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rockermike
Mountain climber
Berkeley
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 9, 2008 - 02:39pm PT
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Anybody ever bitten by a brown recluse?
I got home from my Utah/Colorado trip and the next morning my foot started swelling up. A few days later I started antibiotics and a little later a puss pocket developed. 10 days in now its huge, ugly red white and blue pussy wound. I'd upload a photo but can't find my camera link cable.
Anyway, I went to doctor before puss pocket formed and she assumed it was just a skin infection. But now I compare it to brown recluse bite photos on the internet and they sure look the same. And I kind of vaguely remember waking in the middle of the night in our hotel in Colorado with a sudden sharp pain in my ankle. It was pitch dark at the time and I was half asleep but now in retrospect I'm thinking it was probably a bite.
I understand there is nothing a doc can do anyway. But how long am I going to be on crutches watching old videos.??
anyone else have experience?
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Luckily it is still readily treatable with vancomycin.
I've never been bitten by a brown recluse but a bartender at a place I used to DJ at was. She still has the giant round scar on her right shoulder blade to prove it.
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nita
climber
chica from chico, I don't claim to be a daisy
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When I read this post, like Sewellymon, I was thinking about MRSA.
Rockermike, With a brown Recluse bite, doesn't the skin around the bite rot and die...or something like that? Tooo lazy to google.
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bachar
Gym climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Go to the doctor or specialist now!
There are brown recluse spiders in Mammoth (and lots of wood spiders) and many people with bad long term consequences from brown recluse bites... Treat it seriously!
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rockermike
Mountain climber
Berkeley
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2008 - 04:03pm PT
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my bite is not unlike this (not my foot)but larger puss bubble.
here's some gory pictures if anyone is interested. (cycle thru 10 sequences and scroll down to time series of various bites)
http://www.highway60.com/mark/brs/casestudy_photos.asp?Msg=2836
damn, gross stuff
mine is still a closed blister.
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nita
climber
chica from chico, I don't claim to be a daisy
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OMG, that's HAIRBALL!!! Hope you have a complete recovery! Does it hurt bad, does it itch? No pic?
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Crimpergirl
Social climber
So on my way outta St. Looney!!!
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I was bit about 4 years ago on the knee. It was knarly, but it did not look like what you've posted. Still, the key is to prevent any infection. See a doc.
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Gimp
Trad climber
Grand Junction
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First you need to find out if this is truely what you have. Unfortunately a diagnosis of exclusion. Thoughts posted about MRSA are a real concern now days as community acquired MRSA is increasingly more common. Follow-up immediately with current treating physician or start with you internist and follow-up with an infectious disease specialist, particularly if is a bacterial infection and not a spider bite (or possibly both).
Have personally skin grafted a number of brown recluse bites over the years. Conflicting data on whether or not dapsone will limit area of necrosis. Steroids probably have no role. Secondary or primary infections need appropriate antibiotics. Emperic therapy is not as effective as in past due to increasing incidence of resistance in community acquired infections.
SEEK ON-GOING Medical Care and a hopefully avoid tissue loss.
Steve
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bob d'antonio
Trad climber
Taos, NM
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I have and the area near the bite turned black in less than day....no puss or such but you could see two fang holes in the middle. I also fell into and out reality...with shakes, cold sweat and fever. That doesn't look like my bite (confirmed & treated)...most of area near the bite was turning black and quickly.
They were calling for plastic surgery but it didn't come to that.
I made it to the hospital in less than a day and seem to catch it early.
It wasn't pretty.
Get to a doctor now, that looks bad and as JB stated there can be very bad long term effects if you prolong getting help.
Good luck and hope you heal quickly.
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jstan
climber
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Am I seeing things or not? In the picture above the leg appears red above the knee. If the venom gets into the blood stream are systemic effects seen?
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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HIDEOUS - rockermike gods speed getting over this
spider bite = creepy shZ
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pud
climber
Sportbikeville
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I was bitten by a Brown Recluse in '80. (20 years old)
My left knee was very swollen the day after and by the second day I could not put weight on it. A black line developed along the vein running up my left leg from the bite on the inside of my left knee.
Doctors prescibed heavy anitibiotics for ten days and I recovered unscathed sans a dime sized scar and a nasty two/three days of pain and fever.
If your leg/ankle looks anything like the photo posted you should be under professional care now. If one doctor says "no worries" see another.
Good luck.
-w
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there... say, my son was bit once by a brown recluse (in south texas) (seems it was in an old junked car.. and he actually got bit again, later... so that's how he figured the now it was from the car)...
he was not home, with us at the time, but we went to see him, and the bite, later, and then sent him to a doc (but this was on the second day)...
it started to get blackish, too...but it did not blisters, or get red, etc... it was starting to eat up his knee tissue, though, and he got in just in time before any damgage was done... we were all very grateful, and i was the "bad" one that had told him to wait, in the first place, as i had never known of such a spider, etc,... and we always waited for our body to heal, instead of running to the docs, as we had no money...
BUT... it was confirmed as a brown recluse bite, so i'd tend to think that if you went in, the emergency doc should be able to tell that much, or not......
he sure dont like any thing to do with spider, now, for sure, ... oh, my...
say, to any travelers, even south padre island has them, as well as scorpions...
i sure hope you get well soon, and you best get it looked at, by this point in time...god bless... will be praying for some kind of verdict to be reached as to what all that is...
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David Nelson
climber
San Francisco
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JStan: yes, that picture certainly shows a band of red extending up the leg, in a classic distribution that shows ascending lymphangitis, which has the common name "blood poisoining." A patient like that is failing to control the infection, and the bugs are winning. If the condition is not treated, when the lymphatics start to drain into the venous system, the patient will certainly show systemic signs, ie, shaking chills, fever, malaise, etc. They may show these signs even in earlier stages of ascending lymphangitis. The systemic signs are caused by bacteria and breakdown products of bacteria in the bloodstream. Untreated, the patient can die, so this is serious stuff.
As an orthopedic hand surgeon, when I see ascending lymphangitis, I take the patient to the operating room as an emergency (ie, do not wait the normal 8 hours after the last food) and open up the infected area, irrigating it out, and leaving it open. They also get admitted for IV antibiotics.
Bottom line: if you see red streaks going up the arm or leg (they are not subtle after a few hours, and they are tender as well as red), you need to get help very soon, don't wait.
(This page is not a perfect match http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic88.htm but it is good to read. I have found that the articles on eMedicine.com are quite reliable, and you will see that they are all signed and dated, and the credentials of the author are given; and the date it was edited, the editor's name, and the editor's credentials are given. This does not make it infallible, but it does make it credible.)
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kwit
climber
california
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someone i know just recently went through this exact thing (isn't healed yet) but you should know that there are no documented cases of brown recluse spiders outside of the southeast/midwest.
california and the rest of the pacific northwest have a different spider called a "hobo spider" which effects a similar reaction that is not as severe and should heal in ~3 mos.
probably you'll scar, but no big deal.
either way, you have to get on antibiotics ASAP--oral and topical--or it won't heal. don't scratch it or worry it, keep it covered and moist, and don't use hydrogen peroxide, which slows tissue regeneration.
get to a doctor!
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rockermike
Mountain climber
Berkeley
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 9, 2008 - 09:22pm PT
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wow, sure good to know so many people care. My ex - at whose house I am recuperating - sure could care the less. ha
Anyway, for those who are concerned. My ankle started to swell and get very painful 24 to 48 hours after "suspected" bite. First red and swelling. Can't walk. After three days I went to doc and they gave me oral antibiotics. They thought it was skin infection although they didn't test for what kind.
Three days later swelling and redness still increasing (but no lines moving up leg) so I went back to doctor (different one on duty). She gave me shot and new stronger antibiotic. It seems to be working. Swelling down everyday but big blister and dark skin (like in picture) developed.
Only hurts when I stand. If leg above waist (ie video watching position) it doesn't hurt.
Tomorrow I'm going to doctor for another purpose. I'll have them look at leg again.
thanks again for all advice.
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justthemaid
climber
Los Angeles
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Well, whether it is a brown recluse or not, you need medical attention and antibiotics if it is infected. I speak from experience.
I have been hospitalized TWICE from NON-venomous spider bites that became infected. Evidently spider fangs are rife with bacteria. The first one was one day at the hospital and left a big scar because I ignored it so long. The second one ended up being a 2 day stay in the hospital on IV antibiotics. I couldn't put weight on my leg or drive my car for a week.
A recluse bite can stay an open un-healing wound for months, especially if you don't treat it, so take care of yourself.
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David Nelson
climber
San Francisco
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I had the occasion a year ago to look into the brown recluse spider bite thing in California (I know you are not in CA). I found, via the Net, a scientist who described himself as the foremost brown recluse spider authority in CA, worked at the Univ of Calif, Davis. He said that there are no Loxoceles reclusis in CA, that did not arrive there in a load of wood or something from outside the state. They are not native and do not survive in CA.
Nonetheless, there are many other kinds of spiders that can bite and cause necrotic skin lesions.
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couchmaster
climber
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Mar 10, 2008 - 12:14am PT
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Mike: good luck with it bud! Must be something else as I think that any Brown Recluse in Colo/Utah must have traveled there as they are not native and do not habitate there that I'm aware. Hobos have migrated into the state I believe, but bites are very rare. They are fairly common around here now, and although I've know people to have the lil things rear up and angrily confront them, no one has been bitten that I know.
Some info to peruse while you have your puss-filled leg propped up: http://spiders.ucr.edu/necrotic.html
Carefully read that part where Lyme has been mis-diagnosed as Brown Recluse bite. BTW, probably too early for Ticks in Colorado? So that may be out. Bob D" - too early for ticks there?
Did you go to Southern Utah or warmer climes? It could just be a staph kind of infection eh?
Either way: good luck!
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