Brown Recluse Spider Bite
(more...)
Written by Jim on August 5th, 2007 with
310 comments.
Read more articles on Spider Bite Pictures.
- [+] Digg: Feature this article
- [+] Del.icio.us: Bookmark this article
- [+] Furl: Bookmark this article
Related spider information
Leave a Reply
when i was around 14 years old, i was bit twice by a spider on my leg (knee and back of knee) in my sleep. the next morning, it itched like crazy. i thought it was just a normal ant bite. but when i saw it, it was purple! i knew no ordinary ant could do that! for the next three days, i didn’t touch it. i just saw my skin begin to disappear and a giant hole take its place. when i would walk, it would ooze blood and pus. the front bite just turned into a huge purple bump with nothing but a small hole on top. the bite on the back of my knee was about the size of a quarter all around with a white core in it. we finally went to the emergency room because i started having cold sweats and chills. the doctor gave me antibiotics and took a specimen of it.
when i got home, i grabbed my tweezers, a bottle of alcohol, and i snatched that white core right out of it. the alcohol burned like a bitch. to the front of my knee, i applied as much pressure as i could to the hole, and watched the pus descend from it like lava from a volcano. the pain was unbearable.
GO TO THE DOCTOR . it probably saved my life. the only thing i have from it are my memories and my scars.
ive been bitten so many times by the brown recluse that it doesn’t effect me like it used to …tiny…scab…gone in 6 weeks.like snake handlers,the body gets used to it…
I was bitten on the wrist at the first of the summer. Let it go until the pain was so bad I couldn’t bare it.. Hole the size of a quater.. Finally seeked help. The docters said they couldn’t beleive I made it that long without serious damage.. Now.. After that mess is all cleared up.. I have another bite just above my elbow on the same arm.. Already Streaking red up my vains.. Off to the doc tomorrow.. From Oklahoma… Where we dont worry so much about gangs and guns, but but fear these eight legged freaks!!!
i just killed a spider that looked like a brown recluse. Thank god i wasn’t sleeping when it came in my room. Anyway i need to know if there is the possibility that there are more of them and if so how to get rid of them
I’m concerned I might have got bit by one of these a few days ago while getting winter clothes out for laundry. The bite is on my thumb, in the same place as the one showed in the picture. It caught my attention because of it’s peculiar appearance, it looks nothing like the usual sort of scrape or minor injury one gets around the house. It’s definitely an insect bite of some sort. When I first noticed it three days ago it had a pin prick sized dark spot surrounded with pinkish tissue slightly swollen. The area is about 1/4” in diameter and has not gotten any larger. Today the center part has gotten a lot larger and the scab fell off. It’s not itchy or anything and I don’t feel any ill affects. I’ll be keeping and eye on it and keep you updated in the next few days.
Reading some of your letters and thought I would hopefully help someone out. Ok 1st My name is Dennis…… back in july 09 I was asleep and got bit several times down my left arm starting at the elbow and the lil guy worked his way down.
I didn’t notice at 1st and thats not unusual according to what I’ve read. I noticed a few days later when several ???Water bubbles appeared on my arm followed by redness around the bite areas, intense pain (felt and still does feel like nerve damage), and then the actual bite area bubble busted and left slight tissue damage that are now scars. I know it to be a brown recluse bite b/c of the area where I lived was in Gadsden, Ala which is B.R. country , I identified about 30 B.R. around the apt., there was one on the couch when I awoke, and I worked for a pest control company….so yeah I know it was a recluse. Its been months now since the bite and Ive lost some strength in my left arm and I still have shooting pain from the elbow to the thumb.
The bite I received is the most common…..(1)you wont usually know that you got bit (2) Most wont get the big hole from a bite that you see in so many pix….these are extreme cases. Although even regular bites are very painful. (3) Spraying B.R.’s doesn’t really help b/c most pesticides have to be ingested and since spiders dont clean there self like a roach you have to spray directly on them for it to work (Sorry
) Best way to help if you have an infestation……. (A) Keep a clean house as BR’s are night hunters and will feed on dead insects (B) Make sure your house is sealed as best as possible (C) Glue traps work to catch the BR’s (D) get rid of any cardboard that is just laying around(E) if you know you have a problem its a good idea to take something and stuff in your shoes at night to keep one from crawling in them as they like dark places……..
The apt I MOVED FROM I est. at least 100 to 150 spiders….it was a bad infestation as BR’s can produce young at anytime of the year and they can live with out food or water for 6 months (the one I caught lived in a ziplock bag for a week with no food,water, or air….so they are tough) They use there spider web usually as just a hang out for daylight hours and will come out usually a couple hours after dark to start there nightly patrols. The web looks kinda pressed against the wall and real messy looking with a funnel in it usually….. there webs are not as uniformed as most spiders. Anyway I can help feel free to email dray1111975 [at] yahoo.com.
Well it has been 8 or 9 nine days since the bite and I’m happy to say I’m pretty sure this is not a recluse bite. If it is then I don’t seem be reacting to it badly. The wound has not grown at all, it’s the same diameter (about 1/4″) as when I first noticed it. It does have that volcano shape to it but the center area is healing and the scab didn’t fall off again and is actually getting smaller. The scar tissue is the same color; pinkish and a bit flaky skin, but it doesn’t hurt or itch at all. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna heal up fine. I feel lucky. I’m going to be extra careful from now on!
to KJR…I just read your post about going through clothes while bit. I was going through some boxes of clothes that someone gave me to put in a garage sale and was bit by something. I felt it immediately…a very sharp pain and removed my hand quickly saying “Ouch!”. Upon removing my hand, I noticed three very small while marks (which looked like bite marks to me) in a row. Within an hour my thumb began swelling and looked like the picture posted. Within two hours it was terrible looking. I quickly went to the doctor and was given some antibiotics. It took care of it right away and healed very quickly. I’m just thankful I went in right away!
Don’t tell people not to panic, it’s not something you can help. You SHOULD go see a doctor right away though if suspect a brown recluse bite, even if you don’t have insurance. (that’s what ER’s are for! JK.) but seriously better to owe some money than end up with a hugh hole in you and then being sick for years. I became interested in this site after reading Linda Ladd’s ‘Dark Places.’ Probably not the best book (mystery/suspense) for someone that’s been bitten but if you’re just interested it’s well written, it gave me the creeps. To all-hope you all stay/get well, and remember STOMP THE SPIDERS!
I was bitten by a spider 2 weeks ago. When I woke up I noticed a small itchy spot on the back of my leg. By the time I got off work that day it was the size of my hand, and the next morning it was the size of both my hands. A large purple splotchy and very tender area, plus several red splotches scattered on that leg. The Dr. gave me 2 steroid injections, 1 antibiotic injection, and put me on oral steroids/antibiotics/anti-inflammatory for 10 days.
At one time I had 5 blisters the size of my thumb, all would repeatedly drain and refill but one blister stuck around longer and had a slightly bloody discharge. The nerve pain up the inside of my leg was horrible. If I sat still for 30-45 minutes, the nerves would start to burn like I had scratched a really bad sunburn, but walking always relieved the pain. The muscles underneath are very hard, and the whole purple area is very sensitive to touch. I’m on day 15 and still taping a piece of cotton sheet around my leg to keep my clothes from rubbing it as I walk. I hope the worst is over!