Brown Recluse Bite (1 Viewer)

[David McGough]

http://www.highway60.com/mark/brs/default.htm

One has bit my daughter. Took her to the Dr. The Dr.s said
put some Ice on it and lets watch it. This was a convienient
care and a young, I mean young Dr. He agreed it looked like
a BRS bite. It is black in the center, small hole with redness around.

Yea lets watch it grow into a hole on her leg.
He gave a antibotic to take if puss starts coming out.
I'm getting another opinion. Ive been told to see a dermatoligist.
Ive read about treatment with a nitroglycerin patch &
erythromycin.
I know you can read to much and get opinions but I wanted treatment not lets watch it.
Dave
TENN

 

[Matt Pelham]

Doesn't really sound like a brown recluse bite to me.

 

[John Spencer]

The best solution for brown recluses: cats.

Cats fear no critter, adn apparently are not sucsptible to their bites. I'm assuming because they don't have a chance to get bitten when they're being torn to shreds. We had a couple surface in our apartment, and they never saw what hit them once my cats saw them. After that, we never saw another recluse.

 

[Zen Butler]

"Almost all brown recluse spider bites heal nicely in two to three months without medical treatment at all. Also the long-term medical outcome is excellent without treatment."

What crack-pot said this? This almost seems like a joke.


Get a second opinion. Realize doctors are limited in their knowledge of arachnids. Go outside the realm if necessary(specialists, Universities). Demand treatment. An honest Brown Recluse bite is not to be taken lightly. Identify the bite quickly.

 

[ChrisMatson]

I agree that it seems like bad advice. From what I know, a true brown recluse bite can cause major tissue death and must be treated to stop the spreading necrosis.

I found a short article with some pictures of bites:
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic547.htm

I hope that your daughter gets well soon.

 

[Angelo.M]

Realize doctors are limited in their knowledge of arachnids.

Not all of us are as limited in that regard as you might think. A well-trained pediatrician or family physician ought to be able to diagnose a brown recluse bite on a child. Seek a second opinion if you aren't comfortable.

--Angelo.M, (who rarely signs) M.D. (on HTF)

 

[Zen Butler]

Not all of us are as limited in that regard as you might think.

I'm sure this is true Angelo. I'm sorry for the generalization. I was unaware of it until you pointed it out.

Although generalized, my statement still stands. Recluse and spider bites are a common misdiagnosis. Sparing details, of course, out of respect to the thread topic.

 

[Steve_Tk]

A spreading wound from a brown recluse spider bite should be surgically cleaned and repaired. Do not apply ice. For any spider bite, be sure your tetanus immunization is current.

That's what WebMD says.

 

[Walt N]

I got bit by a Brown Recluse about a year ago. Doing research on the internet scared the heck out of me, but the fact is necrosis (death of tissue) to any extent is rare. http://www.snopes.com/photos/brownrecluse.asp

Opinions differ on initial treatment (other than cleaning the wound and a tetanus shot if needed) but for sure surgical excision, shocking the wound, nitroglycerin patches, etc. are far from having proven their effectiveness. The majority of expert opinions in the research I did said to do nothing with the wound until if or when necrosis starts. My doctor agreed with that, and that's what we did.

Mine never did develop the black spot signaling necrosis nor did it spread, it just went away on it's own.

 

[Leroy]

Well, a friend of mine suffered 5 recluse bites at one time! He had a habit of throwing his jeans on the garage floor in front of the washer and if he need to go outside for something he'd grab'em and put them on. One day some recluses invaed the pants and bit him when he put them on.

Luckily only 2 of the bites got to the funky hole in the flesh stage. And like others have said, the only thing you can really do (provided there is no infection) is to keep the wounds clean until they heal(although I do believe he is taking antibiotics of some sort also). He has one hole the size of a quarter, the other dime sized. BLAH!!! I'm glad I have never had to experience this!

 

[John Kilroy]

The thought of a brown recluse in my pants. I need to lay down.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

As the HTF resident Pest Control Operator, I recommend that you have the wound regularly inspected by a physician. Brown Recluse bites are very serious and should not be taken lightly. You can identify the spider by the black "fiddle" shape on the back of the spider's abdomen. The Brown Recluse is called such because they generally harborage away from people and pets in secluded out of the way areas such as attic ceilings in a secluded corner, behind walls, and other protected, uninhabited places - hence, the word/name Recluse. From time to time these spiders will be in the wrong place at the wrong time and strike out as a defense mechanism if they happen to wander into a shoe, or onto a bed as you roll over, or some other chance encounter. Again, get a second opinion, and schedule regular visits until your daughter is well. If you need anymore info, feel free to give me a holla.

 

[Eric_L]

I had a friend who (told me he) was bitten by a recluse on his scrotum. It seems it had gotten into his dresser drawer and made itself cozy in cotton.

My friend recovered well, and is they kind of guy who would laugh about it, even though it was painful.

 

[Shawn Solar]

Well at least there only in attics, ceilings, nooks and cranies... All the places I work in:frowning: I've been lucky so far and haven't been bitten or stung by anything.

Kevin,
what type of climate and geographic area are they a serious threat.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

Kevin, what type of climate and geographic area are they a serious threat.

Obviously, everything thrives best in moderate to warmer climates, but they (the Recluse) can also live in cooler climates, just not as well.

 

[DwightK]

Thankfully, we don't have Brown Recluses in this part of the country. Instead we get Hobo Spiders http://hobospider.org/

Have to either have cats, let catface spiders dominate your house (they eat the hobos), or put out hobo spider traps and/or spray.

Very nasty bite.

 

[Zen Butler]

I had a friend who (told me he) was bitten by a recluse on his scrotum. It seems it had gotten into his dresser drawer and made itself cozy in cotton.

T.M.I
:frowning:

Luckily we too do not have many sitings of Brown Recluse. At our dealership though, some have made their way to California. Compliments of the Dallas Auto Auction. We seem to have plenty of Black Widows.

 

[Nathan_R]

The house I grew up in was infested for years by fiddlers.

We used to find them everywhere-- in drawers, under the coffee maker, on the ceiling. I learned many years ago to shake out every piece of clothing you were about to put on your body and every household item you hadn't used in a few hours.

One time, I even squished one on my right cheek (face cheek,that is).

We eventually found a huge nest in the eaves of our attic, which was repeatedly bombed until we found some quasi-legal poison to rid them once and for all.

Luckily, none of us was ever bitten, but it traumatized me.

Happy Friday and pleasant thoughts.

~~Nathan

 

[TimG]

Well I will throw my 2 cents in here also. I was bit this summer on the calf. It did swell up and look pretty nasty, but in the end only left a black spot the size of a pin head where the flesh actually died. It looks like a chicken pox scar. During the mating season we would see at least 3 or 4 a week in the house. Mostly in the bathroom tub and around the air return vents in the bedrooms. I have a feeling they are under the house in the crawlspace. Our doctor also said he sees quite a few bites every summer and very few of them actually develop any necrosis. I was treated with antibiotics and cortisone. We also have the pleasure of Black widows around the yard too, never have seen one inside though.

TimG

 

[Josh Lowe]

I love spiders. They keep pests (mosquitos and flies) to a minimum and the spinners are artists.

But just because I love spiders doesn't mean I want them in my house.

Especially recluses, ugh.