# spider bite..



## chris30523

I thought I had a piece of hay in my shirt day before yesterday kind of poking me at the inside of my arm. I ignored it as it was too cold to strip down outside and find it. It quit and I went about my buisness and wouldn't have even remembered but that night my whole arm started to throb and the spot where i felt the poking started to burn. I pulled up my sleeve and looked.It didn't look too bad it was obviously a bite of some sort had a dent in the middle and red around.I decided to go to the doctor yesterday cause I was afraid my BP was up I had a headache and dizzzy and the bite was all red and hard.BP was okay 118/82 and she gave me doxycycline for the bite.So anybody know what is good??The bite is not broken open yet but kind of looks like it will.I am not sure the antibiotics will help cause its not infected (yet).


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## Pink_Carnation

Red and hard can mean infected, but it could just be other things. With the antibiotics if it was infected it should help...if not it will prevent an infection from starting.


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## ELOCN

What did the doctor say about the bite?


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## chris30523

Dr.said "yep its a spiderbite,heres some antibiotics" 40 bucks for 5 minutes.I wouldn't have gone except I was worried about the headache and dizzyness and after looking at pics my arm rotting off..It has broken open and feels much better now.I'll save the antibiotics for a real infection.I was looking for something topical to put on it to help it heal and not itch too bad.


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## rkintn

I was bitten by a brown recluse last year. My doc prescribed antibiotics and steriods. I got lucky because it never really got bad, but there was some damage to the skin around the bite site and I do have a quarter sized scar there. Also, I could see the venom as it spread just under the skin on a daily basis. Ice packs helped slow it down and helped with the itching as did taking an oral anti histamine such as Benadryl. Since you didn't notice when the spider actually bit you there is a good chance it is a brown recluse bite. They don't hurt when they first bite but they do after about 8-12 hours.


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## Blossomgapfarm

My husband was bitten by a brown recluse several years ago. Of course it was on a saturday and he refuses to go to the ER unless there is a threat of death. Anyway, we got online and read about using the spray fungal medicine OTC to stop the spread of poison. He used it and it worked. He does have a quarter sized scar but was so pleased to have it heal without all the medical interventions.


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## CustomDesign

We had a nasty spider bite to deal with last year which I believe was brown recluse from the reaction. We successfully treated it by using prid drawing salve, we put a big glob over the bite each day, and then covered with bandaid to keep the salve in place, it took several weeks, but did finally heal. There is a small scar from it, about the size of a pin head.


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## busybee870

i got a spider bite from a recluse while i slept, by morning it was huge swollen, my son thought quick and put salt on a band aid, left it there all day, it burned like the dickens for a while, about midnight i took it off, it must drawn out all the toxins, it healed nicely, no more problems, no doctor bill or anything. way to go son!!


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## FB.Ironworker

i've used crushed up vitamin c on a spider bite worked pretty good, i've also heard about others using bentonite clay on the wound to soakup and draw out the venom.I've also used vitamin c on my dogs, due to the fact that they come in contact with spiders in their dog house. but anything mentiond above is just my experience. heard about the vitamin c from a rottweiler breeder, kind've funny though.


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## Thales

I was bit on the butt my a brown recluse during basic training. One of the drill sergeants poured ammonia on it and gave me Benadryl, I had to put antibiotic ointment on it daily. I have a small scar but I was lucky. I sat next to a guy at the Army clinic who was bit on the arm by a black widow, the muscle in his forearm had a wavy appearance and the skin had a dark tint.

I'm deathly aware of spiders and I HATE them, any time I suspect I may have a spider on me or in my clothes I go nuts.

-Thales


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## akhomesteader

I use pitch from spruce trees to make an oil or salve. I would think pine pitch would do the same. For spider bites, it's the best thing I've found for the itching, pain and swelling (although I've never had a brown recluse bite). I've read numerous accounts of people using activated charcoal on the bite of a brown recluse or other poisonous insect to draw out the poison. I've done that for infections and a few not-so-serious bug bites and it worked very well. Draws the poison right out. Activated charcoal tablets are something I wouldn't want to be without, especially when I'm in the woods. 

I use activated charcoal for lots of things because it absorbs poisons and draws extremely well. I've heard the same about bentonite clay, although I've never tried it. Activated charcoal can't be beat for food poisoning. You can buy it loose or in capsules. Very inexpensive. Just open one directly on the bite or into a piece of gauze or cheesecloth, then wet it enough to stay moist and keep it on the spot. Change it every hour or so, and take some internally. I think the directions say only two capsules, but for food poisoning (and for serious bites) I'd take lots more. Activated charcoal absorbs better, but plain charcoal will work in a bind --- not the things with chemicals to make them burn better on a grill, though. I'm talking about cold coals from a fire, if it's all you have. 

Never would have thought to put salt on a spider bite. I'll keep that in mind in case I run out of activate charcoal.

Jenny


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## GrannyCarol

I've never had a serious spider bite, so don't know if this would work or not, but putting a nice juicy cut raw onion on bee stings really draws the venom out, it might work for spider bites too.


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## arachyd

I've had numerous spider bites. The worst were from araneus species. They are those big orb weavers that like to put up a huge web every night that spans across trails, sidewalks, porches or anywhere there is a likelihood of you walking through it. You don't feel that you've been bitten for about 1/2 hour. Then you'll feel a little prickling on your skin which develops into a nagging itch. After that it can vary. I was bitten twice by those. I had one bite on my upper arm that turned into a dense cluster of high, fluid-filled blisters which eventually popped leaving an open sore. It took weeks to heal and is now a small scar. The other was on my ring finger. My arm swelled up to about 5" above the elbow and looked like it belonged on Popeye but the bite itself didn't blister or open at all. It was completely gone within two days except for a tiny bump on my finger like a mosquito bite. Luckily, spider venom is diferent from bee venom which causes allergic reactions in a lot of people. Most of the damage is localized but the danger of infection is high when the bite results in an open sore, especially with spiders like recluse whose venom can cause a deep wound. Care of the wound to prevent infection is important. Antibiotics may be needed and sometimes something for pain.


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## BeWise

As mentioned already, clay and charcoal - both excellent. Aloe Vera also. Lots of garlic. Maybe an anti-infection herbal tincture as well, I like Dr. Schultze's formula: 

Botanical Ingredients: Garlic bulb, Goldenseal root, Usnea herb,
Myrrh resin, Echinacea angustifolia root, Echinacea purpurea
seed, Tea Tree oil, Bayberry root bark, Kelp leaf, Dulse leaf,
Black Walnut inner hull, Habanero pepper. www.herbdoc.com


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