What bit me? ...and am I okay?

[Alex Franke]

I promised my worried wife that I would ask you all about this... (She, too, is convinced that there's nothing this forum's members don't know!)

In the attic on Sunday afternoon, I laid my arm down on top of a wooden chair and immediately felt a sting -- kind of like a bee sting. I looked around and didn't see anything (but lighting was not good). There are often mud wasps up there, but I think they're all gone for the winter.

Within about a minute it was a little red dot, about 1 mm, surrounded by a welt like a mosquito bite. After a while the red dot went away. I woke up itching that night and by morning it was a slightly swollen rash about 2.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. By last night it was about 3.5 inches long and 2 inches wide. And this morning it's about 4 inches long and 2.75 inches wide.

The rash is just a little puffy, seems to be fading, and it doesn't hurt -- just itches like mad. The place where the red dot was is slightly off-color now... maybe a little gray -- but not an open wound. No other symptoms.

I think it's probably just a random spider bite and the rash will go away in a couple days. She's starting to think I should go to the doctor. I'm wondering what I doctor would even do -- especially since I can't even identify the cause...

Thoughts? (I know she'll be reading this, BTW... )

[cabinetman]

A spider bite is a great possibility. Hopefully it wasn't a Brown Recluse. That can be one big PITA. IIRC all spiders are venemous to some degree, so it could have been one you were just allergic to.

We had a German Shepherd that we found to be highly allergic to some type of insect bites. One night we let her in from her nightly relief, and within minutes she looked like a Shar Pei. Her whole face was swollen beyond her even looking like a GSD. Took her to the emergency night Vet and he gave her a shot of Benadryl. Can't tell ya what a doc would do. We have two that I know of. Maybe one will chime in.

I wouldn't wait too long in making a decision.
.

[dbhost]

If the Brown Recluse spider is native to your area, GET TO A DOCTOR NOW!

They can be serious. From your description that is a possibility... My wife's hair dresser, and good friend of ours was bitten by a brown recluse about 6 months ago on the leg, she is lucky to still have the leg... A doctor should be able to tell from the welt etc... if it was a BR...

[Tamarack]

I agree with your wife. Some spider bites are very dangerous, and you've progressed well beyond "merely a spider bite" already. Your doctor may be able to reduce the severity of your reaction, and my suggestion is to see him as soon as possible.
Good Luck

Paul

[phi1l]

That sound like descriptions of a Brown Recluse spider bite, & you were in a prime Brown Recluse habitat. If that's what it was, the tissue around the bite area will eventually die & leave a depression about 1/4" deep the size of a silver dollar in your arm. At this point I don't think a doctor can do much except clean out the dead tissue as it dies & give you instruction on how to keep teh area from becoming infected.

It could be some other spider bite though so you need to watch it. I would call the Dr. He/She will let you know if/when you should come in for a visit.

Good luck, I hope it's not the Brown Recluse, I understand that their wounds take a long time to heal.

One other thought.. I could also be a centipede bite I have had one of those & they are very painful & make a welt like you described, that will go away after a few days.

[RAFlorida]

Agree with other posters.

Spider bites can be dangerous. Keep us posted.

[germdoc]

When it comes to spider bites, "many are called but few are chosen". I would guess that only about 1% of patients I have seen who think they were bitten by a spider actually were bitten by a spider. I think a wasp is a more likely possibility.

In any event, you can take benadryl and apply OTC hydrocortisone creme to the area and keep an eye on it. If the redness gets worse, or it looks like you are developing a large sore, I would see a doctor about it.

Can you post a picture for us here? Could give you a better idea what to expect.

[Alex Franke]

I haven't seen any wasp activity up there in about a month or so -- they seem to be gone for the winter. I also didn't see any stinger or fang marks on the original bite when I tried to look real close.

Can you post a picture for us here? Could give you a better idea what to expect.

All I have is my cell phone camera, so this is the best I can do!

[Al R.]

I promised my worried wife that I would ask you all about this... (She, too, is convinced that there's nothing this forum's members don't know!)

In the attic on Sunday afternoon, I laid my arm down on top of a wooden chair and immediately felt a sting -- kind of like a bee sting. I looked around and didn't see anything (but lighting was not good). There are often mud wasps up there, but I think they're all gone for the winter.

Within about a minute it was a little red dot, about 1 mm, surrounded by a welt like a mosquito bite. After a while the red dot went away. I woke up itching that night and by morning it was a slightly swollen rash about 2.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. By last night it was about 3.5 inches long and 2 inches wide. And this morning it's about 4 inches long and 2.75 inches wide.

The rash is just a little puffy, seems to be fading, and it doesn't hurt -- just itches like mad. The place where the red dot was is slightly off-color now... maybe a little gray -- but not an open wound. No other symptoms.

I think it's probably just a random spider bite and the rash will go away in a couple days. She's starting to think I should go to the doctor. I'm wondering what I doctor would even do -- especially since I can't even identify the cause...

Thoughts? (I know she'll be reading this, BTW... )

If something got into your blood seeing a doctor is a good idea, antibiotics can overcome the problem, but if it is just on the skin probable an external-antibiotic can do the job if you see infection coming out.

Here in South Florida where I live always I was told that there was a little frog that could poison a dog if eaten. I am a dog fun but never had any problem with that because usually when they hunted them they killed them but never swallowed it.

Well less than 2 yrs ago, while I was working in Georgia I bought two Beagles. Once I came to my home in Florida for a holiday-week and my Beagle-girl felt very bad. I really did not know what it was; no matter I have had dogs always since childhood. I took her back to Atlanta and after many checks they did not know what it was, but they certainly said: “we will add on her blood antibiotics because it seems she has been poisoned”. It cost almost $500 then to save her.

Almost a yr after (just a few months ago) I decided to return to my home. It was the rainy season when frogs are everywhere around the Garden. She got sick again. This time was like dead almost in 3 days, doctors said you should “inject” her (put her to sleep), because probable she is not going further (she will die or live in bad shape). They simple did not know what she had after so many checks (in an emergency hospital in Florida). I said, no way, and as a man of faith I prayed for her health and told the doctor: put antibiotic on her blood and she will get better.

After a day and a half she was getting better, but still in very bad shape. I had to take her out of the hospital, because other than been unemployed, for a day and a half in the Emergency-dog-hospital my bill was already almost $1500, and there is no way I could get deep in $700 dollars a day in debts. Yes, believe you or not they charge you things like $150 dollars just for a “nurse” doing one injection in your dog, etc. It is incredible, and that’s why we have so many problems, going to the extremes.

They mentioned me many times to put her “to sleep” and I said no way. I’ll take her home.

I managed with families in Europe to send me Antibiotics and injections of Vitamin B complex. I was besides her for a month, cleaning her mess, talking to her, etc, because she could not move and barely eat. She slept besides me. It has been two months now and she is running and healthy as a rock.

Sometimes these little bugs can poison you, so be careful with that, your body will tell you if you feel changes. A week ago I caught her eating another frog like a beef steak. Thanks God I was able to avoid it on time this time!

[herb fellows]

Not for nothing (and apologies to all the docs here), but would you ask a doctor how to do a glue up?

Sure it's a pita going, but the peace of mind is more than worth it. Obviously it's more than your standard bite when it keeps reacting more and more like that.

Get thee to a physician!

[radhak]

Alex - you could do a quick check : walk up to a wall and see if you are able to climb it. If your hands don't stick, then you were not bitten by a spider !
Oh wait - that's only if the spider was radioactive...

But looking at the picture, seems like a small wasp, or a large fire-ant.

I recall that an uncle of mine used to recommend (for any stings) rubbing the area with the flat (blunt) side of a knife or other metal surface immediately after a bite. He said it'd pull the 'sting' out (whatever that means) if there ever was one. I don't know the science behind that but I do follow it whenever needed and I've not seen any major swellings for some time now. Maybe it works, or maybe those bites were just mosquitoes .

And yes, my neighbor's dog did die of swallowing a frog couple of years ago - no myth there.

Moral of the story : getting stung is better than eating a frog, but bitten by a radioactive spider is the best !

[radhak]

Not for nothing (and apologies to all the docs here), but would you ask a doctor how to do a glue up?

In the same spirit (ie, no offense meant) - but if my neighbor was a doctor and I needed a first-point opinion on a glue-up, I'd not shy away - maybe he's a Mildoc or a Germdoc ...

[Alex Franke]

Everyone here at work wants me to get to a doctor, too, so I went ahead and made an appointment. Better safe than sorry, I guess. And maybe my wife won't feel like she needs to keep checking to see if I'm alive.

Moral of the story : getting stung is better than eating a frog

This phrase has almost certainly never been uttered before in the entire history of humanity. :lol:

I did try climbing a wall... no luck. Still working on my spidey-sense...

[pierhogunn2]

if there is a remote possiblity that it's a Brown Recluse, get to the DR's asap

Some people get a little better from one of those things and then develop some sort of auto-immune response where the body starts killing itself off from the point of the bite...

I saw this on discovery channel several years ago, so YMMV.

Dan

[Stytooner]

Could it be ink poison?
Sorry. That picture just screamed that at me.

Could be a spider.
I would get it checked out.

I saw something new first hand here this year. My son was the one that brushed up against it.
It was a saddle back caterpillar.
Never seen one before but my son was running around the yard after he brushed it. He went back and found it. It was on a banana leaf when he was mowing the grass.
His pain was very bad for about 5 minutes and then started subsiding.
Don't mess with any of those either if given the choice.
His went away without anything but a bit of redness. Gone the next day.