4 ms·

The problem, as I experienced with two black widow bites a few weeks ago is I did not realize I had been bitten until the symptoms were in full effect. By the t

by tunap 10y ago

The problem, as I experienced with two black widow bites a few weeks ago is I did not realize I had been bitten until the symptoms were in full effect. By the time I realized it was not a flu virus it was already too late. I didn't even realize they were spider bite until the weeping craters appeared at the presumed mosquito bite site.

harshreality 10y ago
Are you sure? Alleged spider bites without a captured spider (or by comparison to previously observed bites... with captured spider in those cases) are often misdiagnosed. With recluse/widow/hobo spider bites, play devil's advocate. Could it have been some other bite, an infection, allergic reaction, or maybe even food poisoning? Could it have been a chigger bite, perhaps? Some kind of hymenoptera? Break down local and systemic symptoms, carefully and critically. The classic widow bite symptom is pain. That's not easy to confuse with the flu or with a mosquito bite. Other symptoms like fever, nausea, and vomiting might be caused by a spider bite... but they might not be, particularly when the wound site is either infected or showing an allergic reaction (which can lead to a constellation of other symptoms that confuses the diagnosis), and particularly when there's no accompanying pain. Even the classic flesh-destruction of brown recluse bites is not always caused by brown recluses. Plenty of "brown recluse" bites are really flesh eating bacteria infections following some other kind of bite, sting, or other small injury. Funnel-web bites are a different thing entirely. One component of their venom specifically targets primates.
- tunap 10y ago
  Verbose account posted above, I appear to have double-posted... am blaming the android browser, again. I work in utility closets, in the rafters, under desks and in my free-time leaning up against trailers. Phoenix is experiencing a relatively cool, wet August and I have knocked down over a dozen webs in the last month: inside my house & outside on my chair, grill, trailer and floating in air as I walk from house to truck. Edit: On the Wednesday I was bit, I spent the morning working on top of large part racks amidst water, air, oil & conduit lines in a heavy equipment repair shop and that afternoon I was rummaging under desks replacing old modem/router wall-warts with new equipment for a client's ISP swap. Although, my property is still the most probable candidate with it being low in a wash on the fringe of the metro area. Have had a scorpion in the tub & another in my rash guard already this summer.

by tunap 10y ago

harshreality 10y ago

Are you sure? Alleged spider bites without a captured spider (or by comparison to previously observed bites... with captured spider in those cases) are often misdiagnosed. With recluse/widow/hobo spider bites, play devil's advocate. Could it have been some other bite, an infection, allergic reaction, or maybe even food poisoning? Could it have been a chigger bite, perhaps? Some kind of hymenoptera? Break down local and systemic symptoms, carefully and critically. The classic widow bite symptom is pain. That's not easy to confuse with the flu or with a mosquito bite. Other symptoms like fever, nausea, and vomiting might be caused by a spider bite... but they might not be, particularly when the wound site is either infected or showing an allergic reaction (which can lead to a constellation of other symptoms that confuses the diagnosis), and particularly when there's no accompanying pain. Even the classic flesh-destruction of brown recluse bites is not always caused by brown recluses. Plenty of "brown recluse" bites are really flesh eating bacteria infections following some other kind of bite, sting, or other small injury. Funnel-web bites are a different thing entirely. One component of their venom specifically targets primates.

tunap 10y ago
Verbose account posted above, I appear to have double-posted... am blaming the android browser, again. I work in utility closets, in the rafters, under desks and in my free-time leaning up against trailers. Phoenix is experiencing a relatively cool, wet August and I have knocked down over a dozen webs in the last month: inside my house & outside on my chair, grill, trailer and floating in air as I walk from house to truck. Edit: On the Wednesday I was bit, I spent the morning working on top of large part racks amidst water, air, oil & conduit lines in a heavy equipment repair shop and that afternoon I was rummaging under desks replacing old modem/router wall-warts with new equipment for a client's ISP swap. Although, my property is still the most probable candidate with it being low in a wash on the fringe of the metro area. Have had a scorpion in the tub & another in my rash guard already this summer.