A Lakeside woman got a nasty surprise as she reached into her backpack, and it landed her in the emergency room.
For Tannya Sloter, a numb thumb is one reminder of an unexpected encounter Tuesday afternoon inside the bedroom of her home.
"The pain was excruciating. It felt like somebody drilled a hole into my thumb," said Sloter.
Sloter left her backpack on the floor and started going through it.
"When I put my hand in a pocket, there was something sharp, so I pulled my hand out," said Sloter.
Moments later, she saw a brown scorpion -- about the size of a half-dollar -- moving on the floor.
"Then my thumb started to turn red and blue," said Sloter.
Paramedics took her to the ER. The numbness in the thumb expected to go away.
The sting also caused an allergic reaction -- a case of the hives.
Her encounter with a scorpion was not the first. Her family has spotted four other scorpions this summer, including one in a corner next to the front door and another one in a dog bed in a bedroom.
The numbers of scorpions in the home have gone up each of the last two summers.
Sloter's story was posted and shared on the East County Brushfire Partyline Facebook page.
Soon after, there was a flood of responses, including numerous photos of scorpion sightings in the past two months.
One was found on a pillow, while another was discovered in a pool. One woman said her niece was stung last week.
Experts say hot weather usually leads to more scorpion activity.
The head of California's Poison Control System at UC San Diego says they haven't seen an increase in stings this year, but added that most scorpion stings don't require treatment and aren't reported.
