Having a restful sleep will never be the same...

I lived in a tent outdoors on Kauai for 5 years and was never bitten by a spider or centipede. Now I have a comfortable apartment with all the amenities one could want.

On a night where I had just eaten my first Kauai wild chicken, I prayed I would make it through the night without getting sick from the chicken, my prayer was answered...

However there was another problem to be, that I could never had imagined.
I awoke in the middle of the night with a stinking pain in my neck, it got worse, I took off my sweat shirt I was sleeping in, and a centipede fell out, it bit me in the neck and arm pit, I was hurting. The pain was excruciating and getting worse instead of getting better.

I live alone with my dog, so I called 911, they advised to not panic and asked if I wanted an ambulance, I told them I live 2 minutes from a hospital emergency room and they advised if I could, to go to emergency. You can see the hospital from my backyard, I proceeded to walk, and although a short walk of 2 minutes it seemed to take forever.

The hospital was expecting me and since I was the only one there, they rushed me through the paperwork and was able to see a doctor within 5 minutes of my arrival. The doctor had never seen a centipede bite with such a firm grip, and right next to my Adam's apple, of which could had been fatal just a centimeter closer.

They injected my neck with Marcaine, a numbing agent that many dentists use. The numbing should last around 6 hours and the venomous sting should last around 4 hours is what I was told, the pain was relieved. Then I began to sweat and became dizzy and faint, the doctor got me to lay down and covered my forehead with a cold towel. I was told I probably fainted because of seeing a needle go into my neck, not because of the bite itself.

The nurse told me centipede's like bedding, and if you live on Kauai, you should always shake out your bedding before retiring for the evening, or for that matter anytime. Ironically I had just changed my bedding the day before.

I would like to thank Dr. Pokroy and nurse Linda who work at Mahelona emergency, graveyard shift, for their prompt attention to a scary and life threatening matter.

Having a restful sleep will never be the same.