Ever been bitten by a poisonous spider?

[RocketDog]

I'm pretty sure I have a hobo spider bite on my chest. Yes... such a lovely spot. (We have hobos here, and they're not the most common spider, and I always used to tell people their chances of getting bit weren't very good. Why couldn't that giant powerball lottery be now?!) Just right of the center of where a necklace would lay, so totally visible in any shirt with a lower neckline. UGH. It'd better not scar!

I went running on Sunday around noon, and I think it must've been hiding in my running shirt, although it was hanging up in my bathroom, because it wasn't there when I got up that morning. Or possibly had crawled on Rocket and then bit me when I was leaning into him petting him.

Anyhow, it was bright red at first and now has developed a crusty-ish blister. Plus I had a headache and was super tired last night. I've gotten bit LOTS of times by spiders and bugs, doing what I do, but this one is different.

Just been putting neosporin on it.

Anyone else had one?

[msvette2u]

Probably need oral antibiotics.
That's what they gave me and mine cleared up quickly.

[RocketDog]

It's not significantly worse this am, I mean, the blister is a bit bigger but not the overall size. The headache is gone. I'm going to go running in a bit.

I try to not jump on antibiotics right away, because I had to have quite a lot of them a few years ago, in high concentration and for a very long time. I don't want to develop allergies and issues with them.

[wildo]

Yes, I've been bitten by a poisonous spider. Not a fun experience. The bite was on my right leg- on my quad. At first it started swelling a little, hot and red. Then it started really growing and pussing up. I have a picture of the wound swelled well over 3/8" high- kind of like a giant pimple. The redness expanded to about a 4" circle and it got to the point where it was cripplingly painful to walk. I went to the ER where they didn't do much- didn't lance it, and just gave me some antibiotics...

Well- I'll spare the gory details of what happened next, but it finally did rupture a day or two later. Suffice it to say that it was on par with any Quentin Tarantino movie I've ever seen. There is no scar (I don't believe) but I do have a small divot in my leg where that wound was (not visible, but if you press in, you can feel it clearly).

Good luck! If I learned anything from my experience, I'd say it was NOT to wait to go to a doctor. I waited until I could no longer walk and that was not a good thing.

[RocketDog]

Willy! Yuck! Most of what I read about the scars say yes, they leave divots or "craters".

I don't put off the doc either, that's what happened to my arm almost 5 years ago. I actually saw my family nurse yesterday for something different and she took a look at it, so she's aware. Just said to keep an eye on it and watch it for signs of infection, as in the red area getting bigger. It didn't get bigger overnight, so I guess that's a good sign.

[msvette2u]

Well there's a ton of info on the 'net

Spider Bites: Symptoms, Pictures and Treatment

[RocketDog]

Yes. I've already googled. However, it's nice to hear personal stories. There is much on the net that is worthless.

[msvette2u]

Worthless, maybe some of it, but it did help me distinguish my bites from other things, the photo sections are pretty handy

[arycrest]

I found this site that specifically deals with Hobo spider bites. Here's what is says about treatment: "Treatment of Bites

If you suspect you have been bitten by an hobo spider, you should seek immediate medical
attention. The treatment for any necrotic spider bite is similar, and treatment methods used for brown recluse bites are usually employed for hobo spider bites. There is a difference of opinion as to the effectiveness of various treatments mentioned in the literature. Recommended treatments have included topical, oral, and injected corticosteroids, subcutaneous injection of phentolamine, and surgical excision of the bite area. Antihistamines and antibiotics are often prescribed to alleviate allergic symptoms and prevent secondary infections. A drug called Dapsone, used for the treatment of leprosy, has been reported to be an effective treatment for brown recluse spider bite, but must be used with caution. Injection of corticosteroid compounds seems to help most when treatments are made within about 24 hours of the bite. This is one reason that prompt medical attention should be sought. Any actual treatment decisions should be left to the discretion your physician, dermatologist, or other medical expert. The references provided at the end of this fact sheet may be useful to your doctor in making treatment decisions. Many of these references are from common medical journals. "

http://extension.usu.edu/files/factsheets/hobospid.pdf

[angierose]

I was bit by a wolf spider...not exactly terrifying but not fun either. It hurt A LOT and made my leg swell and spasm. The doctor put me on antibiotics and gave me a tetanus shot, and it was better pretty quick. Made a huge bruise, though! I was impressed.