Poisonous spider info. for people living in Midwest and South

[Manmohini]

Hello,
If you live in a place where the brown recluse spider is plentiful (as I do), you might want to know about a new treatment that prevents the gangrene and necrosis that is common with this bite. I was bitten in my bed by one of these spiders on Sunday. On Monday, my doctor instructed me to wear a nitroglycerin patch on it for three nights. It arrested the infection immediately. For the therapy to be useful, it is best to start it within 48 hours. Boy, am I glad I didn't listen to the first doctor who told me there is nothing they can do, just apply benadryl lotion, and come in three to four days later if it turns black.

So if you get bit by a brown recluse, ask your doctor for a nitroglycerin patch. Many doctors do not know yet about this extraordinarily effective treatment against this spider venom.
Manmohini

 

[Nadja Z]

RE: Poisonous spider info. for people living in Midwest...

Wow, thanks for the info. Isn't it scary when you realize how lucky you were to actually get the right medical treatment? Last summer I practically had to beg my doc for antibiotics for lyme disease. She really wanted to diagnose me with mono, but I was pretty sure it was lyme (engorged tick on my leg, hello! and bullseye the day after my appt, thank you). I'm so glad now I forced myself to be uncomfortably insistent with the doc for a couple minutes to avoid a lifelong chronic disease.

 

[MSJ]

Wow--that is scary! I'm so glad you sought a second opinion (I'm also glad I live in the Pacific Northwest)

Maggie

 

[chefkate]

DH got bit by a brown recluse about 7 years ago. His doc looked at, poked it, and told him to go home and put Neosporin on it!!! It ate a giant hole in his leg that eventually stopped but man, was it ugly. It is still scarred up. Really stupid doctor. A couple of years ago we diagnosed it via an email that was sent to us. We'll remember this info for the future!

 

[angie_nrs]

How did you know it was a brown recluse that bit you?

I've never heard of them in Michigan, but wouldn't be surprised to find out we have them here.

 

[Liann]

>Wow--that is scary! I'm so glad you sought a second opinion
>(I'm also glad I live in the Pacific Northwest)
>
>Maggie

Maggie - Ever deal with those good old "Hobo" spiders? Not hardly as bad as a brown recluse, but I dread our trips to the Pac. NW every year because my in-law's house is crawling with them. I literally buy foggers the minute I get there. All this spider talk reminded me of my close call with a black widow the other day (we unfortunatly have plenty of those here in the NE). I was sitting in my DH's car on our way home from shopping and something tickled me between my toes. I looked down and saw black legs between my big toe and the next one. I freaked out and kicked it off. It was a lovely Latrodectus Mactans (sorry, former Bio major). Eek... Is there a state without any spiders???

I'm glad you are ok Manmohini!!!

 

[Manmohini]

Michigan doesn't have brown recluses as far as I know. They are more in the lower Midwest, Southern Plains states, and South. Arkansas was loaded with them when I lived there, and Kansas is just as bad. I lived in Texas for a while too, and they have them crawling all over that state too.

How do I know it was a recluse that bit me? I felt something crawling on my leg in bed the other morning. I figured it was a spider, but I told myself it probably wasn't since I'm always imagining things are crawling on me. Then I felt a pinprick and persuaded myself I probably imagined that too. A couple of hours later when I was making the bed, I decided to look to see if there was a spider in the bed, and sure enough there was a dead brown recluse. So I had a positive identification and knew right away it was the brown recluse. This helps a lot when you have to start the treatment withing 48 hours. Many people don't realize until the wound gets necrosis or gangrene that they've been bitten by something as serious as a brown recluse.

Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

Now I can barely sleep because every little sensation on my skin feels like a poisonous spider.
Manmohini