spiderbite

davey72

davey72

The Living Force
I was bit by what i presume was a spider yesterday. Yesterday morning about this time i was collecting grasses, and weeds to feed my pigs. I felt a sting, and pain inside my wrist. a few hours later ther was something like a zit on my wrist which i popped. Black puss came out. Upon waking, and scratching all night my forearm is pretty swollen about six inches down from my wrist and the bite. I am also feeling achy, or like i have a mild flu, and sore in the joints. Speaking to the hospital, they figure i need to go, but of course they would say that. Another person says it will go away on its own. This happened in central Alberta, so there arent many spiders to choose from. I am wondering what i should do?

EDIT: not sure if this should have been in the health thread.
 

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Maybe you should go have it checked out Davey. If the area you got bit is getting bigger, it might be traveling. I got bit by a spider 2 years ago and had a reaction similar to yours with a small part of my arm turning black. I had to go on antibiotics for it.
 
Go to the hospital, Davey. The black pus and amount of swelling that you have is highly indicative of an infection. It would be best to start antibiotics before it gets worse.
 
Recently I watched on youtube videos about spider bites and it is not something to joke around with, just type on youtube spider bites and there is bunch of gruesome videos of bites and infections growing if untreated, especially of those bigger or deadlier spiders, you should treat it asap.
For example: there is graphic content so do not watch it if sensitive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF4wIRUTEwo
 
Odyssey said:
Go to the hospital, Davey. The black pus and amount of swelling that you have is highly indicative of an infection. It would be best to start antibiotics before it gets worse.
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Yeah, have your blood checked for Lyme (borrelia) antigens also. As I've been reading a lot about Lyme disease lately, the evidence shows that also e.g. spiders and mosquitos can infect you with Lyme disease. If it can be diagnosed at an early stage, proper antibiotics will take care of it.
 
Yes, I agree with the others, please go to the hospital. And please, give us news how you are. Spiders can be dangerous. That's why they are so ugly.
 
I agree with the others, but would like to add that it may have been a scorpion.
Same result though.
 
davey72 said:
I was bit by what i presume was a spider yesterday. Yesterday morning about this time i was collecting grasses, and weeds to feed my pigs. I felt a sting, and pain inside my wrist. a few hours later ther was something like a zit on my wrist which i popped. Black puss came out. Upon waking, and scratching all night my forearm is pretty swollen about six inches down from my wrist and the bite. I am also feeling achy, or like i have a mild flu, and sore in the joints. Speaking to the hospital, they figure i need to go, but of course they would say that. Another person says it will go away on its own. This happened in central Alberta, so there arent many spiders to choose from. I am wondering what i should do?

EDIT: not sure if this should have been in the health thread.
Click to expand...
Yes see a doctor because black puss is not a good sign.
For the scratching and itchiness, I've had very good success with a 50/50 mixture of neem oil and tea tree oil applied right on the bite. This especially works well for fire ant bites and spider bites.
Keep us updated.
 
I agree with the others; probably best to have some labwork and AB; it could develop into a nasty infection if untreated.
 
Yes, spider bites can be very dangerous (if it was indeed a spider). Whatever it was that bit you, you should be on the safe side and get it checked out and taken care of. Also make sure you aren't allergic to any antibiotics they would give you.
 
It looks pretty bad. In addition to all the other things that may help, start taking vitamin C. Good for inflammation.
 
Looks nasty! My mother was in hospital for 4 days after a white tail spider bite in New Zealand and they are small critters but have a nasty poison in them.

One way to tell if the redness is spreading is to mark the egdes of it with a black felt tip marker. This is what some doctors do even if you are treated with antibiotics.

It makes me wonder what we would do if this happened and we couldnt get medical attention. I always have antibiotics on hand - flucloxacillin and doxycyline for skin infections and sinusitus (not that I have needed to take anything for 3 years) and I take these with me when travelling. I also keep on hand antihistamines and prednisone in case of anaphylactic reation.

I think massive doses of vitamin c and a bit of zinc but I dont know if anything applied externally would work as the infection gets into the system and can lead to cellulitis.

Hope all ok davey72. We all on standby to hear outcome. :)
 
If I were you, I would go immediately to the doctor, because the stings and bites of most insects and spiders are generally harmless and are primarily a nuisance, usually in the form of swelling of the skin and itching that can take up to several days. Such a reaction is the result of the injection of saliva or poison insects in the skin, but can also occur more serious reactions, such as fever, painful joints, swollen glands, swollen face, difficulty in breathing or shock, there may be very serious complications. In such cases, only one sting can cause severe shocks or lead to anaphylactic shock, which is life-threatening.
Please report the news. :hug2:
 
Thanks for the replies. I didnt end up going to have it checked. I guess i kinda felt silly about it, and went into my old programming response which is to let it run its course, and develop any needed antibodies. The problem with this is that i have not been eating properly for some time. I also decided to pick up my new vehicle instead. It wouldnt be a scorpion in Alberta. What Aaragorn said about lyme disease has me worried now. I wonder if its too late to have it checked out? It is sunday in the country though, and i am supposed to work today. I am still achy, and feeling flu like. The arm is still swollen, but not quite as itchy. I wonder how long is too long to treat lyme disease?

EDIT: I am living at an old junkyard right now, so maybe the spider was radioactive, and well you know what that means.
 
Tracy Anne said:
It makes me wonder what we would do if this happened and we couldnt get medical attention. I always have antibiotics on hand - flucloxacillin and doxycyline for skin infections and sinusitus (not that I have needed to take anything for 3 years) and I take these with me when travelling. I also keep on hand antihistamines and prednisone in case of anaphylactic reation.

I think massive doses of vitamin c and a bit of zinc but I dont know if anything applied externally would work as the infection gets into the system and can lead to cellulitis.
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Keeping a stock of antibiotics on hand is always a good idea. There may be a time when medical attention is quite difficult to find.

Here's some good info on spider bites with a bit quoted here:

The treatment for spider bites includes:

Washing the area of the bite thoroughly
Applying ice to painful and swollen areas
Pain medications such as acetaminophen/Tylenol
Enforcing bed rest
Warm baths for those with muscle cramps (black widow bites only; stay away from applying heat to the area with brown recluse bites)
Antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection

Home remedies include making a paste out of baking soda or aspirin and applying it to the wound. Dried basil has also been suggested; crush between your fingers until a fine dust and apply to the bite. One naturopath uses Echinacea and Vitamin C to speed the healing process. Be aware that these methods may be variable in their effect from patient to patient.

There are various devices and kits available that purport to remove venom from bite wounds. Unfortunately, these suction devices are generally ineffective in removing venom from wounds. Tourniquets are also not recommended and may be dangerous. Although antidotes known as “antivenins” (discussed in the section on snakebite) exist and may be life-saving for venomous spider and scorpion stings, these will be scarce in the aftermath of a major disaster. Luckily, most cases that are not severe will subside over the course of a few days, but the sickest patients will be nearly untreatable without the antivenin. Be especially careful when reaching into piles of debris or leaf litter; look closely before you leap.
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Keep the bolded part in mind, Davey, the next time you are digging around for weeds. You might want to disturb the area with a rake first to scare away any critters and wear some long, protective gloves.
 
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