Parenthood can be pretty stressful.
You always want to keep your children safe and sheltered from any harm, but you also know that there is no way for you to guarantee with absolute certainty that no harm will come to them at all – especially when even caterpillars can be dangerous.
Andrea Pergola, a mother from Florida, made a post on Facebook on the 16th of June warning other people, especially parents, about the dangers of venomous caterpillars and other harmful bugs.
This is because of a terrifying incident that happened to Logan, her 15-year-old son.
The teenager was doing some landscaping work when he was stung by a caterpillar – a venomous caterpillar.
As Logan worked, he suddenly felt an excruciating pain rushing up his arm, and his wrist started to feel like it was on fire.
What happened next occurred very quickly.
In just five minutes, the color had drained from his skin, his eyes weren’t staying focused, and he was getting very dizzy.
He was also repeatedly complaining about an excruciating pain that was the worst he’d ever felt.
Pergola and her family noticed markings appearing on his wrist in a grid-like pattern.
She tried to wash the area off, but Logan’s condition only seemed to worsen.
She attempted to use so herbal remedies she knew, including one involving garlic, to treat the affected area, and Pergola’s father spotted the caterpillar that had done the deed and quickly got it into a bg with some gloves.
They then began to research exactly what the caterpillar was.
The results of their research revealed that it was a flannel moth caterpillar – known otherwise as a tree asp or puss caterpillar – and it was covered in poisonous hair.
It also had venomous glands and, the more grown it was, the more potent that venom would be.
That’s when Pergola and her family knew they had to get Logan to the emergency room, fast.
Luckily, they weren’t too far from the Florida Hospital, located in Zephyrhills.
Logan was admitted within half an hour after being stung, and doctors immediately knew what they had to do.
The University of Florida states that the flannel moth caterpillar is one of the most venomous in all of America.
Logan received medication in the form of Benadryl (a very large dose of it), prednisone, and even some medicines to prevent nausea.
These medications were administered through an IV.
The entire time, Logan was flitting in and out of consciousness, groaning in pain and begging for the pain to stop.
Although Pergola read that there had never been a human death from this particular venom, she was terrified.
For three hours, Logan was in a bad state, but he finally stabilized and was soon on the road to recovery.
Pergola then took to Facebook to warn other parents and people, especially those who love to spend their time outside like her family does, to be on the lookout for this caterpillar.
Logan is a very healthy boy weighing 100 pounds, so she worries about what a similar sting could do to a very small child.
Keep your family safe on your outdoor escapades!