random story: I once accidentally touched a puss moth caterpillar [Megalopyge opercularis] ( I was moving something and didn't see it until after it happened) and it's been years since it happened but I just remember that the pain from it was so excruciating on my hand that I could only lay on my side and wait for the pain to pass.
Their sting does not mess around! What a great defense mechanism. Sorry you had to go through that, though, it sounds horrible! Obviously it was unavoidable in your case, but it's always wise to avoid touching fuzzy caterpillars unless you are confident you can positively ID it.
For those unfamiliar, we're talking about the puss caterpillar aka the southern flannel moth, which is found in the eastern United States from the very south of Pennsylvania down along the eastern states into the south and as far west as eastern Texas, plus down into Mexico. Caterpillars look like this:
Photo by cefuchs
