Brown Recluse Spider Bites - Now is the time to spray your house! (graphic pictures)

myself ^ | 5/9/03 | brigette

[stlnative]

This is a semi-vanity post - but others should learn about this nasty little spider and the damage it can do.

This is my 3rd day into my second Brown Recluse Spider bite that I have had in the past 3 years. The first one took over 6 months to heal and left a 3/4" diameter crater in the back of my neck at my hairline. I was bitten again 3 days ago, at least that is when I notice a pin head size bump on my right forearm and thought it was just a mosquito bite. Today is day three and I decided to keep a record of this new bite this time if it decides to get worse or hang around for 6 months like the other one. It was pin head size 3 days ago. I found a website after my first bite that keeps records and case pictures of brown recluse spider bites (warning if you think snake bites are nasty or anthrax sores are gross - well Brown Spider Bites are just as bad - they get uglier as time goes by!). I did not record my first bite as I figured it would just heal. But it got worse and worse as the weeks went by.

Anyway people in the midwest should learn about these nasty little spiders, even more if you have kids... you should bug bomb your house often and keep clutter away from and inside your homes. Right now the little nasty things are moving back indoors due to all the rainy weather we have had in the midwest.

Today is 5/9/03 and I am into my 3 day of being bitten by BRS (Brown Recluse Spider). My picture below looks like it is not much of anything and I am hoping that it stays as little as it now. But I am prepared to record it this time if it does get worse. Hopefully my picture of my 3 day old bite will help others recognize when they have also been bitten by a BRS, everyone is affected differently depending on the size of the spider and how your body handle the poison. Since this is my second bite it may not get any worse.



I have started a bite history on a website that has records of over 400 BRS bites (tons of photos there that would make your jaw drop if you have never seen what a BRS can do to you once it bites you) My case number is #995 (maybe they have 995 recorded cases now) the website url is http://www.highway60.com/mark/brs/default.htm

My little bite is how all of it starts for some people, that little bite can turn into this...
Graphic Picture of Hand after a BRS bite and the link to this persons BRS bite story

I don't think I need to say more here - just visit the BRS Bite site and use the search link at the top... Put in the information you want (if you just want to see the stories with pictures check off just the "Yes" next to the Picture option and hit the search button at the bottom.

Do yourself a favor and your kids a favor... spray or bomb your house at least once each season (spring, summer, fall, winter). You can buy house bombs at any local discount store in packs of 3 for about $6.00.

I posted this so that people mainly in the midwest can learn about these nasty little spiders, I didn't do it to draw attention to my own bite... I just know now how nasty they can get and how you can lessen your chances of being bit. I got bit before I had a chance to bomb my house... it has been rainy here and I should have known they would start coming in through the cracks between the window screens and window frame. All in all I should be fine, but some people do not fair as well.

[kcvl]

Bite Symptoms:

Bite begins looking like a fire ant bite
Redness will surrond the bite-sometimes forming rings around a dark center.

Pain
Runners of redness will sometimes shoot out from the bite area

Fever, Nausea, Ahces, Tiredness, and other flu-like symptoms
Necrosis
Seek Medical Attention Immediately if you experience:

Blood in Urine
High Fever
Vomiting
Jaundice (yellow skin)
Siezures
BRS bites rarley lead to death (young children are at greater risk). Many never lead to necrosis.


Medical attention should be sought if you suspect you have been bitten. If possible collect the offending spider and bring it with you for identification. Most bite occur while sleeping so look in the blankets for the squished spider.

BRS are not aggressive. Bites are a result of accidental contact (such as when putting on clothes where the spider has taken up residence.

[spectr17]

Do you have a source/link for this stun gun remedy? From all I've read the electro shock is an old wive's tale. No doctor I've talked to recommends the electro for rattlesnake bites.

Some of the old timers I grew up around used a car spark plug. Hard core.

[kcvl]

What to do if bitten

Wash the area with soap and water

Apply ice to reduce swelling and redness

Do Not Use Heat

Search for spider- take it with you to the doctor for identification

Call your doctor

Call poison control



Medications

Common medications used to treat BRS bites
Antibiotics (oral and/or IV)
Steroids (usually prednisone)
Dapsone




Shock Treatment

High voltage low amperage shock treatment has been used for years to treat snake bites and has been used to treat BRS bites as well. For more information on how it works please see the link below. Dr. Abrams uses stun gun treatment and has pictures and testimonials on his site.
Stan Abrams,MD




Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

HBOT has been used to treat non healing diabetic wounds and is now being used to treat BRS bites. The increase of oxygen in the tissue increases healing. It is also believed that the pressure helps to neutralize poison in the blood stream. For more information on what HBOT is please see the link below.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)





Herbal Remedies

There are several herbal remedies that people have written in to me about. They include:


Activated Charcoal

Tea Tree Oil

Burrow's solution

You can search the victim email page to see how these were used.





Nitroglycerin Patches


Nitroglycerin patches are being used to treat BRS bites. The patch is applied to the wound and stimulates growth of new tissue and healing. For more information please click on the link below.
The Brown Recluse Spider Finally Stopped in its Tracks

[savagesusie]

We had them in a delapidated barn in Perry, OK. (although I never was bit)....but came close when some big scorpions slide out of my drawing pad!!! I also had a black widow hanging inside my mail box and accidently looked instead of grabbed my mail....I was lucky! How I ever survived OK--I will never know....

[kcvl]

http://www.detercrime.com/stun.asp

[engrpat]

my 2 cents. I was nailed by one on the knee. Took me about 8 hours to get to a doctor. Spent 6 days in the hospital on drugs and leg packed in ice and came really close to losing it. Don't want to go through that again.

[stlnative]

That sounds like the one I had on the back of my neck in the hairline. I did not know what it was. It was small and got bigger and bigger. I finally went to doctor, sure enough it was BRS bite. I could not see it myself, unless I would have shaved the area. I learned about them on the internet and how to spot what a BRS bite looks like. The one I had before would heal over and then bust open again. It took 6 months for it to turn into a very small scab and left a dent in the back of my head. It was on my head near my hairline and about 3 inches behind my ear. I think the bites affect people differently, some people end up dying or loosing a limb and others just get a bad sore from it. You don't know how it will affect you until you have been bitten, it most cases people have no idea what it is from and as the sore gets bigger over time they finally seek medical help. Some people get seriously ill right away. I did run a fever this time and never thought much about it. I just thought it was night sweats since I am nearing that time and have already had a few before. The website I directed people to has all types of cases from mild to deadly. I trust that the one on my arm probably will not get that big, but I will keep an eye on it. Like I said what starts out small and seems like a mosquito bite may actually be a BRS bite. They normally get get a dark center in them (where the skin starts to die) and that dark center grows. So people should be aware that you may get bit and not even see the spider or you may have never seen one in your home before. They are not webspinners, they hide in dark places and bite if you stick your hand in glove, or your foot in a shoe. Or put a hat on your head. They get in folded up bath towels or even ones hanging up to dry.

Take care and I am glad you came out of it ok. There is no doubt that they are common in the middle to lower midwest. But they have been found in other states, due to people moving and taking them in to other areas. All they need is nice dark, dry and fairly warm place to live.

[DBrow]

Well, just to be complete, a related spider:

http://hobospider.org/

found mostly in Utah but not exclusively.

As if we don't all have the willies enough from looking at the pix!

[Eva]

They are small spiders that make irregular webs low to the ground. They live in wood piles and debris and they jump. That's about all I know, except that their bites can be very bad. I know a woman who had to have part of her foot amputated.

[kcvl]

Stun Gun Protocol for Venomous Bites of the Brown Recluse Spider

Stan Abrams, M.D.

The method of application of the stun gun for venomous bites is of the utmost importance especially for the brown recluse spider bite. The venom of the BRS has the nasty property of deep penetration and the ability to stay in the system for years, The electrode placement is important.

One 10 to 12 inch extension lead made from a #14 to #10 braided copper wire (depending on availability), with a clip attached to each end. On one end I use a 1-3/8 inch insulated claw clip (Radio Shack #270-359) and on the other end an insulated small alligator clip (Radio Shack #270-378A). The reason for the claw clip is that it has a large flat surface area to make contact with the skin. The smaller alligator clip is used to grasp one of the poles of the stun gun.

The wire with the clips is attached to the stun gun using the small alligator clip. The claw clip is placed on the opposite side of the extremity from the bite using pressure to make good skin contact. If the bite is on the abdomen then you must put the claw clip at least 10 inches away from the bite site on the abdominal wall. The other pole from the stun gun is applied to the skin at the bite site as close as possible. Good contact is a must; otherwise there will be an arc and a spark burn to the skin. The gun is fired for one second and then the pole is moved to the edge of the area of redness and the gun is fired again. You will need to work around the edge of inflamed area in either a clockwise or counterclockwise manner giving 5 or 6 one-second shocks to the area in total. It is not necessary to move the claw clip. The extension wire is not needed for other venomous bites.


It has been my experience that in one or two hours most of the pain has subsided. Any drainage should not last longer than 2 days and you should notice healing starting.

The biological basis for the mechanism behind the shock is:

The current will influence the hydrogen bonds of the enzymes, destroying their secondary and tertiary structure.
The high voltage, low amperage current applied will reduce metal ions and zinc, copper, magnesium, iron, or calcium ions, which are firmly bound to some venom enzymes and are mandatory cofactors for these enzymes.
The electric particles interfere with the membrane as well as the positive charged polypeptides, decreasing their cytotoxic properties.

Taken together the protective high-voltage treatment for venomous bites is at least in part due to action of the electrical current on the venom itself.

Surgery prior to this type of treatment is not the answer since the venom has not been neutralized and the wound will break down again within a few weeks or months. This is well documented.

Examples of how to use the stun gun here...

http://www.sabramsmd.com/brs/brs_stungun_protocol.html

[stlnative]

Here is one on a hip



watch the core of it to see if it turns black or dark brown. How fast this happens depends on the person who was bitten and how much venom was injected. It also will blister up with tiny blisters (kinda like the way your taste buds look on your tougue)

You should not use heat on it at all... the best thing to do is use a cold compress and get to the doctor quickly if you start feeling unwell. Not everyone feels bad except for the area that has been bitten. Do seek medical attention at the doctors office on Monday.

[kcvl]

Before stun gun treatment.

#1 photo after stun gun treatment.

#2 photo after stun gun treatment.

[BOBWADE]

I see them all the time. I was under the impression that they are a common household spider in Missouri. I can probably kill two or three in my garage every week. Just have to shake out my shoes and boots before putting them on.

[kcvl]

Stun gun treatment

[stlnative]

Pretty damn ugly and scary isn't it? and all from alittle spider you normally never see or feel it when it bites you!

[Chameleon]

If my bite hasn't remissed, I'll go to the Doctor tomorrow.

I gather that the stun protocol is typically used after the venom has spread. Since mine was on my hip, there really isn't an opposite place to put a second probe, and since my bite is so recent, there isn't alot of infected area. I just used the taser locally over and around the inflamed part.

The links suggested that shock is effective for lots of different venoms, so I figured it might be useful even if this isn't a brown recluse bite. I don't think it can hurt.

[blackdog]

Now I know what I'll be doing the next time My wife tells me she was bitten by a spider. I will show her your post, take her to our livestock fenceline, and repeatedly shock her with 5000 volts.

I feel better already!

[CarolAnn]

You're as sick as I am. When I find a tick on myself or one of my dogs, I stick it on scotch tape, then fold the tape over the top. (I never let them go long enough to get full. I check myself every time I've been out doors.) I don't give a damn how long it takes for the little blood suckers to die. I just toss them in the trash.

[stlnative]

Description

The body of the brown recluse is light tan to dark brown in color. It is about 1/2" to 1/4 " in size. The males are usually smaller than the females. With leg span included the BRS is about the size of a half dollar. The legs are long, thins and delicate. They have only six eyes. The most distinguishing mark is the violin like dark patch on their head with the skinny part of violin pointing toward the abdomen.

Habitat

BRS can be found in the south central states including Texas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Alabama, and Oklahoma. In the home the BRS seeks secluded areas: around the hot water heater, in closets, under beds and furniture. Around the home they can be found under the porch, in a woodpile, and in the garage.


Life Cycle

Lifespan ranges from 2 to 10 years. Females lay eggs from May to August. It takes a month for the eggs to hatch. The spider can tolerate temps from near freezing to over 100 degrees F.


Prevention

To prevent spiders and other insects from entering your home seal up all cracks and crevices which may allow entry. These usually occur around doors, windows, and pipes. Screens can be placed over dryer vents and other large openings. Keep closets and other areas as clean as possible. Vacuum around and under furniture and baseboards. Keep beds and linens away from the wall and off the floor. Shake clothing that has been lying on the floor. Wash clothing and bedding that has not been used for a while or that has been in storage.


Elimination

Poison has little effect on spider because they do not clean themselves or taste with their feet like many bugs do. This is not to say that it won't help but don't rely on sprays to keep spiders out. For large infestation a bug bomb may be your best bet to reach the spiders you cannot see or reach with sprays. Once you have sealed up and cleaned house there are other methods to get rid of the spiders in your home. There are some dust products that cause insects to dehydrate and die. There are also glue traps that simply trap the spider and it can then be thrown away. These are a good way to monitor what insects may be in your house. If you are going to use a poison check with your local nursery or hardware store for what to use in your area as each state has different laws about poisons and pesticides. Always use caution when using pest control products and follow the directions and warnings!

[Chameleon]

Note - my bite on the hip looks almost identical to the one Birgette posted originally...Doesn't look too menacing right now, and I wouldn't have thought much about it if I hadn't seen this thread.

Hopefully, it will go away quickly, and I'll never know for sure whether it was a brown recluse bite and/or if the taser took care of a potentially nasty problem.