More-so than any others I have experienced. When first observed, the bite appeared as two small reddened bumps each about the configuration of a half of a pea. Since then, about 4 hours have passed and the back of the hand has become hot ,painful and constantly tingly and the epidermis has a very different texture to it. It seem very moist and clammy at the bite location.

It is mildly swollen and two initial puncture wounds are visible about 1/4″ apart. I have developed a headache and my face feels flushed and warmer than normal. I don’t like to take any medication at all unless it is absolutely necessary. Doe anyone think I should be concerned or am I just a wuss?

Thank you for all the advice…. I would have never been able to heal myself without it!!!

about 22 yrs ago I got bit by a brown recluse. we had went camping in ca. it felt like someone had hit me in the middle of the forehead with a rock. it woke me up in the middle of the night, and I had thought my husband had accidental jammed me with his elbow. the next day I got sick to my stomach, it had swollen to the size of a gulf ball, red but no blisters. a week later it started to a scab looking thing on my forehead so i went to the E. R room and he said it was a brown recluse bite and gave me a shot.

It left a small dent in my forehead, about the size of a dime. Now 22 years later, at the top of my forehead, next to my hair line, little blister looking rash, no itching, but it does hurt and my whole forehead is swelling. the blisters are starting to scab and it starting to go further into the hair line.

has anyone ever had a reaction to a bite years later. I don’t know what else it could be. about two months ago, the scar started getting sensitive to the touch. I would like to get an email back from someone who might know.

AND I WANT TO KNOW HOW TO GET IT OFF PLEASE JUST HELP ME!

It would be good if someone wrote up the treatments that have worked and list them at the top of this site, instead of reading these horror stories trying to find the treatments in between. That would be more professional and helpful. Mahalo!

The bite is on my left lower back. Fine. I have no idea what kind it was. Problem is, is I have a secondary rash down my left leg, and I don’t know if I got bit a few dozen times, or if it’s an allergic reaction? The rash is spreading daily. I have muscle pain, and I feel like there are needles in the back of my leg. I’ve read all the posts here, saw a couple of people with a rash… but… not sure this is ‘normal’ or if I should be worried?

I’ve lost some range of motion in my left leg, and it feels like massive bruising in my left hip and left ankle, like I’ve been kicked by a football team. And the rash continues to creep down my leg. It was just down to my mid thigh yesterday, and now is just below my knee. It’s hard to see since it’s only on the back of my leg.

I have an issue trusting walk-in docs only because they are so overworked, and they are people too… so… I’m not 100% sure this doc was only guessing. She gave me a topical antibiotic cream with anti-inflammatory in it, think there’s cortisone in it as well, and told me to apply it twice a day. She didn’t see any sign of infection either. Any comments/help/suggestions would be great! I don’t have anything oozing out of me… yet… knock on wood… though I’m SOOO extremely itchy, especially at the actual large bite site (which is about the size of a quarter).

And now.. after reading posts, I’m gonna go grab a potato and throw it on, and get myself some meat tenderizer tomorrow. All my research online has shown that spider bites are rare, and when they do bite, it’s even more uncommon for them to bite more than once. Thoughts?

From the following experience, I learned that you should INSIST ON A DEXAMETHASONE shot and I coupled that with the use of potato slices to help draw out the venom. I tried using the venom plunger that you suggested, but it had been four days since the bites and so not much venom came out, infact I could not see any, probably a little too late to use that approach. MY STORY… At day 4 after the two bites, we began noticing some disturbing changes in the bites.

They grew from the size of a pencil eraser to a nickel/quarter size and became blistery with a raw fleshy look and with a dark center. I began researching on the web and came across THIS SITE. With your printed article in hand, I went to an emergency instacare-clinic and was seen by a Dr. who was known for his treatment of skin ailments & rashes ect… He looked at the bites and suggested only a topical steroid.

I mentioned that it had doubled in size overnight and I was concerned that it might do so again, and that I would like to have the shots. He refused. I asked why and he said, “I just won’t do it, I don’t have Dexamethasone in the clinic on hand, and even if I did I wouldn’t do it because anytime you inject anything in the skin it can cause a problem.”

Well, the poisonous spider’s venom and bacteria was now eating my flesh, they started the problem, certainly from the evidence stated in the BadSpiderBites article a small steroid shot couldn’t make things much worse. He tried to placate me and said, “I could be wrong but I doubt it, it will probably be getting better by tomorrow with just some topical steroid ointment. He said it was a very strong oinment so I should not get it on any facial skin and it would do the trick. “If it gets worse by tomorrow you could always come back in.”

I chuckled inside, come back in pay another $50.00 and not have you do anything different than what you are willing to do right now! I conferred with my husband, who has a medical background and we decided to follow this doctor’s course overnight, by using this strong topical steroid cream, BUT IF IT DID NOT LOOK BETTER tomorrow morning, we would find someone to give us the Dexamethasone shot.

{I had read several senarious on the web of this very thing happening, doctors giving an antibiotic and ointment and sending the patient home… because many doctors don’t have the answers.} I filled the topic steroid ointment prescription that evening and went home put it on as directed. The next morning the bites had grown even larger, much more red blistering was occurring and they were larger blisters now, you could see that where the initial bites were, the flesh in this area was sinking in {cratering}.

My husband took one look and was surprised at what was happening even with the strong steroid cream. We found someone that morning who would give the Dexamethasone shot and I began wrapping sliced potatoes on my leg to draw out the venom. I changed the potatoes almost every 40 minutes for the first evening and throughout the night I changed twice. After about 5 hours you could see that the bites were NO LONGER GROWING and the hot red looking area looked with it’s blisters appeared calmer and not so shocking to the eye.

My husband and I were both very surprised. I wanted to avoid taking an antibiotic if possible which I know would have been the course if I had not stopped the direction we were headed, as there was puss forming inside the puncture area. FROM THIS EXPERIENCE I don’t think you want to mess around with toxic spider bites. I can’t say THANKS ENOUGH for this site.

I hope that this story helps others insist on having the shot. A nurse mentioned to me that sometimes pharmacists would be willing to give shots if you perhaps took this site’s information in and had them read it. A very sincere thanks… April S.