Well, it's happened!
I've been bitten by a spider.
Again.
And in honor of me getting bitten this time I would repost it since it is clearly a tradition. Every October, no kidding. A spider comes for me.
Anyway, minding my own business, sitting on the edge of the bed, I felt something on my arm and when I lifted it to look there was already a red whelp forming. I knew immediately it was another spider bite.
My theory it is that I’m a cheap date, seeing as one bite will more than likely create a lifelong buzz for a creature that small and since MB doesn’t take meds, they always come for me.
The first time I got bit, I am certain that that bugger spread the word that I’m a one stop shop and now every year, that dude’s brother, sister, cousin, or best friend comes back to dig in. Yeah, thanks for that, you little jerk.
Also, that first time, I made the mistake of Googling “spider bite identification” and got to see results in vivid detail, replete with having my friend’s voice echoing in my head wondering if it was possible to have one crawl in your mouth while sleeping. My imagination is overactive enough without having additional musings thrown into the mix.
This time, since the bite was pretty gnarly, I sent photos to my parents
and my Dad wanted to know all kinds of details:
"Did you see it? Did you kill it? "
I told him calmly,
Anyway, minding my own business, sitting on the edge of the bed, I felt something on my arm and when I lifted it to look there was already a red whelp forming. I knew immediately it was another spider bite.
My theory it is that I’m a cheap date, seeing as one bite will more than likely create a lifelong buzz for a creature that small and since MB doesn’t take meds, they always come for me.
The first time I got bit, I am certain that that bugger spread the word that I’m a one stop shop and now every year, that dude’s brother, sister, cousin, or best friend comes back to dig in. Yeah, thanks for that, you little jerk.
Also, that first time, I made the mistake of Googling “spider bite identification” and got to see results in vivid detail, replete with having my friend’s voice echoing in my head wondering if it was possible to have one crawl in your mouth while sleeping. My imagination is overactive enough without having additional musings thrown into the mix.
This time, since the bite was pretty gnarly, I sent photos to my parents
and my Dad wanted to know all kinds of details:
"Did you see it? Did you kill it? "
I told him calmly,
“No, I didn’t kill it, and no, I didn’t see it.”
He then says, with absolute certainty,
"If you didn't get it it will come back to get you!"
I love you, Dad! Thanks for that only a few hours before I was going to sleep, lol!
Over the next 24 hours, I watched as my arm continued to swell, because it was so dramatically different within such a short period of time, that’s when I began taking photos to document it. Other than burning, itching in the area of the bite, and swelling in my forearm, I didn’t have any other symptoms.
However, at the 48 hour mark, I became nauseated and had a headache that felt different than my usual ones. Still, no fever or chills. I really didn’t want to rack up another couple of grand in medical bills, so I just waited it out, carefully monitoring my temperature. The swelling was slowly creeping down my arm and I noticed the bite had turned into blisters.
By the 72 hour mark, the swelling had reached the back of my forearm all the way down to my elbow. There was also a noticeable pattern of a bullseye from the reddest part of the heart of the bite which blushed out to a white ring as it reached my elbow, there was another ring in more of a reddish flush. My nausea and headache had gone away.
By the 96 hour mark after the bite, the swelling had finally stopped progressing. While the shape of the reddish flush changed, it didn’t get any worse. I felt like I had gotten past the worst of it.
Within the next week, it remained sensitive but I never went to the doctor. Soap & water, cortisone cream, and an icepack worked out just fine. If my nausea had worsened or I had fever, I would have scooted my butt to the doctor, no excuses.
Eventually, the blisters dried out and there is a little scar, in a few months it will be very faint, unlike the chicken pox scar to the right of it, or the large scratch scars courtesy of Frank’s back talons.
For the record, I was told by several sources in the medical field that more than likely, it was a brown recluse. Whatever it was, I hope its dead many times over.
Here are more photos documenting the progression.
He then says, with absolute certainty,
"If you didn't get it it will come back to get you!"
I love you, Dad! Thanks for that only a few hours before I was going to sleep, lol!
Over the next 24 hours, I watched as my arm continued to swell, because it was so dramatically different within such a short period of time, that’s when I began taking photos to document it. Other than burning, itching in the area of the bite, and swelling in my forearm, I didn’t have any other symptoms.
However, at the 48 hour mark, I became nauseated and had a headache that felt different than my usual ones. Still, no fever or chills. I really didn’t want to rack up another couple of grand in medical bills, so I just waited it out, carefully monitoring my temperature. The swelling was slowly creeping down my arm and I noticed the bite had turned into blisters.
By the 72 hour mark, the swelling had reached the back of my forearm all the way down to my elbow. There was also a noticeable pattern of a bullseye from the reddest part of the heart of the bite which blushed out to a white ring as it reached my elbow, there was another ring in more of a reddish flush. My nausea and headache had gone away.
By the 96 hour mark after the bite, the swelling had finally stopped progressing. While the shape of the reddish flush changed, it didn’t get any worse. I felt like I had gotten past the worst of it.
Within the next week, it remained sensitive but I never went to the doctor. Soap & water, cortisone cream, and an icepack worked out just fine. If my nausea had worsened or I had fever, I would have scooted my butt to the doctor, no excuses.
Eventually, the blisters dried out and there is a little scar, in a few months it will be very faint, unlike the chicken pox scar to the right of it, or the large scratch scars courtesy of Frank’s back talons.
For the record, I was told by several sources in the medical field that more than likely, it was a brown recluse. Whatever it was, I hope its dead many times over.
Here are more photos documenting the progression.
More often than not, unless you have the actual bug that bit you, most doctors will only be able to theorize what bit you.
If you have been bitten by a spider and find yourself here on my blog, this was my personal experience with a spider bite.
Please take your bite seriously and make sure to seek medical attention if you have any doubt. Better to be safe than sorry. Take care!
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