Just saw a friend yesterday in Windhoek getting over a spider bite. He got tagged on the foot and spent 6 days in hospital getting three antibiotic treatments a day for a secondary infection. He is the fourth friend this year to get tagged by a Brown Recluse (aka Violin, Fiddleback and Brown spider). Its hemotoxic venom can do some ridiculous damage. His leg is still swollen and discolored over two weeks later partially from the venom and partly from the subsequent infection.

His first visit to the doctor was misdiagnosed as gout. The infection and necrosis a few days later left little doubt the first diagnosis was crap. TIA

Check your clothes and shoes before dressing!!!

Opus

In my experience the antibiotics do not work.

I had it with my brother. When the wounds got big enough that I could insert my thumb into the side of his leg we look at alternatives.

The only therapy that stops the venom is elctric shock therapy.

The problem lies in that the venom migrates with the living cells and the wounds will continue to grow. You will see the white ring around the wound, This is the active site where the venom is attached to living cells.

We used an electro accupuncture machine with accupuncture needles placed around the wound.
It healed within 2 weeks after treatment and this was a wound that had seen no improvement with over 6 weeks of antibiotic treatment.

I have heard of extreme cases where tazers have been used, but caution must be used in not causing an electrical burn on the site as this can cause further complications.

If you want more info feel free to call me. PM sent with my number
Thanks
Ian

I got bit around 2004. I have never been so sick in my life. My temperature was over 104. I was sweating profusely on the plane, shivering uncontrollably. I had a grape sized piece of tissue turn black and die. It fell out of my leg as they were preparing to cut it out.

I hope to never get bit again.

VS - I agree that antibiotics do nothing for the necrosis, but it does stop the secondary infection which can be just as bad as the necrosis. I have heard about electroshock treatment. At first I thought it was BS, but more and more people are apparently treating with it. Interesting.


Larry - It cannot be a fun thing to go through. Pretty amazing that such a little thing can do so much damage.

I have taken to spraying and fogging our camps with Pyrethrum. Have never seen a spider or tick for that matter since. Also great for fly control as well.

quote:

VS - I agree that antibiotics do nothing for the necrosis, but it does stop the secondary infection which can be just as bad as the necrosis. I have heard about electroshock treatment. At first I thought it was BS, but more and more people are apparently treating with it. Interesting.

Opus,
We actually tried it out of desperation.
but if you read the horror stories of how people have lost their limbs etc due to Doctors being unwilling to look at anything other than antibiotics, you will gladly try the alternatives.

As far as i can see, there are many ways to control in the short term. But the only way to get rid of the poison is to break the bonds it has with the living flesh.

Good luck.
Its a shitty thing to happen to anyone
Cheers
Ian

An uncle of mine got bit by a brown recluse and lost a big chunk of his right deltoid and spent a long time in the hospital.

I once spent two nights in a sleeping bag with a black widow and got bit 4 times - once the first night and three times the second night (I'm a slow learner). The bites stung much like a bee sting for about 24 hours and a patch of skin around the bites about the size of a half dollar, sweated and was sticky for hours, but I suffered no long term issues. I was lucky. Some people have horrible abdominal cramps and may even die.

I don't like spiders.

BH63

For years therapy recommended was:
Cool (ice) ,Dapsone, Medrol (steroid), Keflex (antibiotic), Benadryl, (antihistamine)-

Over the years agents in the classes above have been varied-

Studies have included , Steroids, Dapsone (original tried on Leprosy),other Antibiotics, Hyperbaric tx, Colchicine, Electric shock, Nitroglycerin, and many others--

Basically, at this time statistically, none are shown to be highly effective-
though hyberbaric tx has seen more improvement
than electricity

Much as with all "envenomations" - each bite is variable in toxicity and host response-
Some have a terrible time- some not so bad-

Every case is different-

Current teaching revolves around cooling,
essentially to slow down the sphingomyelinase D and therefore slow down tissue necrosis.

Most patients still receive a modified the basic cocktail from 30+ years ago listed at the start of the post. ( Today we see many times: Dapsone , Medrol dose Pack, Bactrim/Doxycycline. Zyrtec/Zantac, etc, etc )(check G-6-PD,before Dapsone Rx)

Close monitoring of the wound is vital.

As to cases almost all get some necrosis-
from a tiny 1mm pit to loss of large areas--

I had the unfortunate duty to remove much of the left buttock from one of my med school profs- after an elk hunt in Colorado.
he literally took years to recover, and multiple grafts etc. (Average wounds are much smaller than his)

As was stated-- check your boots, hammer them upside down then inspect with a light-

leave your pants inside out, be careful as you turn them right side out--

For my black widow spider bites, the resident had me hooked up to an IV and with saline, and had me stay overnight just to monitor the symptoms.

Last fall, my wife fell asleep in her chair, and I was quietly reading next to her, when I saw a fast- moving spider run across her lap. I was pretty sure it was a brown recluse.

I woke her up, but never found the spider. The next day I went out and bought a whole bunch of glue traps (works for mice and spiders) and set them all around and under our chairs.

Feeling more secure, about two days later, another brown spider ran across my lap. I killed it and sure enough it was a brown recluse (fiddleback).

Apparently the spiders were living around our porch and when it started getting cold they would find a way to get in our house.

Since then, I keep a lot of glue traps around our bedroom, living room, basement, and garage. I catch quite a few of those beggars.

I don't like spiders.

BH63

PS I always turn sleeping bags inside out and check them thoroughly for spiders before loading them up for a camping/hunting trip.

What it the attractant for the spider ? The other arachnoid , ticks are attracted to CO2 as are mosquitos.What's in the glue trap ?

Bit on the thigh years ago. MD told me it was brown recluse and rub Arneca on it. No antibiotics. Never ruptured but I came close to cutting it before it calmed down. Bombed the house with Flea bombs. 1 in every room and 2 pitched in crawl space. Couldn't believe all the spiders I found on the floors.
Now spray the ground at and base of foundation with strong mix of insecticide once every spring. No more crawlers.
Scott