I noticed a little bump on my leg while in the shower about 10 weeks ago, thought it was some kinda bruise. It got red and swelled up and I went to a dermatologist and he said it might be a spider bite. Well, to make a long story short, several weeks and 3 different doctors and numerous anti-botics later, on Friday last week I had surgery on a brown recluse spider bite and have a hole about 3" by by 2" in my leg and don't know when I will be able to go back to work. Please, if you ever have any type of skin irritation that won't heal in a few days get to a hospital and get it checked out.
humeco
If in fact it was a "Recluse" you are fortunate to be posting! Spent much time in Miami and the Keys and have seen more than enough of the damage one spider can do. Heal well. Saying be careful is obvious BUT sometimes a story such as yours will make us more aware! Last week one of our guys found a 10" baby Coral snake (alive) in a bale of pinestraw. You all know the potency of smaller snakes! We turned it over to the small local zoo for positive ID. Ugh! Coulda been ugly
Another reason why I perfer the change of season atmosphere. Those little buggers cant survive the winter.
although ive never been biten by a brown recluse, i have gotten several spider bites, and they hurt really bad. The best thing you can do is sit in a hot tub or shower and sometimes it will aid in the draining. they can be very painful.
Hope you get well soon, humeco. Sounds like you got quite a hole there. My bite eventually healed on its own, but it took a long time, the meat around the bite finally just deteiorated and fell off, not pretty.
Ack! Those things give me the creeps, and I know we have tons of em in our house, old house, big attic, and they're in Oklahoma all the time. I hate even thinking about em.
Hank
Hank
I got a brown recluse bite when I was in fifth grade. My mom, who is a home-medic genious, treated like a boil. We kept castor oil on it 24-7 and a couple weeks later the doctors said they've never seen one heal that quickly. It was right above my knee in the quad muscle tissue. Nine years later I still have a scar and am able to stick a safety pin in one tooth hole and out the other. It makes for a fun way gross out the college ladies.
Glad to hear you are doing better. Brown Recluse Spider bites cause tissue necrosis around the bite. The longer it goes untreated the worse it gets.
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That's a nasty leg Ray .... kinda like my partner's leg looked when he got hit
hard to believe this little guy can $%#@ one up
gota story u guys might not believe.
Friend of mine, his wife was in back yard and noticed her 2 year old hada frog and was pullin on the thing.. she turned away and realized someting wasnt right. She turned back around, went over and noticed that a 4 foot copperhead had the other end of the frog. Talk abouta tug of war!!! Needless to say... the frog and the snake both died.
Friend of mine, his wife was in back yard and noticed her 2 year old hada frog and was pullin on the thing.. she turned away and realized someting wasnt right. She turned back around, went over and noticed that a 4 foot copperhead had the other end of the frog. Talk abouta tug of war!!! Needless to say... the frog and the snake both died.
Thanks for posting that pic Kirby. Now I know what critter got me last summer. Happened when I was camping but didn't feel the actual bite. This funky area on my shin just kept growing and growing until finally when it got the size of a silver dollar, I had one of my doctor customers look at it and he put me on a anti-biotic. Had flu like symptoms for about 2 days. Now I freak when I get tangled up in spider webs while I'm mowing.
LAWNS AND MOWER
LAWNS AND MOWER
Hey, "The Lawn Choupique" if you got bit by one you would probably go to the doctor too. Or at least think about it.
Now to the bite down here in south Louisiana they have alot of those and Black Widows. I got bit by a brown recluse and it was not nice. I didn't go to the doctor but I thought about it. I removed alot of dead flesh around the bite before it started to heal. It took about 8 weeks for it to heal pretty good. But it was still open about 3 months after or more. It still left a nasty scar. What is really scary is the symptoms and affects can come back later I believe. I seen something on TV about it and this guy had got bitten by one and a year after he had a huge bloody blister on his back it appeared in only couple hours while he slept. Oh well enough blabbing
Now to the bite down here in south Louisiana they have alot of those and Black Widows. I got bit by a brown recluse and it was not nice. I didn't go to the doctor but I thought about it. I removed alot of dead flesh around the bite before it started to heal. It took about 8 weeks for it to heal pretty good. But it was still open about 3 months after or more. It still left a nasty scar. What is really scary is the symptoms and affects can come back later I believe. I seen something on TV about it and this guy had got bitten by one and a year after he had a huge bloody blister on his back it appeared in only couple hours while he slept. Oh well enough blabbing
CSRA sent me this thread since I got my very own brown recluse mugging yesterday while transplanting azaleas for a lady in our neighborhood. So far mine is only a black spot in the middle of a red ring. Been to our doc, Frank, and he wasted no time in prescribing antibiotics and steroids, plus injected cortisone under the redness. Said that would keep it from getting necrotic (his office nurse said "neurotic", she might be more right! lol).
At the time I didn't feel the bite, either.
At the time I didn't feel the bite, either.
One of my customers was bitten last summer. She had the same symtoms as you. After they figured out what it was she spent a week in the hospital and had hole the size of a silver dollar and about 1.5 inches deep after the surgery.
She is still alive but was out of commisson for about a month.
She is still alive but was out of commisson for about a month.
We have them in our house too.
We have the pest control guy out every couple of weeks in the warmer months. The Brown Recluse likes to hide out in attics, crawlspaces (any dark areas) but once it get hot outside...look out! They come out and you'll find them in the sinks and bathtubs...looking for water (and A/C), I guess. When we first moved in to this house we never saw them-but once the temperature hit about 95 degrees they were everywhere! Talk about paranoid! Upon going to bed, lift up you pillow, and see one sitting there...yikes! You learn quickly to 'shake' out your clothes before putting them on once you find one in your underwear drawer. Or pull a bowl out of the cabinet to eat some cereal...and there is one sitting in it! Found one in the dog food dish the other morning!
If you live in the south and don't think you have them just get some of those "sticky" insect traps, put then in the corners of your rooms, your closets, and up in the attic (and basement), and be prepared for a rude awakening. The reason you place the traps along baseboards, in corners, and in windowsills is because the like to follow edges...as their eyesight is poor. Must be those extra eyes or something......
Oh yeah, they are not as "reclusive" as you might think. I was watching TV on the couch one night, caught something out of the corner of my eye...and a big ol' BR was sitting one the arm of the couch...watching the History Channel with me. Lights, noise, movement...they are not the least bit fazed.
It's is not nearly as bad as when we first moved in because we had the entire house fogged and dusted in between the walls and up in the attic. We also had all the trees that were overhanging the house removed. Still, even with repeated and regular treatments we are using the traps...and still catching them. They are vey hardy...and hard to eliminate.
We have the pest control guy out every couple of weeks in the warmer months. The Brown Recluse likes to hide out in attics, crawlspaces (any dark areas) but once it get hot outside...look out! They come out and you'll find them in the sinks and bathtubs...looking for water (and A/C), I guess. When we first moved in to this house we never saw them-but once the temperature hit about 95 degrees they were everywhere! Talk about paranoid! Upon going to bed, lift up you pillow, and see one sitting there...yikes! You learn quickly to 'shake' out your clothes before putting them on once you find one in your underwear drawer. Or pull a bowl out of the cabinet to eat some cereal...and there is one sitting in it! Found one in the dog food dish the other morning!
If you live in the south and don't think you have them just get some of those "sticky" insect traps, put then in the corners of your rooms, your closets, and up in the attic (and basement), and be prepared for a rude awakening. The reason you place the traps along baseboards, in corners, and in windowsills is because the like to follow edges...as their eyesight is poor. Must be those extra eyes or something......
Oh yeah, they are not as "reclusive" as you might think. I was watching TV on the couch one night, caught something out of the corner of my eye...and a big ol' BR was sitting one the arm of the couch...watching the History Channel with me. Lights, noise, movement...they are not the least bit fazed.
It's is not nearly as bad as when we first moved in because we had the entire house fogged and dusted in between the walls and up in the attic. We also had all the trees that were overhanging the house removed. Still, even with repeated and regular treatments we are using the traps...and still catching them. They are vey hardy...and hard to eliminate.
Before working in the lawn care field, I worked on an ambulance as an EMT for the state of Indiana. We were taught about spiders. There are two kinds to worry about in the US. Black widows and brown recluse.
BROWN RECLUSE:
Dull brown in color, smaller than black widow. Has a dark violin-shaped mark on it's back. Mostly found in the Southern and Central US, but moving to other areas of the US. They live in dark areas, corners, unused buildings, woodpiles, under rocks, etc. Bite area not painful at the time of the bite. There should be no vomiting, nausea, breathing difficulty, or other problems that are common with black widow bites. The bitten area will beome red, swollen, and tender. It will develop a pale, white/bluish center. A small blister may form. Then the ulser develops. Quick treatment from a doctor can keep the patient from developing the ulser.
BLACK WIDOW:
These are not large spiders, approx. 1 inch long with legs extended. It is a glossy black and has a bright red-orange marking in the shape of an hourglass on it's abdomen. They are found in every state except Alaska. They prefer dry, dim places around buildings, in woodpiles, and among debris. This type of bite is sometimes overlooked because the victim may not recall the bite because the area may become numb after the bite. Usually, though, there is pain at the area of the bite. The venom is poison to nerve tissue and attacks the spinal nerve centers. The symptoms are:severe cramps, tightness in the chest, breathing difficulty over the first 24 hours. Dizziness, sweating, vomiting, nausea, skin rashes also occur.
Death is not common. These bites are more dangerous to children or elderly.
This bite is very painful. If the site of the bite can be identified, apply ice to this area. Get the person to the Emergency Room as soon as possible.
If you kill the spider, it is useful to bring it to the Emergency Room with you. This goes for snakes, too, if you ever need snake bite treatment. Do not endanger yourself further by trying to catch it.
I hope this helps you guys. Sorry it's a long post, just thought you might be interested.
STAY SAFE!
BROWN RECLUSE:
Dull brown in color, smaller than black widow. Has a dark violin-shaped mark on it's back. Mostly found in the Southern and Central US, but moving to other areas of the US. They live in dark areas, corners, unused buildings, woodpiles, under rocks, etc. Bite area not painful at the time of the bite. There should be no vomiting, nausea, breathing difficulty, or other problems that are common with black widow bites. The bitten area will beome red, swollen, and tender. It will develop a pale, white/bluish center. A small blister may form. Then the ulser develops. Quick treatment from a doctor can keep the patient from developing the ulser.
BLACK WIDOW:
These are not large spiders, approx. 1 inch long with legs extended. It is a glossy black and has a bright red-orange marking in the shape of an hourglass on it's abdomen. They are found in every state except Alaska. They prefer dry, dim places around buildings, in woodpiles, and among debris. This type of bite is sometimes overlooked because the victim may not recall the bite because the area may become numb after the bite. Usually, though, there is pain at the area of the bite. The venom is poison to nerve tissue and attacks the spinal nerve centers. The symptoms are:severe cramps, tightness in the chest, breathing difficulty over the first 24 hours. Dizziness, sweating, vomiting, nausea, skin rashes also occur.
Death is not common. These bites are more dangerous to children or elderly.
This bite is very painful. If the site of the bite can be identified, apply ice to this area. Get the person to the Emergency Room as soon as possible.
If you kill the spider, it is useful to bring it to the Emergency Room with you. This goes for snakes, too, if you ever need snake bite treatment. Do not endanger yourself further by trying to catch it.
I hope this helps you guys. Sorry it's a long post, just thought you might be interested.
STAY SAFE!
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