kansasskydiver 0 #1 July 25, 2005 Has anyone ever been bit by one and what were the symptoms? I was bit by something at the dropzone last night and woke up to a rather swollen bite mark. Unsure what the blisters were at first I ignored them (i.e. I was hung over) then once I finally got up realized what had happen. Our dz has a rather large community of them, or so I've been told, I can't identify them myself, they're all just nasty critters I don't like. I'm a bit worried as the effects aren't pretty. I don't feel the need to go to the ER and spend $1000 so I'll have to drive to my hometown tomorrow and have it checked out, but without the spider, or even seeing it, I have no idea what bit me. I can see the fang marks, about a 1/4 inch apart. The total area is 1/2 inch long and only red around the blisters, the blisters themselves are starting to turn to a brownish color. I'm just worried is all, so if you've been bitten by one, please give me good news<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amanda965 0 #2 July 25, 2005 Ewww, that gives me the willys! Good luck, I hope you are able to heal quickly. Here is the link to a fact sheet from OSU hospital with signs and symptoms. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061.htmlBlue skies and SAFE landings! ~Amanda~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sinker 0 #3 July 25, 2005 i'm not sure of all the symptoms of a brown recluse bite, but they're quite poisonous. what you described could easily be a b.r. bite. we have a lot of them in Nashville... my neighbor actually swallowed one whole that had crawled into his Pepsi can... he got violently ill and had to be hospitalized. they found the spider in his emesis. gross. if you saw the spider, they're quite easy to recognize. they have a tell-tale violin or guitar shape on their backs, starting from their head and going backwards. (not to their butts). and they don't get too big from what I have seen. you've probably read this but,,,,, here's what i found... Human reactions to a brown recluse bite vary considerably and depend on the amount of venom injected by the spider and the victim's sensitivity to the venom. A painful reaction can occur almost immediately, but often the victim won't realize they have been bitten for an hour or more. Victims usually describe a stinging sensation followed by intense pain. A small white blister usually develops at the site of the bite. The affected area swells and becomes hard to the touch. This tissue dies and eventually sloughs away, leaving a sunken, ulcerated sore of various sizes. The typical reaction has been described by physicians as unremarkable or mild and covers an area less than the size of a dime. In a small percentage of cases (less than 5 percent) the sore covers a larger area. Medical attention should be obtained as soon as possible after a bite occurs. Prompt medical attention can prevent severe reactions and lessen the long-term effects. Healing takes place slowly, requiring six to eight weeks. Fatalities are rare. -the artist formerly known as sinker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Feeblemind 1 #4 July 25, 2005 Dude!!! get your ass to the ER like right F*CKING NOW! The bites causes the tissue to die slowly (I had a friend lose half of his calf and he went to the ER right away). This is nothing to screw around with especially if you can see the puncture marks nad there are small blisters forming. If it's not a brown recluse and some other type your in good shape, if it is a brown recluse and you do not seek treatment till later you'll regret it. http://health-pictures.com/Brown-recluse-spider-bite.htm www.brown-recluse-spiders.com/ Fire Safety Tip: Don't fry bacon while naked Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vamp 0 #5 July 25, 2005 My mom was bitten by a BR a few years ago and put off seeing the doctor for a couple of days. Big mistake, Ended up with quite a mess, many meds, and if I recall correctly a small amount of surgery to remove some of the dead tissue in her arm. Better safe than sorry. See a doc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bisqit999 0 #6 July 25, 2005 just take some ibuprofen and walk it off. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hexadecimal 0 #7 July 25, 2005 One of my friends was bitten twice, and his girlfriend was bitten once... both of them had to make regular trips to the hospital (daily) to have the wounds packed with gauze and cleaned... pretty painful/nasty stuff. The second bite hospitalized my friend for over 2 weeks because they were afraid the venom had made it's way into his blood stream. Get it checked out... better safe than sorry. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #8 July 25, 2005 I met a guy who had been bitten 4 or 5 times by a B.R. He waited some 4 or 5 days before finally going to the ER. Had swollen bumps on every bite site. Got treated for the venom, which was simple enough. BUT... What really gives you problems for weeks afterwards is the septic poisoning. This guy's bite sites had degenerated into open holes in the skin that were leaking yellow puss. It was gross. It's been a month and a half and he still hasn't fully recovered. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob.dino 1 #9 July 25, 2005 Brown Recluse bite. Took 6 months to heal and nearly cost the guy his leg. ER. Now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #10 July 25, 2005 It's ALOT less expensive to go to the ER than wait and deal with the nasty, perhaps limb-reducing long term effects later. I've dealt with several cases of Brown Recluse spider bites. 3 in particular come to immediate mind. 1) Woman bitten beneath her breast. 2) Man bitten under his testical 3) Woman bitten on -both- her calves. #1 and #2 ended up in hyperbaric oxygen chambers and nasty debridement to stop the necrotizing of the tissue. #3 died. PLEASE see a doctor -now-. This is nothing to wait upon. Seriously. ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpjunkie2004 0 #11 July 25, 2005 I have a friend whose father (he lives in FL) had an encounter with a couple BR's. He has huge pits in his back and on his torso. The venom (or whatever it's called) causes the flesh to die rapidly and it continues to spread until someone removes the poisoned flesh. My older sister was bitten by some sort of spider (here in Maryland) - we aren't sure what kind. She kept saying, "It's just a spider bite." Eventually, she developed cellulites (sp?) and had to have IV antibiotics. At some point, the doctors mentioned amputation. A simple prescription of Penicillin would have cured her. Be safe!Jump, Land, Pack, Repeat... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kansasskydiver 0 #12 July 25, 2005 The bite isn't hard to the touch this morning nor painful, but it's still very obvious that I was bitten by something. I believe I'll go ahead and see a doctor for it just to make sure... Worst part is, it's my pull hand if anything happens<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ashtanga 0 #13 July 25, 2005 Here are some pictures of Brown Recluse bites to compare them to. http://images.google.com/images?q=Brown+Recluse+Bites&hl=en I think you would probably know by the next morning if it was in fact a recluse. I hear they are pretty painful. I would go to the doctor if you have any doubts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
namgrunt 0 #14 July 25, 2005 go to doctor now newest treatment is patch used for angina placed on bite location ,patch causes headaches buy speeds recovery greately, also limits tissue damage ,tissue dies at bite sight and leavs big hole if not treated fast go to the doctor now ..59 YEARS,OVERWEIGHT,BALDIND,X-GRUNT LAST MIL. JUMP VIET-NAM(QUAN-TRI) www.dzmemories.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #15 July 25, 2005 QuoteHere are some pictures of Brown Recluse bites to compare them to. http://images.google.com/images?q=Brown+Recluse+Bites&hl=en Very good web page. Thanks. I'm amazed that they could save that guy's thumb! The debridement looks pretty deep, though. Would like for him to have posted the finished product (once it was healed). ltdiver Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kansasskydiver 0 #16 July 25, 2005 I'm waiting another 4 mins for my doctor's office to open. It doesn't look like any of those bites (yet) thankfully, but it was obviously something large and was rather swollen and blistered yesterday morning. So I'm going to have it checked out anyway<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dbattman 0 #17 July 25, 2005 Up in the Knoxville area they have several hyperbaric chambers that they use for treatment of BR bites. The higher pressure oxygenates the tissues quite well and helps with abating necrosis and pain involved. That's a long ways away, but just FYI for other people reading this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psipike02 0 #18 July 25, 2005 This is exactly the reason why I fucking hate spiders.....seriously, we should all vaporize them or send them to Jupiter or something....Puttin' some stank on it. ----Hellfish #707---- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #19 July 25, 2005 Please tell me they dont have them fuckers in AZ.... Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ashtanga 0 #20 July 25, 2005 You get to play with scorpions and diamond back rattlers instead. Oh yeah, I forgot about tarantulas, killer mosquitos and those huge ass bullfrogs. A couple of people where bitten by scorpions at the dz. Omar, Al, and a couple more. I saw them from time to time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #21 July 25, 2005 QuoteOmar, Al, and a couple more Well, if these guys are still around, they cant be that bad.. I mean, Omar? I weight about 3 times what he does! Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeiber 0 #22 July 25, 2005 I was bit by one at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. Got it on the arm. Medics gave me Motrin (imagine that...), and once I got back to civilization, they gave me a steroid cream (I think that's what it was) and just said to keep an eye on it. The blister was nasty when it broke. Then I put antibiotic cream on it. Mine was mostly healed in couple months - I think I got off really easy. I've seen some bites that looked like a gunshot wound, even after 4 months. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a whole lot you can do at the moment, besides keep it clean (very important) and ice it down. It's the follow on infection and dead tissue that can cause problems. I had a scar for a few years following the bite, but it's not really visible anymore. On the other hand, I've seen some REALLY serious scaring from BR bites. Reactions seem to vary significantly. The only good news I can offer, is regarding the bite marks. If the bite marks are 1/4" apart, it may be a different spider. Brown recluses' have pretty small bodies (the ones I've seen anyway). As I recall, my fang marks were about 1/8" apart, but the whole area turned into one pussy blister, just smaller than a dime. JeffShhh... you hear that sound? That's the sound of nobody caring! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ashtanga 0 #23 July 25, 2005 Omar was stung in his bed. Al Grammado thought he was going to die. Those little fukkers are nasty. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
calledisrael 0 #24 July 25, 2005 i was bitten by one in college when i was on summer camp staff - and think i got off pretty light. went straight in to the town hospital, we packed the wound, and i had to clean it and rebandage it every day. eight years later, the scar is pretty faint, no long term damage done. so prayers for you - keep us posted. life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. (helen keller) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 30 #25 July 25, 2005 QuoteOmar was stung in his bed. Man... There is wierd stuff happening in the beds onf men at Eloy....Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
