Treating Scorpion Sting Holistically

 Before we moved to the scorpion territory, I did a lot of research about what to do if one of us got stung. Thankfully, for 2 years we never had to test any of the treatments personally, despite seeing a handful of scorpions every year. We'd just take them carefully outside where they belong. 

Now our family are more fully initiated to the low desert life. Not only have we survived summers where it is "cooling off" when it gets to the low hundreds, we've now experienced the sting of the Arizona Bark Scorpion. If you want to skip the story and background, I have a summary with a list of what we used at the bottom.

A Bit About Scorpions

First I want to dispel a few myths about scorpions. Scorpions aren't out to get humans. They eat insects (like cockroaches and grasshoppers) and would sooner run and hide from you than sting you. Of course, running and hiding can include inside the couch cushions or LEGO bin, which can get a little awkward. They have bad eyesight, and are usually hiding along edges of walls, shoes, piles of clothing and not in the middle of the floor. Coyote Petersen does a great job showing that scorpions don't want to hurt you unless pressured too and even freehandles a bark scorpion. They like to live in palm trees and are the only type of scorpion around here that can climb (so if you see one on your wall, it's easy to know what type you are dealing with).

Most scorpions in North America have a sting comparable to a bee sting. The exception is the Arizona Bark Scorpion. The antivenom is available at Arizona hospitals and the side effects can be serious and troubling. Some neighbors suggested that if a kid gets stung, it is best to just go over to the hospital just 3 minutes away just to be safe. Scorpions can choose how much venom to release, and every body will respond differently. Since kids are smaller, they are more likely to be effected worse by the venom.

Our Story

The Arizona Bark Scorpion that did the stinging...
after a night in the freezer

Let me start by saying I'm not making any medical recommendations, just telling our story of what happened to us. I had a hard time finding much info online when I was researching (probably in part to Google's filtering, which will still affect less biased search engines.) This is what tools I was grateful to know and chose to use for my kid. You do what is best for you and your family.

So, after our family movie night we were all doing a few things around the house and getting ready for bed. Suddenly, my 5 year old starts screaming. He was just walking across the room, no one else was near him and I couldn't see any thing around that could have hurt him. My first thought was that it much be some sort of bite or sting. He wasn't in a state to give me much feedback, but it was obvious that his leg was hurting so I pulled down his pants in case the culprit was inside and took him over to some remedies. 

I didn't even think about the hospital as an option. I was too busy trying to take care of the immediate problem and getting in the car wasn't on the list of potential solutions in my brain. Before I even knew the cause, I was going for the Apis Mellifica 200c homeopathic remedy. Before I was able to get to it, I happened to see the scorpion on the pants I'd pulled off and alerted my husband who immediately went to work capturing it. 

Now we knew for sure what we were dealing with. It was an experience I'd been dreading since before moving here and know my nightmare was reality. Through God's grace, I was able to stay calm and know what to do. Soon I had the dropper of Apis out and put a few drops near the area, knowing that getting him to hold still so I could do it on his tongue wasn't a viable option while he was screaming in pain. Unable to find the bentonite clay (good for pulling out toxins) at a glance in the cupboard, I grabbed the Apple Cider Vinegar and splashed it on, not caring about how much or how to get it on while he continued screaming. 

Still hoping to put some clay on it, I took him upstairs where I thought it might be. Still no luck, but there was more apple cider vinegar so I put more of that on for good measure. A friend had used ACV on her kids and found it to be the cure all in her situations, but we still needed something more. At this point he is still screaming and in a great deal of pain, but able to talk/cry about it in detail, which to me was a good sign. He described the pain as burning or worse than burning and hurting worse than a bee sting. While obviously still in intense pain, I knew that he needed more than TLC to get him through it so I left him for a few seconds to grab my essential oils. 

I remembered another friend when we first moved here recommended Frankincense Essential Oil so that is what I grabbed first. Again, not taking time to be careful with dilutions or application (and not even sure where the exact sting zone was) I just splashed a few drops in the area. This was this first thing that gave him noticeable relief . (Like I said before, I noticed positive effects from what we'd already been doing, but it wasn't noticeable from his perspective). 

By this time, he'd calmed down enough that TLC and mommy hugs was one of the more powerful things I could be doing to continue his recovery so I was grateful for other family members that were able to grab books and look up things for further treatment. Someone brought the homeopathics upstairs to me and I gave him some Hypericum Perforatum 200c, this time he was calm enough to talk it orally. I also mixed up a bit of bentonite clay (it was exactly where it was supposed to be, just not where I looked) and started lathering that on. 

Looking over the list of homeopathics revealed I'd already chosen the best options (I'd done the research before, but wanted to double check in case I forgot something). The EO book led me to the Purifying Blend essential oil (We don't use the Essential oils often, but they were still powerful after years of storage) which also provided noticable relief.

After all this, he was starting to get tired. This was a really good sign. A common side effect of these type of stings is anxiety and intense pain, so I knew there were no concerns with sleeping, especially since it was late. Even though he was doing fine, I wanted to have something on him working through the night so I wouldn't have to. I didn't have any plantain on hand, but that would have been my herb of choice. Instead I mixed some dried comfrey with more bentonite clay and purify essential oil, put it all over his leg, wrapped the tatters of an old cloth diaper around it and saran wrap over that. As I was wrapping he complained that it was actually hurting when I touched it...further investigation revealed that what was hurting was the itchy comfrey leaves not the sting (if itchy leaves are your worst problem less than an hour after getting stung, I'd say you are in good shape!). He was tired enough we decided he could try sleeping through it and if it bothered him, he could wake me up and I'd take it off. 

After we put him in bed, he got a Priesthood Blessing from his dad. He was asleep shortly after laying down. It had been less than an hour from screaming from terrible pain to fast asleep. In the middle of the night, after he'd been asleep about 3 hours, he woke up and wanted the itchy bandage off. I took it off and rinsed off his leg. No pain from the sting and no signs of it. He slept through the night and got up just as usual. The next morning there was no pain or complications.

Summary

After being stung by an Arizona Bark Scorpion, our 5 year old was in intense pain. Less than an hour later, we'd administered remedies we had on hand and he had little to no pain and was sleeping peacefully. I don't make any guarantees about how effective these were individually or collectively. I don't know how many times he was stung(scorpions can sting more than once) or how much venom was used. 

Here is a list of what we used:

• Apis Mellifica 200c homeopathic (a few drops near the sting site)
  
• Hypericum Perforatum 200c homeopathic (on the tongue)
  
• Apple Cider Vinegar (poured near the sting site)
  
• Bentonite clay (near sting site. Left on for many hours)
• Frankincense Essential oil (near sting site. Very effective)
• Purify Essential oil (near sting site. very effective)
• blend of clay, comfrey and purify essential oil (applied near sting site and left on for many hours to continue drawing out any residual poison)
• Priesthood Blessing 
• Plantain (didn't actually use this, but if I had it, I would have)
  
  
  
   
  

I'm really grateful for all the resources and friends that helped me know what tools to turn to when I needed them. I'm grateful we were able to effectively take care of this at home and hope that this may be helpful to someone else too.

Cloth Dipaper Misconceptions

I've been cloth diapering for over 3 years now, and still enjoy it! I have a clothes line now too so I can use the super powers of the sun and wind. (Those super powers include removing stains while drying clothes without effecting my energy bill). You can check out some of my other posts about cloth here.

I'll agree that cloth diapers aren't for everyone. If you are as passionate about disposable diapers as some are about politics and religion, then cloth is not for you. But otherwise, its worth considering.

First, I want  to clear up a few misconceptions. Then I'll share some other details in another post.

"I don't want to deal with poop"

If poop grosses you out that much, you might want to reconsider having children. Unless you have a full time nanny or you are really good at elimination communication, you will be dealing with poop. And whether you cloth diaper or not, raising children will include a fair amount of various bodily fluids, including poop. Just accept the fact that there will be things like pee, poo and throw up on clothes, in beds, and on you. Or cover your house, furniture and floor in plastic and wear a rain coat all the time.

That being said, cloth diapering has not increased the amount of poop I have to handle (unless I'm doing the flats and handwashing challenge). Breast fed poop is water soluble so it goes straight from babies bum to the wet bag to the washing machine. And since EBF poop is also more prone to blow outs, I highly recommend cloth diapering for as long as the baby is breastfed, even if you don't want to after. As far as dealing with more solid poops, there is a multitude of ways to do that.

"Cloth is too much work"

That's completely a matter of perspective. Choose the system that's best for your needs. You have to deal with the diapers before and after the baby wears them either way. Would you rather have more trips to the store(or online orders) or a bigger up front purchase and more laundry? Would you rather have more stinky garbage or laundry? And if laundry is your nemesis, there are cloth diaper washing services available, and probably neighbors that would be willing to do your diaper laundry for some extra income.

"Cloth smells funny"

This may be true if the wash routine needs tweaked. Otherwise, I prefer the smell of cloth over plastic but that's personal preference.s

Empowered Enough For Ears

My family and I tend to stay pretty healthy. I can't say exactly why for sure, but I have my suppositions. Healthy eating, foot zone therapy, emotional and spiritual healing and other practices are part of our lifestyle and probably contribute to preventing illness. I don't normally have dramatic or exciting stories because things don't get bad enough for dramatic recoveries. We like to stay in the realm of "good", "better", "fantastic" and occasionally dip down to "not so good",

But we aren't perfect and neither are our mortal bodies, so this month we've had some illness in our household. It probably could have been prevented, and once we started feeling sick, we probably could have done something to help create a faster recovery and milder sickness(I have before). But we didn't put forth much effort when we caught a cold. It was pretty mild anyways.

I stayed home from church with kids, not because I didn't feel up for it, but because I knew that there are people that are terrified of germs, and some have good reason to be. It would be a ironic shame if my newborn's sniffles resulted in something horrendous for someone else. A disease that is just a slight inconvenience for me could be a lot worse for someone else. So out of respect for other people, I spiritually fed myself at home instead of church. We also had nap time at a reasonable hour. (church recently switched to 1-4 pm and so toddler falls asleep around 5 or 6).

I think I was subconsciously (and a bit consciously) enjoying the excuse to relax and not do much. And while it isn't fun to see your kids sick, it is easy to care for a usually busy kid when all they want to do is sleep and cuddle. I was content to let a mild cold just run its course without much intervention, especially since the baby was the healthiest among all of us with barely noticeable symptoms. (Say what you will, but I attribute it to breastfeeding).

But my perspective drastically changed when my toddler started complaining about his ear.

One Size Fits All

Do you ever have one of those moments when you are in the middle of typing a facebook message, responding to a friend you haven't talk to in a long time and trying to make it meaningful and heartfelt when you accidentally hit enter before you were able to edit it? And then the smell of poop comes wafting up from under the computer desk where a toddler is sitting and you have to make the decision of whether to finish the letter in a thoughtful way or hurriedly finish, take the toddler before he manages to seep the mess onto the floor instead of just sitting in it, wash him off, let your mind wander about other things you want to write about and then when said toddler is clean and down for a nap you end up writing a blog post you have been meaning to write for a long time instead of the facebook message you started?

No? Well maybe it is just me then...I even managed to have make a number of connections from the facebook message to writing in my blog (like how I was writing to the person who introduced me to NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo is fun because I like to write. Because I like to write, blogging is an enjoyable activity. I have lots of things I have been planning to write blog posts about, so I should just do it!)

I Brush My Teeth With Mud

Yesterday, I mixed up a batch of toothpaste in my kitchen. Most people's response is one of three things:

1. Why would you do a thing like that? It is much better to trust the chemists that have come up with a careful formula to make sure our teeth our clean and healthy

2. That is intriguing. It sounds frugal, how and why do you do it?

3. I hate commercial toothpaste for many reasons. I want to make my own too!

Why I Make Toothpaste

 

I Have A Toddler

Once upon a time, when Critter was still little, barely starting solid foods and not getting into stuff as much as he does now, he was on the changing table while I prepared his diaper. I wasn't watching carefully for a split second and then I saw him with an open lotion container squeezing it into his mouth happily.

Flats and Handwashing 2013: What Did I Learn?

Even though I already use flats all the time and did this event last year, I still learned from it. The Flats and Handwashing Challenge has been a great experience and I'm glad I participated.

I learned (in no particular order):

•  that I can do hard things
• to be grateful for the resources I have
• that while it really isn't that difficult to hand wash diapers, it can still be one more thing that is just too much. Many times this week, my diapers have been clean but my house has not.
• that children deserve clean diapers, and there are plenty of alternatives to what is considered "the norm"
• I would rather use cloth diapers and hand wash than use disposables
• that I have a great deal of respect for moms and caretakers that do this full time
• I am extremely grateful for a supportive and helpful husband
• to appreciate my own parents more. Caring of children is hard work, regardless of the resources you do or don't have available.
• washing by hand is quicker than a machine
• drying in the house is a lot slower than a macine
• planning ahead and staying on top of things makes everything much easier
• the simplicity of going back to basics can be refreshing, even if it is also challenging
• I am most effective when I'm rotating through about a dozen diapers
• I'm grateful to have spare diapers available when I get behind on washing or want to take a trip or a day off
• I'm grateful for the "splurges" I have of a bamboo flat and nice covers (although the covers were more important last year)

I'm taking a day of rest from washing my diapers, so here is the pile I get to tackle tomorrow.

Other posts from the Flats and Handwashing Challenge 2013: 

Monday:  Why I decided to take the Flats and Handwashing Challenge 
Tuesday:  How did I Prepare?  Including a detailed list of supplies
Wednesday: Cloth Diapers Can Save the World! 

Thursday: Thoughts on Handwashing- How am I doing?
Friday- What is working for me?  What isn’t? 
Saturday- Baby vs. Toddler
Sunday- What did I learn/ How did it go?

Flats & Handwashing 2013: Baby vs. Toddler

I enjoyed doing the Flats and Handwashing Challenge last year too. Of course the experience was very similar in a lot of ways, but there are a lot of differences too. There were some differences in our overall situation too. We lived at a different place last year, and we have a cooler showerhead this year.

Baby

Baby

Of course, there are plenty of obvious differences in babies and toddlers. I was just getting used to  taking care of a baby and the whole diaper thing last year and this year I know what I'm doing. Here are the highlights of last year:

• Little babies are squirmy, but not as wiggly as a toddler
• Flats are still trim, but bulkier on a little baby
• Lots of diaper changes
• I could usually just fold the flat in quarters and wrap it around
• Breastfed poop is water soluable
• Don't need to pre rinse
• Lots more (and messier) poop to deal with

Toddler

 

I mentioned yesterday how Critter likes to "help" more this year. It is nice I can have him entertained nearby, but sometimes not so convenient. Here are other high lights.

• Less diaper changes! 
• More potty time
• Less frequency, more in the diapers
• Wiggly baby, but at least he is used to it. Sometimes he is half way across the room by the time the diaper is folded.
• I'm using different folds, ones with wings seem to work best
• Poop goes in the toilet now - hopefully his toilet :)

Either way, we are still enjoying the flats, and it is fun to see baby playing with the flats too :)

Other posts from the Flats and Handwashing Challenge 2013: 

Monday:  Why I decided to take the Flats and Handwashing Challenge 
Tuesday:  How did I Prepare?  Including a detailed list of supplies
Wednesday: Cloth Diapers Can Save the World! 

Thursday: Thoughts on Handwashing- How am I doing?
Friday- What is working for me?  What isn’t? 
Saturday- Baby vs. Toddler
Sunday- What did I learn/ How did it go?

Flats & Handwashing Day 5: How Goes It?

Today, for the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper laundry, I get to write about what is working and what isn't. 

Like I mentioned yesterday, there are certainly things I would change if I were doing this long term, but overall, I think things are going well. It takes some time, but that is OK. In fact, this week it has been good because then my baby can breath in the steam to help his congestion.

Rinsing in the tub (free toys included with toddler help!)

Handwashing (Flats Challenge 2013, day 4)

Handwashing diapers is definitely the biggest change to my normal routine since I already use flats. Like I said yesterday, the simplicity and back to basics approach is kind of a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the world. Even so, I think I would make some changes if I were to do this long term instead of just for a week.

Cloth Diapers Can Save The World! (Flats and Handwashing: Day 3)

What do George Orwell (author of 1984, Animal Farm and other satires) and I have in common? We both like to write (although in completely different styles) and we both believe that cloth diapers can save the world!

Ok, I know that sounds like a pretty grandiose claim (but I caught your attention, didn't I?). Let me explain how I believe this is all possible. Today's post for the Flats and Handwashing Challenge is going to take a step away from the logistics of it and talk about the beauty of cloth diapering!

Flats and Handwashing 2013: Day 2

For this weeks Flats and Handwashing Challenge, I have a variety of diapers and other tools I'm using. The diapers are ones I already use full time.

• 21 osocozy flats (we keep 3 in emergency storage) = less than $60
• 3 Walmart flour sack towels = less than $5
• 1 bamboo terry flat = about $13
• 4 covers = less than $40 
• 20 wipes = about $20
• Snappis = less than $5

Diaper & wipe total: less than $145
 

This is my stash. In case you were wondering, that is a BUM-ble bee on top. Tee-hee.

The bamboo flat is new, but I've been using everything else for quite some time. Most of the flats were used for the challenge last year too. We have a handful of prefolds we often incorporate, especially for nights.

I could get by with less if I wanted, but it is pretty awesome to realize that ALL my diapers from birth to potty training (and we can use them again on the next kid) cost just over $100. And I use the diapers and wipes as burp cloths, snot rags, nursing covers and whatever else is convenient at the time!

If I had sewing skills or really wanted to save more, I could easily save more money, but I think this is still a pretty good deal! My son is over 14 months old now, and we have only spent a little over $100 on diapers (I often found better deals than the prices listed above) and about $26 on wipes (I keep some dollar store disposable wipes on hand for traveling).

Usually I use a wetbag as well, but this week I'm just tossing stuff directly in the tub. There are also a few other items I'm using for hand washing that I use more than just this week, or for more than diaper purposes. You can see some pictures of them in action in yesterday's post.

• A super awesome showerhead that doubles as a diaper sprayer
• Mini plastic washboard = about $7
• Small green pail = $3
• Froggy Potty for conserving diapers a few times a day (and when we are lucky, making #2 easier to clean up)
• Clothes drying rack
• spray bottle with water + Essential Oils
• Country Save detergent

Even with splurges like a nice cover (I have the "Hoot" pattern), or a bamboo flat, I still feel like we are saving a lot of money compared to disposable diapers, plus I love that I don't need to ever go to the store to get diapers.

Airplane fold (just learned it on facebook) for our night time diaper!

Other posts from the Flats and Handwashing Challenge 2013:

Other posts from the Flats and Handwashing Challenge 2013: 

Monday:  Why I decided to take the Flats and Handwashing Challenge 
Tuesday:  How did I Prepare?  Including a detailed list of supplies
Wednesday: Cloth Diapers Can Save the World! 

Thursday: Thoughts on Handwashing- How am I doing?
Friday- What is working for me?  What isn’t? 
Saturday- Baby vs. Toddler
Sunday- What did I learn/ How did it go?

Flats And Handwashing Challenge 2013: Day 1

Part of what I love about cloth diapering is the community aspect. I can be surrounded by total strangers and some random mom sees a diaper peeking out of my son's pants and says "Oh! You do cloth! What type of diapers do you use?" We make a special trip to go and buy diapers and I'm friends with the person I buy from. How many parents do you know that look forward to buying diapers?

Then of course there are big events like the Great Cloth Diaper Change (So far I haven't been able to go because of scheduling, but I want to!) and the Flats and Handwashing Challenge. These sort of events make diapering a fun activity instead of just a drudgery to be endured. This year I'm excited to be participating in the Flats and Handwashing Challenge and to be blogging about it!

 

Blanket Forts and Lasting Relationships

I recently came across this article. It talks about how many young single adults are participating in dating activities which encourage them to act like children. Things like building blanket forts and going on scavenger hunts for group dates. The author points out that this culture may encourage prolonged adolescence and make the transition to married life difficult.

I beg to differ.

This fort represents the joy and happiness our family experiences as we play together. Like the fort, the play time is only temporary buy helps us enjoy time together as we build meaningful lasting relationships.

Baby Wearing Saved My Sanity

A year ago my baby was a little over a month. I felt like I was finally able to discern some of his needs and wants and knew how to help him to be happy. It was quite simple actually.

He wanted to be held. Constantly.

He wanted to be held while he ate. He wanted to be held while he was awake. He wanted to be held while he was asleep. He wanted to be held while his diapers were changed (that one didn't happen).

The problem was, I also have needs and wants. For some reason I had this idea that suddenly when I was able to stay at home all day I could be a perfect wife and mother. I would have all this time to clean the house, cook dinner, make bread, write blog posts, and occasionally take a shower. Problem was, most of these tasks couldn't be done while holding a baby. So I spent a lot of time online researching and writing with one arm while the other cradled my cute little Critter. Sometimes I would just let him cry so I could do some luxurious task like using the bathroom alone. Thankfully, I found a great solution to my problems!

Considering Cloth Diapers? Points to Ponder

Before Critter was born, we decided to look into cloth diapers. My husband wanted to save money, and I was pretty sure I wasn't interested in the idea, but I would look into it to make him happy.

I had no idea what I was getting into.

Who Are We? Part 3 - Our Potential

This the third part of a three part series. If you haven't already read the first two, make sure you check them out!

Who Are We? Part 1 - Little Children Are Alive In Christ
Who Are We? Part 2 - The Duality of Man

Suppose for a moment that I am a visitor from another planet. I have a tour guide that wants to show me some of the great things of this world. One of our first stops is to see an eagle.

"This bird is the great symbol of the United States of America," the guide explains. "Early in our nation's history, some of the leaders wanted the turkey to represent our great nation. Thankfully the eagle was chosen so we can have this majestic, powerful bird instead of a lowly turkey."

I stare at the birds in confusion. The choice seems far from clear to me, for this is what I've been presented with:



I share my confusion with my tour guide, "What manner of predators are around here? Are birds on the top of the food chain? Surely that tiny ball of fuzz with a beak is not as resilient as the turkey that proudly shows off its plumage! I see the turkey has wings to fly with, but the tiny eagle would only plummet to the ground if it was put in the air. What a messed up world this is!"

Who Are We? Part 2 - The Duality of Man

My last post was about the nature of little children. This post will delve more into the nature of people of every age.

There is a Native American legend that goes something like this:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil--he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

He continued, "The other is good--he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you--and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." (Cherokee Legend)

Who Are We? Part 1 - Little Children Are Alive In Christ

I would love to spend my time posting about how to make a perfect loaf of bread, delicious recipes, cloth diaper adventures, and how I keep my house completely spotless. But that isn't what I'm posting about today for a few main reasons:

1. I'm still busy reading other peoples' posts about a lot of those things before I know enough to write my own post. ;)
2. As awesome and important as a good loaf of bread is, there are other things of more eternal significance that have been weighing on my mind that I want to share.
3. My blog is written for anyone in the world to read, and as nice as warm bread and tasty meals are, they can't compare to the comfort and peace that comes from truth.

So now I'm going to proceed to share some things that are very dear to me in hopes that someone out there in the world can benefit from reading them. I'm planning to make this the first post in a series.

I've been seeing a lot of posts about "Are Babies Born Good?" and some fascinating studies supporting one side or the other. Since my baby isn't quite a year old yet, I know I am not the best person to write about these things from experience. I also realize that having a degree in education still doesn't amount to much next to the experience of many parents. However, I don't have to have years of experience as a mother or be versed in science to understand the scriptures and how God sees little children. If you want to see the wonderful post that inspired me to write this, click here. :)