now give me a hard time. So I
bailed, and went to the local clinica, explained what was going on, showed them the alacran in a baggie, sat in a chair and hoped nothing was going to
happen. They took my BP "just in case". Normal. After a half hour I left.
Pain? Different than a bee string (The Tarantula Hunter is supposed to be the king of stings).
Ever had a "tuning fork" pranged then held against your skin? That's what the sting effects consist of mainly different and separate from the
"discomfort". A buzzing feeling. No throat or tongue malarkey - that's reserved for serious reactions. Foaming at the mouth is a sign of a really bad
reaction to a scorpion sting. Time to get medical treatment fast.
Children should be watched CLOSELY. If they start in with involuntary eye movements, it becomes a medical emergency.
The finger is still a bit swollen, tender and "tuning fork" sensitive* as I write this 12 hours later. All in all a very moderate kitchen burn would
have hurt worse, so would a yellowjacket sting but it would not have lasted as long.
*I am using the pinkie on the right hand shift key here...
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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comitan
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If you had soaked your finger in HOT water for 10 minutes it would be gone-gone the same with a bee sting or stingray, works for me!!!!
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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EnsenadaDr
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Have you thought about cardioversion? They are doing that with chronic afib now with success. | Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
This may be of interest to folks with "a-fib" and have not had a scorpion sting. My remarks are not meant as a treatise on the subject merely a
collection of notes and comments.
First: This has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with possible allergic reaction which can be life threatening.
I got nailed last night on the pinkie by a bark scorpion I.D. positively established.
Naturally I became curious as to what effect if any it would have on my (under control with medication) Atrial Fibrillation.
Cutting co the quick - I had no heart irregularity whatsoever. BP did not rise and pulse did not quicken. Even a tiny bit.
Hopefully this will serve to assuage fears by Afib patients about a possible reaction to heart firing regularity.
Again, this is not about allergic reaction. Different animal entirely. |
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DavidE
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Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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With a tad of common sense (Electrolyte balance, reducing sodium intake, while increasing magnesium intake to 200mg day, I suffer no episodes gracias
la doctora. I am trying to avoid A-fib and the need for rat poison as long as I can.
I also have 2nd degree heart block. I am going to press for an electrocardiogram and a fast session with a cardiologist this coming month to get his
opinion whether or not he has a hunch total heart block may be in the cards. The presence of possibly needing a pacemaker sort of trumps other
procedures. I survived trying to kill myself via drug administration at home when I mistakenly took 200mg of metopralol. I now know that 3rd degree
heart block feels like (78/45 with a pulse of 36). The doctors were astonished I could walk bent over (could not straighten up without passing out).
When I realized it was me and not heart block I had an enfermera run out and purchase 5 cups of coffee for a big tip. We do not take medications any
more in dawn's early light sans reading glasses.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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EnsenadaDr
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actually you could have a severe bradycardia (low heart rate) and low blood pressure without third degree heart block which means total dissociation
between P and QRS complexes.
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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wee highjack....I got bit by an ant while gardening a few day ago and it's stung like a mother...and itched bad bad bad....so I tried the remedy
someone here mentioned I think....put scotch tape on it and it DID relieve the terrible itch! still itched 2 days later.
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DavidE
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Absence of any relationship between P waves of sinus origin and QRS complexes (AV dissociation) O2 carrying ability differential is NEGLIGIBLE in its
effects, regardless of its cause What I am concerned with because of actual experience is O2 deprivation which WILL lead to infarction. A chain
reaction ventricular event is not what I seek. Telling MediCare to protocol cardioversion in a patient with a history of 99.9% sinus rhythm would be,
ah shall we say "A Tough Sell" No evidence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) means I am not doing anything radically incorrect. Atrial Fibrillation is
an inherited dysfunction. There is a ridiculous amount of proof supporting this. What my objective is, is to satisfy myself that total heart block is
not in my future. If any of the electrode readings (interpretations) have degenerated since my last electrocardiogram, I am going to push for
preventative employment of a "pacemaker". When benefit to risk ratio becomes absurd, I do not intend to simply sit back and not take a proactive
stance.
But thank you for the comments. You are most kind to offer a degree of knowledge that I appreciate!
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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EnsenadaDr
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Afib is generally caused by degenerative disease such as arteriosclerosis. Why is it then a disease of old age? You had a problem with anemia, so
your oxygen carrying capability was low and this can have an effect on the heart. A pacemaker is indicated when the heart rate is too low, that is,
when a patient has knocked out the SA node and is operating on the AV node and is symptomatic or in 2nd degree heart block non-Mobitz or 3rd degree.
And yes, a pacemaker is indicated in third degree heart block, which is a dissociation between p and qrs and can lead to total heart block. They
won't just give you a pacemaker because your EKG has degenerated, especially if you've gone into rapid Afib.
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comitan
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David
Since you are so knowledgeable about Afib, IHD(heart blockage) will you explain how a pacemaker is going to help you survive a heart blockage?
Strive For The Ideal, But Deal With What\'s Real.
Every day is a new day, better than the day before.(from some song)
Lord, Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth.
“The sincere pursuit of truth requires you to entertain the possibility that everything you believe to be true may in fact be false”
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Insect "Bite" Puritis Comezon Relief
| Quote: | Originally posted by shari
wee highjack....I got bit by an ant while gardening a few day ago and it's stung like a mother...and itched bad bad bad....so I tried the remedy
someone here mentioned I think....put scotch tape on it and it DID relieve the terrible itch! still itched 2 days later. |
Unless multiple "Bites" demand the use of injected antihistamines, the best relief I have ever encountered BY FAR is cautious and conscientious
application of "dabs" of hot water to the affected site. Yes this goes AGAINST convention of medical advice, but like most common sense findings, it
works. It works well.
Wash the area well. Heat purified water to boiling or near boiling. Dip a Q-tip into the water, quickly shake any excess droplet off, and apply the
Q-tip end to the affected bite. This may work with one application but with some forms of no-see-um (jejene) bites, I have had to wait a minute
between applications and reapply up to three times. Hold the swab to the area for several seconds. Yes this means dealing with potentially scalding
water, and due caution must be exercised. The word Q-tip does not mean bath towel. It is a precisely dosed application of hot water for a specific
time. Limit applications to the absolute minimum that will sustain adequate relief. Caladryl Clear? You must be joking. I have applied repeatedly 10%
concentrated Lidocaine to an affected area, and the hot water and Q-tip protocol is infinitely more effective. The relief is usually total and
permanent for that bite.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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redmesa
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My childhood was full of bites on the gulf coast....my Dad put on chewed tobacco or baking soda paste. It seemed to work when I was a child but then
I had total belief in my Dad.
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willardguy
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I'd hop the first bus to ensenada and soak it in cider!
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DavidE
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Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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There is a common sense limit to the number of bites I would treat at any one time. And I guess I should now state this is not a child's forum. The
hot water should not be used on Children nor for more than six or so bites on adults.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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paranewbi
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Location: San diego
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Scorpion got me on my side 3 times about 1 inch apart...was in my shirt for less than a few seconds! Exactly how you describe it DavidE...buzzing
sensation, but my ran up and down between the 3 sting zones...for about 3 hours. Then went away. This was in BoLA when I threw my towel over my
shoulder to go for a bath it must have slid into my shirt... don't hang towel up on nail under palapa was the lesson.
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
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Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Not bad señor alacran!
Sixteen hours, and not much relief, but the tuning fork effect has intensified. Bark Scorpions indeed offer an E Ticket ride!
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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CortezBlue
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DavidE
This may be of interest to folks with "a-fib" and have not had a scorpion sting. My remarks are not meant as a treatise on the subject merely a
collection of notes and comments.
First: This has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with possible allergic reaction which can be life threatening.
I got nailed last night on the pinkie by a bark scorpion I.D. positively established.
Naturally I became curious as to what effect if any it would have on my (under control with medication) Atrial Fibrillation.
Cutting co the quick - I had no heart irregularity whatsoever. BP did not rise and pulse did not quicken. Even a tiny bit.
Hopefully this will serve to assuage fears by Afib patients about a possible reaction to heart firing regularity.
Again, this is not about allergic reaction. Different animal entirely. |
Living in AZ I have been stung more by scorpions than I have bee's or wasps.
The only time I ever had problems was when I was sound asleep and a scorpion sting me on my right thumb, next to the thumb nail. By the late morning
my right arm was numb up to my shoulder. This lasted for nearly 3 days. Little by little every day the numbness crawled its way back down my arm
until it was back to normal.
However, I have been stung twice by the same scorpion and it hardly caused anything more than a bee sting.
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durrelllrobert
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| Quote: | Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
Afib is generally caused by degenerative disease such as arteriosclerosis. Why is it then a disease of old age? You had a problem with anemia, so
your oxygen carrying capability was low and this can have an effect on the heart. A pacemaker is indicated when the heart rate is too low, that is,
when a patient has knocked out the SA node and is operating on the AV node and is symptomatic or in 2nd degree heart block non-Mobitz or 3rd degree.
And yes, a pacemaker is indicated in third degree heart block, which is a dissociation between p and qrs and can lead to total heart block. They
won't just give you a pacemaker because your EKG has degenerated, especially if you've gone into rapid Afib. |
During my 3 day stay at the hospital in Canada with pneumonia I was also diagnosed with Afib. They wanted to put me on blood thinners and keep me
there another week and then do an electrical cardioversion . Fortunately (or unfortunately) the hospital stay for a non-Canadian runs $3780 per day
in a ward so I opted for a discharge and drove home. I went to see my Cardiologist at Kaiser and had an EKG that showed a normal heart rhythm and he
said that my irregular heart rhythm in Canada was probably due to my pneumonia and the medication they were giving me.
[Edited on 9-18-2013 by durrelllrobert]
[Edited on 9-18-2013 by durrelllrobert]
Bob Durrell
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