I don't know but it bit the back of my ankle on Wednesday and we spent 2 hours tonight in a Care Now clinic having it checked out. I got a whoppin' strong antibiotic shot in the bum from a syringe made for horses (at least it looked that big) and have another antibiotic prescription to take for the next 10 days. The nurse drew on my leg, a circle around the 5/8th inch diameter swollen red center of the bite and dash marks around the extended red and swollen area. If there is no change by tomorrow then we go back to see what else needs to be done. Since I never saw the biter we don't know for sure it was a Recluse but it might have been a regular spider with a bacterial infection that it passed on to me. Almost afraid to get back out in the garden now.
I 'm not surprised you don't want to go back to your garden Toni. Fingers crossed that you don't need any more treatment and the bite wound heals quickly. As I type my hubby is reading up about the recluse
That bite sounds painful Toni. I really hope the injection and follow up antibiotics kick in and stop it from getting any worse. I hope the wound begins to shrink quickly and doesn't spread. Do keep us updated on how you are please. I'm so glad we don't have anything like the Recluse over here!! Are there any types of ankle protectors you can wear whilst outdoors? I don't like the thought of you running the risk of being bitten again.
Ouch Toni! I don't know too much about them, but I think I'd better read up and check if they are around here.
Oh boy, how awful Toni! I am glad you knew to get right in to a medical facility. I hope you will be alright. I just read up on recluses. The venom sounds awful.
toni, Feel better Sweetie. I would think twice about visiting that garden also. Work on getting over it for you will be missing so much of life's pleasure.
Good Lord! Toni, that sounds awful. I'm glad they're dealing with it so aggressively though. It will be to your benefit if it should turn out to be a recluse bite. Do you have any blistering? Any blackness of the skin area around the bite? Any cratering of the skin there? Any other indications that it could be a recluse bite? Please keep us updated. And BE CAREFUL!!!
Toni, no matter how careful or how knowledgeable a gardener is, things happen. I'm so sorry one of these happenings happened to you! I hope it wasn't a brown Recluse. Take care of yourself and please recover quickly!
The main reason I dislike spiders... they can bite you and you never know what hit you! I had a spider bite a few years ago, never did know what kind. But it sure hurt like the dickens! Hope your pain stops and it heals up quickly.
According to my old doctor, who is now deceased, a recluse bite leaves an ulcer in addition to those other symptoms. I hope your bite is NOT a recluse bite and will heal quickly.
Toni, I hope that you are feeling well and that the bite site is showing signs that can be interpreted to give an idea of what kind of spider bit you. Perhaps it is helpful to look at where you were when you were bitten to give you an idea of what kind of spider it was...or even if it WAS a spider. Looking at it objectively from over here--it doesn't sound like it is known 100% that it was a spider that bit you. I hope that it was something else. Well, you have gotten the meds for prophylaxis...you know-- for prevention of bacterial insult of any wound that may result. It ought to give you some comfort that all the ducks are in a row in terms of monitoring you and the bite. Do you know, as I recall most recluse spider bites occur in dwellings. Please do not let this immediately make you reluctant to get back out in your garden; because from what I have heard, it is not 100% known that you have indeed suffered a recluse bite. If it can be proven without a doubt, then oké...by all means, consider being more careful with going out into the garden. My plea is, first find out for sure before fearing to go back out into the garden. Try. Get well soon, miss. Have you taken pics of this event to keep for progress comparison for later? You can monitor it yourself.
Thanks for the good thoughts. It is getting a bit smaller and the redness in the surrounding area has cleared up. The Dr. is the one who suggested Recluse spider because of the way the bite looked, maybe she saw the fang marks, I don't know. It could have been a regular spider that was carrying a bacteria and passed it along to me in the bite. I get ant stings and spider bites almost every time I get down to play in the dirt so I really didn't think anything about it when I felt the bite. It was inside my sock so I just slapped the spot and took the sock off to make sure the critter was gone. I took a photo of the spot when we got home from the clinic for comparison to make sure it was going down. And since there has been improvement, we do not need to see the doctor again, thankfully. Yep, the Recluse is typically found in attics, closets, basements but has also been found in woodpiles, old tires and under leaf piles and I had been sweeping up some fallen leaves that were on the ground under a rose bush just before I felt the bite. After that monster shot they gave me was pretty strong, I had to lay still for half an hour before they would let me leave. And I have an antibiotic to take twice a day for 10 days. I'll be back out working in the yard again. Summer temps have set in here and all the plants I bought are in the ground so gardening won't happen very often until October anyway.
Toni, it is very, very good news to hear the bite is getting smaller and less red. I sweat like the dickens while wearing them, but if I'm going into the garden I put on my Wellies. You might want to try wearing high rubber boots. Consider it a steam bath from the knees down!
