Brown recluse got me

[look 171]

Got me in my sleep right on my forehead four night ago. Comparing from pics on the net and symptoms described, I am almost sure that's it. I was in hell for a couple days, but I am still alive and bitter as always. The swelling subsided a lot around the bite area and it doesn't hurt as much. I felt like I was growing a horn out of my forehead. Didn't go to my doc and found out I am not allergic. Here's my ugly azz forehead. Its getting much better.

Anyone been bitten before?

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

Lucky it wasn't so bad it caused necrosis, if that is a brown recluse bite!!

Did it burn like hell too? I got bit by a black widow on my arm. It was kind of similar to what you have, but it was just one huge crater. It was burning the entire time and liquid just kept coming out of it. As the days passed, I had started to get two huge streaks follow veins closer, but I didn't feel woozy or anything. Decided not to go to the doctor, but after a week with things not changing, I finally caved and went to the doctor. He sent me to CVS to pick up some polysporin. Gave it two weeks and it fully healed. The crater is completely gone now, but when i'm drinking I see see a red tint to my skin where the scar and streaks were.

[billybek]

Maybe the spider was trying to eat one of those caterpillars below your hairline....

Looks painful. I haven't been bitten by anything like that.

[look 171]

It bit me in two places. The crater started after about 24 hours and got bigger and bigger in the next couple days until they connected. Oh yeah, the yellow liquid. Tolerable but consistent burning. The whole swollen area was hot like hell. It might have been a black widow, who knows? It started to scab over today but that damn liquid is still flowing but a lot less then yesterday.

[stomachmonkey]

Dude, next time, hopefully there is no next time, get your ass to the Dr ASAP.

Seriously you could have lost your face.

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

Yikes!!! Yeah, I got bit in my sleep too. I woke up and felt a piercing pain, and it got progressively worse and worse... my arm started to twitch and felt really heavy too. I'd post a picture, but it's definitely not safe for work. It looked like I got bit by a zombie.

What are you using to treat the bite? Polysporin actually helped really quick. My doctor said not to use neosporin because it may cause an allergy with the bite.

[look 171]

Just simple over the counter topical antibiotic. Polysporin different then just typical antibiotic? If so, I am running over to get some now

[Tobra]

I like medihoney for that sort of wound.

That is probably hobo spider

[Bill Douglas]

Geez, little bugger, nearly gave you a lobotomy.

[Eric at Pelican Parts]

Originally Posted by look 171

Just simple over the counter topical antibiotic. Polysporin different then just typical antibiotic? If so, I am running over to get some now

It's pretty similar to Neosporin, but my doctor recommended me to use Polysporin for my spider bite. I've never had an issue using Neosporin (currently using it on a 2nd degree burn), but took his advice anyway.

[WPOZZZ]

No necrotizing fasciitis? One of my friends got bit by a centipede when he was sleeping. Called the poison hotline and the operator had a hard time not laughing when he told her he got bit on his package. Then he asked if his wife needed to suck out the venom!

[ckelly78z]

I have a habit of sleeping with the sheet over my head/ears. This has saved me several times from wasps/bees, and countless mosquitos that actually woke me up from thier sounds of trying to get to me. Who knows how many spiders have climbed over me while sleeping.

[onewhippedpuppy]

You got damn lucky, normally that leaves behind a big hole. I'm not a big "go to the doctor" type, but I would definitely go if I suspected a brown recluse or black widow bite, both of which we have here.

[mreid]

Originally Posted by WPOZZZ

No necrotizing fasciitis? One of my friends got bit by a centipede when he was sleeping. Called the poison hotline and the operator had a hard time not laughing when he told her he got bit on his package. Then he asked if his wife needed to suck out the venom!

Yeah, I was bitten on the leg by one of those Hawaiian centipedes. I was sleeping on the beach in Makaha when it got under the blanket! Bastage was over six inches long! The bite swelled for about a week before starting to go down. Took a month to heal and I still have a scar on my leg. That was in 1978!

[wayner]

I was sleeping on a beach in Canada and was woken up by a seagull pecking on my chest. Does that count?

[kach22i]

I got bit on the finger a few years ago, it was similar to the worst flu I ever had.

I was out for three days solid, felt shatty for over a week.

You have my sympathy.

I cannot imagine getting bit on the forehead.

[plexiform]

If you start feeling weak, short of breath, start having chest pain, muscle aches, fevers, or nausea and vomiting, go to the ER. If the wound is starting to get better you are probably going to be fine but the skin findings do not necessarily correlate with the potential systemic complications. There are some possibilities of delayed but severe systemic reactions to a recluse bite. Delayed reactions can occur up to several weeks later. Desquamation around the bite, rhabdomyolysis, acute hemolytic anemia, acute kidney failure, and angioedema being the concerning ones. These are rare and more common in kids but they can occur. The scarring usually heals in weeks to months and is very rarely permanent.

[GH85Carrera]

Brown Recluse asa the Fiddleback spider have the recluse in their name because they normally are not out in the open. It may well have been a spider, but Brown Recluse spider bites are unusual in a bed unless it is the guest bedroom that does not get used often.

Whatever got you, that has to suck. At least it did not get you in a more sensitive area.

One of my former coworkers would go house sit for some friends that were missionaries. They would be gone for months at a time and he would alternate staying there or at his own house. The house owned by the missionaries was infested with brown recluse. He was getting bit weekly and he found a doctor doing research on the spider bites. The doc started calling his spiderman. He even collected some spiders for the doctor.

He would have several bites at a time and it was no major deal for him. He had almost built up an immunity to them. The finally got permission to have an exterminator come nuke the place and kill all the spiders. Maybe he was a freak of nature.

[Steve Carlton]

"It might be a tumor."

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

"It might be a tumor."

I was going to post some pics with the caption, at least it didn't turn out like these, but honestly, after looking at the ones that would be best for that sort of post, I decided no one needed to see those.