Spring/Summer clean-up, be careful...

steveinaz

Below are pictures taken over 10 days, of a Brown Recluse spider bite. These things are serious, so be careful when doing spring clean-up in the shed, woodpile, attic, etc. (note: the pics are not me):

Fireman32

Steve was that you? That looks painful. I hope you didn't wait 10 days before going to the hospital. Are you ok?

MKZ

It really serious. Is that you? Sorry.

steveinaz

No, not me.

MKZ

glad to hear that.

jgido759

Snopes.com is your friend.

steveinaz

Snopes or not, I've seen FIRST HAND what a brown recluse bite can do, and it isn't pretty, nor do these photo's seem to exaggerate what can happen. Arizona is loaded with Brown Recluse, Black Widow, Sun spiders (aka: Camel spiders), numerous varities of scorpion; and all of them can lay a serious hurt on you.

We lost a co-worker 6 years ago to a scorpion bite, it put her into cardiac arrest, she never recovered. 2 weeks before her retirement! How's that for bad luck.

Bottom line, be careful.

jgido759

Steve,

I'm not doubting you, there is just too much BS circulating via e-mail and the internet not to check.

F1nut

I've seen the effects twice. One put my father in the hospital. The result of a Brown Recluse bite is a nasty infection with the flesh around the bite dying. It's very serious!

Thanks for the warning, Steve.

Edit: Snopes is the last place I'd look for medical advice.

jgido759

Here is a second source which expands upon the Snopes findings.

Both articles claim that the photos cannot be verified as to have come from a Brown Recluse Spider bite. That is not to say that the spider bite is not dangerous, just that the photos in the OP cannot be verified as to have come from a Brown Recluse Spider.

Joe08867

So jgido why don't you go play with one and see if the pics are true for yourself.

I can't stand Snopes. We couldn't werify the picture. Well here is a shock. They call it HIPAA and it is a regulation forced by the federal gov't. You won't find verification unless the person that went through it decides to verify it.

+1 Flnut

danger boy

what i do is usually spray the area I'm about to clean a few days or even the weekend before with the strongest spider spray I can find. I'm not frugal with it either.. i bombard their nests and creepy crawly areas with a couple cans of spider/bug spray.

Jstas

Joe08867 wrote: »

So jgido why don't you go play with one and see if the pics are true for yourself.

I can't stand Snopes. We couldn't werify the picture. Well here is a shock. They call it HIPAA and it is a regulation forced by the federal gov't. You won't find verification unless the person that went through it decides to verify it.

+1 Flnut

Don't get down on jgido for looking to verify what he saw on the Internet. He just did what too many people DON'T do and RESEARCHED what he was looking at before opening his mouth. It also doesn't detract from the original poster.

Snopes is an excellent site that does a great job of dispelling misinformation in a kind fashion. Unlike myself which will readily tell one that they are stupid for believing such BS (in general, not concerning this post).

As far as brown recluses go, the venom can cause death in people with medical conditions that can be complicated by the venom. If the bite is bad enough or bitten multiple times, it can even kill a healthy person. But what the real issue is comes from the fact that tissue around the bit area starts to die. When it goes necrotic, it can cause a host of other infections not to mention the toxins released from the rotting flesh will kill off other cells around it starting a chain reaction that literally, always lead to gangrene if not treated.

You do not want to mess with a brown recluse in any respect, that's for sure. But coming down on someone for doing some extra research to verify it well...if you want to go on living in blissful ignorance then you deserve whatever you got coming to you. But don't berate someone else for looking to expand their knowledge by looking further in to a topic. That is just the epitome of ignorance.

ohskigod

accuracy of pics notwithstanding, anyone who waited 10 days to get treatment when your THUMB is getting ugly (the thumb is very important kids..LOL) is an idiot

I have a general medical rule

bite = keep an eye on it

red = keep a close eye on it

really red = perhaps a trip to a Doc of some sort is prudent? even for the hardasses that dont usually go to docs

black....after deep red = hey sh*tstick, its called a hospital, get yourself there

more black = your a flipin moron if you havent gotten it treated, if you die/lose a thumb, its all on you

jgido759

Thank you, Jstas, for the kind words and the back-up.

This is why I read, but don't normally post, to this board.

dkg999

Brown Recluse = nasty bite and long-term recovery. I still have a nice red mark on my leg and I didn't get a serious bite from one (according to the doctor).

I'd almost rather get bit by a rattlesnake than a Brown Recluse. At least about 50% of the time a rattlesnake doesn't inject any venom.

dorokusai

If you know you were bit, it's not that hard to get treated. Unfortunately, most people don't know or wait, which is normal behavior. It is a long term issue, not just a shot in the arm.

BIZILL

co-worker came in with a brown recluse bite last year. it wasn't as severe as steve's pics. but it was right there close to being the same.

bluzrip

I live in central Florida, outside the known area of colonization for the brown recluse. My grandkids both came down with "boils" on the skin that were diagnosed as spider bites, "possibly" brown recluse. A penicillin antibiotic was prescribed to "support healing". The lesions worsened while pest control was unable to locate any spiders in their apartment (but sprayed anyway). The lesions were finally cultured and found to be MRSA (methicillin resistant staph aureus). An incision and drainage was performed and a suitable antibiotic prescribed. Things eventually healed.

The most common (by far) incorrect diagnosis for such skin lesions is "spider bite". While I also recommend prudence and care when dealing with any area where such arachnids might be found, I mention this story because it is happening more and more often. Outbreaks of MRSA have affected numerous professional sports teams, college and high schools as well. (The vector in the case of the grandkids turned out to be the gym frequented by their father).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methicillin-resistant_Staphylococcus_aureus

steveinaz

ohskigod wrote: »

accuracy of pics notwithstanding, anyone who waited 10 days to get treatment when your THUMB is getting ugly (the thumb is very important kids..LOL) is an idiot

It looks as though the pics were taken at the doctor's office (note the medical equipment in some scenes)**, probably the doctor making a photo record.

** 2 of the pics were too big to upload, they show what looks to be a doctors office in the background.

dkg999

No bitey, stingy spiders and snakes in Alaska! Of course you have to deal with the occasional po'd bear that wants to eat you :eek: