Bed Bugs

So, yes, if you're from the East, you know that there really are things called BED BUGS. Yup. I lived with a few but never was infested with them all over myself, other sisters were less fortunate. But, here in the West, it's usually a fun phrase your older siblings used to tell you to freak you out or something. "Don't let those bed bugs bite!!" mwhahaha

As a child I used to make my dad check my sheets every night before he tucked me in. I mean, come on, I hate...abhor bugs. I've successfully avoided the huge bugs and any biting during my life so far. Until now. Yup. So, here's the wonderful story. I even thought of my blog and took a picture for your all's sake :) (the picture below isn't the pictures I'm talking about...you'll see eventually)

So, as mentioned previously - I had to take 2 days of PTO - Guess where I went?? Yeah, the picture gives it away...I decided to spend it in the nice warm weather with my family. Arizona baby!! Funny because sometimes it's so stressful, but I had everything planned pretty well and time to see everyone and do all I wanted. Maybe I can tell more about the trip later... But Saturday night I woke up at 3:50 am and a spot on my bicep was hurting. I wondered if I had slept on it wrong, or something, but since it was stinging more and more, I decided to sit up, turn the light on, and take a closer look. So I sat up, trying to wake myself up still and try to figure out what the crap...when then the same paining feeling occurred sharply on my left bottom cheek butt. (sorry, but had to get technical). So, I jumped out of the bed and thought for sure, something BIT me. YES! I was shaking my body in the bathroom and ripping off my clothes etc. I thought it must be in my underwear, but nothing. I stood around the bed trying to figure out what it was... but my "wounds" were really starting to hurt. Give up Andrea! So, I ran and grabbed my dad - after I startled him, he was on the chase with me. He grabbed a flashlight and we proceeded for the next 45 minutes searching my room.

I was VERY DRAMATIC, I have to say. Not funny at the time, but my arm was really killing me bad. From my fingers till my shoulder there were shooting pains, etc. Dad saw the welt mark on my arm, but after 10 minutes, it went away and there was nothing, except inside. I totally knew what it was though. Totally. Dad hadn't given up, but I never even really looked too much for the little bugger. I was just running back and forth telling dad various things:

"My arm hurts. So bad! It hurts! Really Dad, it's bad. My arm is going to fall off. I've been poisoned! Help! I just want to sleep!! But it hurts. And I'm not getting in that bed!" And on and on and on... Dad was patient and kept checking my arm (but not my bottom luckily...haha). That bite didn't hurt that bad. It was just numb. My arm was getting the tingling sensation and I started holding it outward and I would take my right hand and squeeze the top of my arm/shoulder so that the pain/poison couldn't get to the rest of my body. Yes, Dramatic, I know.

Then after almost giving up Dad moved a pillow that we had tossed to the ground and I see a little orange funkie thing. The carpet is multi-colored so we hadn't looked too well on it... But, there it was.... - - - - a scorpion!!! - - - Yes, and not that we know 100% it bit me since it was on the ground, but I'm pretty sure. Oh man. I freaked EVEN MORE. And let me tell you, YES, my lovely warm Arizona has plenty of scorpions. And then moving out to the boonies, Dad's house has had a few visitors (bugs). And as a child I've seen tons, but NEVER ever ever have any of us been BITTEN. Especially in the night, in a newly made and cleaned room. But it was the visitors room and no one is there usually. And I now I hear that scorpions like the cool sheets and a warm body. Heck, he was probably just trying to get his zzz's on. But, no, he totally BIT me. RUDE!!
Anyway, back to the story! Dad decided that since I was still hurting and it had been over an hour, and since we'd never experienced scorpion bites... we better head to urgent care. Yep. I mean, depending on the scorpion, some are fatal, usually the small ones, and this one was about 1-2 inches including tail. Dad killed it and put it in a bag. We drove to urgent care, but they weren't open. Gosh - that's another thing - why is it called Urgent Care if they're not open during the night?? Great. So, next up... the ER. Yup. That's right. Hadn't been there in years! And my arm was still really hurting. I didn't want anything touching it, I didn't move it, but just kept it braced out to the side of my body. It was getting stiff and asleep and tingly, but better than the pain that shoots up and down.

2 hours at the ER. And let me tell you - the ER isn't really quick! Gosh, here I was, just with my little wound, and they were attending to me ONLY. A few others came in, and they just told them to wait. One old lady in a wheelchair... I wonder, what if she was having a hard time breathing or something, would they continue to tell her to get in line?? The things I'm learning while I should be asleep! First, urgent care really isn't open when it's urgent... and then 2, the ER really is on slow motion and they just help whoever is in line. And it still took me 2 hours there!! I got admitted, had to put on the gown, and sit there. I just wanted to sleep. Yes...this is my vacation, gosh!! Stupid scorpion! :) Then... the doctor finally comes in, and rather than examining my arm or bum (thank you again!) he examines the scorpion. So, he gave us a 10 minute lesson on them... I tuned out... but the answer was that he's not a fatal scorpion biter "most likely". And with my symptoms as I described, it probably wasn't fatal. And the hospital doesn't really have medicine that can help me. Great! And then also, my wounds will probably hurt and be tingly for about 2 days. And maybe I'll be able to feel the soreness for 5-10 years if I'm not lucky. Great again. Oh man. So, we drove home after I paid the $100 co-pay - yay again right?? We tried to sleep for the hour that was left, but you can bet I didn't snooze too much till I took some Tylenol to basically knock me out. I kept checking for bugs. And the next night I did too.To top it all off, Dad had to give 2 lessons in church the next day, and I went with him. Yes, I'm hard core I guess. So, I was the "wounded one" at church and he told our story, so at least if I'm gonna pay $100, I might as well get a story for it and a bit of attention right? My thoughts exactly! By 6pm Sunday we all were dead and just got home and tried to keep our eyes open. Poor Diane had surgery last week and also was interrupted in her sleep and knowing how not well she sleeps, she also had only a few hours rest like dad and I. I'm glad for my Dad!! Thanks for staying up all night with me and enduring my Drama. hahah. I also saw mom on Sunday and she said I was acting totally "weird" - I wouldn't let her touch me, and was just sighing all the time, yeah, tuckered out I'm sure.

Other scary highlights of the visit - both ways, my plane ride was bad. Either 50 mph winds that almost sent us crashing into AZ, or delayed 2 hours getting back to UT. On my way back to Utah I told my flight row neighbors that they might not want to sit or fly with me because I haven't been very lucky lately. HHAHA, yeah, totally not lucky this vacation!!

But on a good note, I saw my family, had dinners, watched movies, made a movie with Eric, shopped, and did all I wanted...plus crammed in the other little bugger incident. And the other good note - my arm is fine!!! It didn't fall off, it doesn't hurt, and now I have a good story to tell. Hope you all enjoyed it! I told Dad & Diane that for next time they'll have to keep their pets in line a bit more and keep them outside, ok? Good night to all and really, watch out, don't let those bed bugs bite!