Spider Bite?

[Tango]

Late this morning I was bitten by something. It was extremely painful and remains so but the pain is localized to the area. Other than pain there was intense burning, swelling, redness, and numbness intially. An hour after the bite, and perhaps due to the swelling, the itching started. The pain did extend to my knee but mostly stays below my ankle. The bite was at the bottom side of my foot. I stepped on something apparently. At first I could only see one mark but now I clearly see two marks: two fang marks possibly. Intense pain extends three inches from the fang marks. the swelling, redness, numbess, and itching have subsided but the pain has not. I've searched the net and asked elsewhere but haven't been able to positively identify what bit me. I have been previously bitten by a pygmy rattler and this experience was not the same. Can anyone with spider bite experience shed some light on this for me? Could it have been a black widow?

[countrygrrrl]

I don't know, Tango, but you really might want to do a quick search on brown fiddler bites and make sure what you have does NOT look like that.

A cousin of mine's daughter was bit by a brown fiddler --- it was bad enough that she ended up having to have physical therapy and skin grafts. You absolutely don't want to go there and, if by chance, you already have, you need medical help NOW. NO DELAY!

[countrygrrrl]

Oops, i meant brown recluse (I haven't had my afternoon tea ) ---

This site will show the stages of a brown reclyse bite --- if yours looks anything like the first, get to a doctor. !!!

http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic547.htm

[Tango]

Thanks for your quick reply cg. My searching yielded information on the brown recluse and it sounded like that was the culprit- it was my first thought. But they are not in my area and according to someone who was bitten by one, the site would have blistered by now.

Sounds like a Brown Recluse Spider--yes, definitely go see a doctor.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061.html

[countrygrrrl]

Check the pics on the site and watch it. Seriously. !!! If it starts getting worse, get to the doc!

Here's everything crossed it's just a daddy longlegs bite. *thinking good thoughts for Tango, thinking good thoughts for Tango ... *

[Cyngbaeld]

If you have some wood charcoal that you can powder and mix up a poltice (corn starch or flour will hold it together) , put that on thickly and if you have any capsules of activated charcoal go ahead and take them. It will draw whatever poison there is out. It will also ease the pain. If it continues to worsen, do go to a doc.

[Tango]

Wow thank you cg and RAC. The pics are dead on. I searched on google more specifically and came across carbon copies of my bite. Brown recluse are not supposed to be in Florida so I was looking for black widow bite photos. Now I have to do some honest figuring. I know the emergency room will be a couple of hundred. I would rather wait for my personal physician in the morning. Seems the treatment initially is cephalaxin. I'm going to do Cyngbaeld's treatment (thanks) I've got the charcoal. Do you think I have the time to morning??? YEs???

[mary,tx]

Except for the marks, my guess would have been that you stepped on a wasp.
I've only been bitten by a spider once, and it was a wolf spider mad because it was in the shower when I turned it on. Come to think of it, that felt like a wasp. If you do, by any means, have brown recluse, or black widows in your area(as we do), they are dangerous. If you have any streaking from the sore, you should seek medical advice immediately.
mary

[mary,tx]

Marcia, I hate to say it, but if it is, indeed, brown recluse, then you do not have time to wait. I knew a man, albeit elderly, who died from a brown recluse bite, after being sent home from the hospital. So be sure and tell them what you suspect. Maybe you could at least call down there and ask for advise. Or call your doctor for advise if he returns after hours calls.
mary

[WolfWalksSoftly]

My GF was just bitten by a Brown Recluse last week. Fortunately I have a medical background and had seen this type of bite before. Luckily the steroids altered how she reacted to the bite and there was no tissue loss at all.
Some people have severe tissue loss and others do not. I would suggest going to a Doctor ASAP and get some steroids and antibiotics just in case.
I hope all works out well for you.

BTW.. Only activated charcoal is effective and only then to absorb something that is in your stomach,not something that attacks a concentraded area or is in your blood stream.

One thing to remember is that spiders can and do probably migrate just like any other pest--in this case, you could have been unpacking an old box of books or other items and they were in there....

Also, some people have no reaction, and others have severe reactions. If I were reacting like you describe, I would see a doctor. For a child, no questions, see a doctor. I have seen some people get very ill from spider bites, and you don't want any other infections getting in there. Rather than the emergency room, another option is the "urgent care" center, if you have them in your area. Much less $$ than an emergency room visit, and often covered by insurance if you have it.

I'm thinking of you too.

[Tango]

Originally Posted by mary,tx

Except for the marks, my guess would have been that you stepped on a wasp.
mary

I thought so at first also. But I've been stung by wasps, bees, and hornets, and have never reacted this way. It has been almost six hours and the pain has not subsided. It is just as bad right now as it was when I was bitten.

[countrygrrrl]

Originally Posted by Tango

I thought so at first also. But I've been stung by wasps, bees, and hornets, and have never reacted this way. It has been almost six hours and the pain has not subsided. It is just as bad right now as it was when I was bitten.

Please go to the doctor. If need be, I'll send you the money! Seriously and absolutely no problem --- it would be out of my very healthy emergency fund --- just go to the doctor. Now!!!!! :yeeha:

[Ravenlost]

Why aren't you on the way to the ER yet???

I knew a woman who was bitten by a brown recluse in Wal Mart. SHe got immediate medical help, but lost so much tissue they couldn't save her finger.

Isn't your foot worth more than $200???

[Ken Scharabok]

Unless you are allergic to it, start taking Benedrill (spelling) until you can get to a doctor ASAP. Let them know it is an emergency and you can't wait a couple of days. I was bitten by a brown recluse (almost certainly) on one temple and the temple area turned purple like a birthmark for several weeks. Fortunately the skin recovered by itself. I felt absolutely no bite nor any pain. Just woke up the next morning and said, hunnnnnn when I looked in the mirror.

Ken Scharabok

[cathyharrell]

Years ago something bit me. I don't know what. I took my sweater off and saw a dime size wet wound in the bend of my elbow. I didn't think much about it but by night I had fever and my elbow swelled so big you couldn't see the wrinkles in the back of my elbow. I went to the emergency room and Dr. Green gave me some big green pills. I wish I could remember what they were. I don't remember if he gave me a shot or not. I was sick. Whatever he gave me fixed me though and I only have the dime shaped scar in the bend of my elbow. I always wondered if it was a brown recluse. I would go to the doctor too. Better safe than sorry.

[tallpines]

We don't have them in our area either but a firefighter got bit right in the fire station and ended up in a coma for months.
Hope you're at the E.R. right now.

Please do not wait to see your doctor tomorrow if you believe it was a brown recluse. They have a toxin in their poison which can severly damage the surrounding skin and muscle area. Seeing that the bite is on your foot exposes you to a greater risk of developing necrotic (emphasis on the ROT part) skin sores that will not heal and will have to be cut out. I have the scar to prove it because I thought a little spider bite wouldn't hurt me...

[sancraft]

Please go to the emergency room tonight. If it is a brown recluse, waiting until tomorrow can cause irreparable damge. And please keep us informed on what happens. I will be praying for you.