spider bite. MORE PICS!!

sliverslinger · 03-13-2006, 08:31 PM

My wife got bitten by a spider last monday and this last friday it started sweeling and hurting all the way up to her elbow. We think it was a brown recluse or a hobo. Dont know which. Has anyone here been bitten by one of these? If yes what did you do to fix it?
She went to the doctor today and got some large horse size antibiotics and some topical creme. We looked up pics and we dont want her hand to look like some of those pics.
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Wak · 03-13-2006, 08:40 PM

I would get a second opinion. Better safe than sorry.

duckboy · 03-13-2006, 08:43 PM

If it was a recluse, the tissue will start to die and sluff off, I also hear that recluse bites are terribly painful, so hopefully this is not a recluse.

The fluid in the center (pus) Will most likely drain when the bite ruptures, and that should make it feel a lot better.

I got bitten by some spider back in ashland in college. It looked just like that bite on your wifes hand only it was on my cheekbone. (ouch) As soon as I was able to give it some localized pressure with a hot washcloth to draw it together, it blew and drained and i felt so much better.

sliverslinger · 03-13-2006, 08:45 PM

I think I will give it a try to relieve her of some of the pain. Thank you

PullShootExplode · 03-13-2006, 08:46 PM

If you haven't you need to go to the doc. Those recluse bites area horrid. My cousin got bit and 5yrs later it still festers now and then.

Chromaflage · 03-13-2006, 08:57 PM

Here's a link to some more info: eMedicine Recluse Article

I'd get a second medial opinion - definitely.

CrF

Cool Texan · 03-13-2006, 08:59 PM

Go see the doc....remember a year or two ago, I posted a similar thread about a bite. Looked pretty similar to that. Will get worse, will hurt like you wouldnt believe, and its naaaaaasssstttttyyyy when it opens up.

Go see a doctor.

sliverslinger · 03-13-2006, 09:01 PM

she has been to a doctor. Are there any specialists around here?

Amahnee · 03-13-2006, 09:03 PM

My mom is a spider magnet for some reason? She has had bites that looked like that. They usually run there course and heal.

Do as your doctor say's and keep an eye on it. You have anti-biotics to fight the effects. I'll bet those horrible pics we see on the net are of people who have waited too long to do something about it?

Spider bites affect different folks in different ways. It may not be a recluse or hobo. Could be something more common?

sliverslinger · 03-13-2006, 09:04 PM

I sure hope so.

duckboy · 03-13-2006, 09:05 PM

Even a Big Wolf Spider can nail you if it gets a whopping dose into you.

Duckwheat · 03-13-2006, 09:41 PM

Your fine. If you were going to die, you would have done it by now.

The doc is treating the infection which is almost always a part of these bites. The other thing is a local reaction to the venom. I like to use zyrtec in my patients. I like warm epsom salt water soaks to.

Seen a couple if people get into problems with blood clots or excessive bleeding. Just keep your eyes open an calm down a notch or two. Anything significant see your Doc.

My parents when I was kid always had to identify some party that gave them a sore throat or cold. Don't get too wound up about identifying the culprit. The treatment is always about the same.

Duckwheat

gottafish · 03-13-2006, 09:44 PM

That there is a Hobo spider bite Go to the doc. They get worse.

Flying Roast Beef · 03-13-2006, 11:49 PM

I had one several years ago right under my belt line on the back side. It took six months to heal. Basicaly the spider took a dime sized divit out of my back side. Get your wife to the doctor now.

elron · 03-14-2006, 12:08 AM

I didnt have luck with the picture but it sure sounds like a hobo

To the left is a picture of a Hobo Spider bite. About 50% of Hobo Spider bites are 'dry,' meaning that no venom is injected and nothing happens to the victim. In fact, often times the victim does not even realize that he has been bit. Typically, when venom is injected, the victim will experience an immediate redness which develops around the bite then begins to disappear within a few hours. Very often, for the first 24 hours, the bite appears to be no worse than that of a mosquito; then it begins to blister in the center. Within 24 to 36 hours the blister breaks open, leaving an open, oozing ulceration.

This ulceration 'scabs' over within three weeks from the initial bite, leaving a permanent scar. If the bite is delivered in fatty tissue, the lesion may be very deep and extensive, not healing for over two or three years. Systematic reactions to Hobo Spider poisoning include severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, soreness and flu-like symptoms. In extreme cases where the bite was not taken care of early, skin graft, amputation, and the possibility of bone marrow failure may occur.
Click here to read stories of people who've been bitten
Back to Top

Are Hobo Spiders Brown Recluse Spiders?
For years there have been numerous reports of spider bites in the Northwest United States in which the Brown Recluse Spider was blamed, despite the fact that they reside in the Mid-Southern to Southeast United States. Brown Recluse Spiders have bite effects and symptoms that are nearly identical to Hobo Spiders. Because the Brown Recluse Spider is known more throughout the general population, they had been, and still are today, wrongfully accused of the insidious effects of Hobo Spider bites. Our traps are recommended for Brown Recluse Spiders as well.
More information on Brown Recluse Spiders

INSAYN · 03-14-2006, 02:15 AM

We do not have Recluse out here in the NorthWest in any kind of numbers.

Hobo spiders, (or Aggressive House Spiders) are very abundant out here and bites are very very similar to that of a Recluse.

I have captured several specimens in Forest Grove that would scare a cat. Fangs are large enough to individually grab with needle nose pliers.

Pretty much have to let the bite run its course.

INSAYN

StickFish · 03-14-2006, 05:41 AM

Hobo spiders are not European House Spiders. We had a small house spider that looked like a hobo down to the fiddle on its back. Took it to the Zoo and they told us it was a European House Spider and gave us stuff that dipicted the difference between the two. They said it was a big one and wanted to keep it. About a week later we found a really big one almost 3" from the leg tips - can they run fast - made the cat run for her life.

FastActionRodTip · 03-14-2006, 05:58 AM

my brother was bitten on the elbow several years ago, went to the doc, and they had trouble getting it under control...think he was on antibiotics for a month...it was nasty and even the doc sounded fairly concerned...seeing the doc and taking the meds is pretty much all you can do...hope it takes a turn for the better soon

Troutinator · 03-14-2006, 09:33 AM

as has been noted, the brown recluse does not inhabit the PNW. It appears to be a Hobo spider bite. Also known as the Aggressive House Spider. Aptly named, they will actually attack when cornered.

They have an interesting variety of venoms. Most are bacterial and cause necrosis of tissues. Some are related to the infamous "flesh eating bacteria".

Your doctor is treating it appropriately, aggressive antibiotic therapy and pain meds. Keep a close eye on it, if it continues to swell or seems to be becoming more infected return to the doctor immediately. It may need to be drained and debreeded.

This is nothing to take lightly. Keeping the infection under control can be challenging. Fortunately the location shown has excellent circulation which should minimize the chance of it becoming gangrenous.

Just_learning · 03-14-2006, 09:41 AM

Id open it up and let it drain. But id still keep taking the meds and putting the antibiotic ointment on it. But thats just me, I wouldnt want that thing to keep growing. I hope she gets better soon though. Just keep up with the warm soaks.

JL

SeaSparrow · 03-14-2006, 04:51 PM

I was bitten by a hobo several years ago higher up on my arm. I gotta say your picture looks exactly like what my bite looked like. It never became necrotic fortunately, but took several months to fully heal. Watch for infection and necrosis. If it doesn't get worse, then it should be okay after some time, but like everyone else says, keep a close eye on it...

Super Fluke · 03-14-2006, 05:08 PM

Yuck

baltz526 · 03-14-2006, 05:20 PM

and people wonder why contractors charge big bucks to crawl around under your houses. and in your attics. some houses have lots of hobo spiders, and a few others that will do that on a smaller scale. i have had several bites over the years, luckily none nearly that bad, the worst has been pea sized. i would call that one olive size. not good.

iwanttofish · 03-14-2006, 07:38 PM

I have been bit and it took almost 2 mos to heal and I have a scare on my neck from it. A pest applicator that I work with has gone into crawlspaces before and had to fog it to kill the spiders before doing the treatment that he went there to do because the Hobos were coming after him. I see these kind of spiders all the time and I kill a lot of them while I am doing my home inspections. If you think that you have some there are traps that you can buy on line or sometimes the big orange box has them. I have set up the trap befor and caught up to 30 on one trap.

They can be bad.

I hate spiders. I have two of them in jars in my garage that are in alcohol just to show people.

fergy61 · 03-14-2006, 08:19 PM

Post deleted by fergy61

mr.jed · 03-14-2006, 08:35 PM

I am a carpenter and got bit somewhere in a basement of a home I was remodeling. I had it for two days before I went to the doctors office. My whole lower leg was red and inflamed, and anything that touched it, including my pant leg caused some serious pain. The doctor gave me a heavy dose of antibiotics and that did the trick, however, I now have a golfball size divet in my shin where the flesh died and did not come back.

greenbuttskunk · 03-14-2006, 08:38 PM

let's not freak the poors guys wife out too much. I agree, hobo bite. Sounds like the doc is on it. Sorry for her pain and misery. We'll all keep our fingers crossed she'll well soon.

Snakebite · 03-14-2006, 08:44 PM

Let me try to clear up some things before this gets out of hand. Oh, wait, it already has.

Our office has had what was thought to be "hobo" spiders for a long time. I have caught many of them and kept them in a little terrarium for sometimes many months. Tehy like to eat flies and crickets, and need water. I have done much personal research on these spiders and have concluded that they are not hobo spiders, but European house spiders. The two are very hard to tell apart without the use of a dissecting microscope.

European house spiders and hobo spiders have very poor eyesight, and when startled, will run like heck! But they often will run toward you, giving the impression that they are after you, but the truth is, that they are just running out of reaction, and not really after you. I've kept several females that have successfully laid egg cases, and the young have hatched! Not suprizingly, once this has happened, the female dies.

Apparently, it is is thought that many of the reactions from a spider bite are the result of an infection from bacteria introduced as a result, not from the spider venom itself.

Hobo spiders are thought to have been introduced first in the Seattle area supposedly from imported shipments of lumber from europe, and their existence has spread thoughout much of the NW. Hobo spider bites have been accused by the medical community as being recluse bites, however, from what I could gather, this has never been positively documented that I could find anywhere. With that being said, recluse spiders probably don't live here. But hobos do. On the other hand, european house spiders are very common, look like hobos, and take the blame for what hobos have done. So before you think your home is inhabitated by hobos, think about these things. Don't get me wrong, I hate spiders too! But they can be very beneficial by keeping other bug populations down.

There's a lot of information about hobos, and other spiders and resulting bite infections on the internet. Go look for yourself if you've a mind to. I haven't looked myself for quite awhile, so there may be new info out there. But when in doubt, squish the damn thing! I found it rather interesting to keep them and watch what they do. When a male and a female are in a terrarium togther, they will co-exist for awhile, until, I suppose she gets what she wants, and then the male always seems to die...Hmmm? Partly I suspect it has to do with how hungry they are.

Identification? If you have the right magnification device, look at the underside of the thorax, and if it has white spots where the legs attach, it's a european house spider, if not, it's probably a hobo, other than that, there's not much better way to tell. An even more microscopic examination can reveal differences in the shape of the pedipalps of the male, but I've not been able to use that as a clue.

I've always been very curious about all living things, that's why I'm a biologist, and why my name on here is such. I was just a bit too curious about rattlesnakes, and I paid the price. I was lucky and didn't get the tissue damage that can happen, but I'll be much more careful in the future. Imagine your arm swollen up to about three times its normal size. Not pretty, and it hurt like heck! And I can only describe the sting at the bite location as being about ten times worse than any wasp sting I ever had. Supposedly I'm now immune after all the antivenom serum they pumped into me, but I'll pass on testing that theory :grin: But I digress.

If you think you've been bitten by a spider, get medical treatment ASAP!

Please don't let arachophobia keep you up at night.

fergy61 · 03-14-2006, 08:57 PM

Sorry for the pics. My intent was to show how serious a brown recluse bite can be & that medical attention is paramount. I wasn't thinking about the shock this might cause. I deleted the post. Sorry if I horrified anyone

sliverslinger · 03-14-2006, 09:48 PM

I didnt see the pics But we did look them up on the internet. YUCK!! I hope this doesnt happen to my wife. I hope the antibiotics kick it and all will be well. Thank you for all the info on the bite. She is going back to the doctor tomorrow and maybe the doctor will have better info for her. We have been soaking her hand in epsom salt, taking the antibiotics, and pain meds. But it still hurts like heck.

B-RUN STEELIE · 03-15-2006, 11:35 AM

Nuthin.. but nuthin freaks me out as much as the prospect of going under a house. I have always been amazed that it does not bother some folks at all. I have a friend who owns and insulation company. He goes under houses all the time to pull out old insulation all the time and spiders are just a fact of his life. Not me guys, not me.

sliverslinger · 03-15-2006, 02:34 PM

well she went to the doctor today. They gave her some stronger antibiotics and better pain pills. She tried to get them to lance it but they wouldnt so when she got to mac she asked urgent care to lance it to relieve the pain but they wouldnt lance it either. It is as hard as a knot. They said it would be worse to lance it than to let it take its course. So I guess she is going to have to deal with the pain. :depressed:

duckboy · 03-15-2006, 04:54 PM

I do not see how lancing it could be worse, The junk in there is toxic, bacteria and nastiness. Id nail that thing (IF IT WAS ON MY HAND)

sliverslinger · 03-15-2006, 05:10 PM

I took out my fillet knife yesterday and got it really sharp and I was going to lance it for her. BUT she didnt even let me get close.

night stocker · 03-15-2006, 05:31 PM

The pics from your original post were not your wifes hand?If you don't mind,I wouldn't mind checking out what it really looks like.Please post a picture.I crawl under my house all the time and it really gives me the creeps that there are some really nasty critters under there

So far,no bites.

sliverslinger · 03-15-2006, 06:27 PM

It is my wifes hand. Here is PROOF [image]

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night stocker · 03-15-2006, 06:33 PM

Thanks.That does look painfull and I hope she recovers Quickly!

INSAYN · 03-16-2006, 08:44 AM

Here are a few pics of some I caught and froze around my house in Forest Grove.

Just look at those teeth, and puss packs!
And these critters are EVERYWHERE around our house. We have resorted to having a commercial pest control company give our property and house a good dose of spider killer every 3 months. Seems to keep there numbers down.

anadromous5 · 03-16-2006, 09:59 AM

You requested "help"..In my experience 98.2865% of all spider bites..are in fact... not spider bites..Much more common and potentially problematic is MRSA...methicillin resistant staph aureus..)(.a bacterial infection resistant to many antibiotics)If she presented to this clinic she would have definitly had at minimun a culture sent, and most likely an InD..incision and drainage.I sincerly hope she recuperates fully..pm if any ?s

EastCreek · 03-16-2006, 02:11 PM

In high school I got a spider bite on my cheek that looked much like that. It looked like the gnarliest zit ever. It was the same size, color, and raised. When I put a hot compress over it, I could easily squeeze out an enormous amount of puss. I could repeatedly do this for a few days. It was disgusting, but it really relieved the pressure. (Not exactly medical advice, but I'd be curious if you have that similar characteristic)

I probably should have had it checked out to be safe (but I wasn't thinking like that in my teen years.) The bite occured on the east coast (new york) in the woods so I have no idea of the type of spider.

Fish_N_Russ · 03-16-2006, 02:17 PM

I guess I will chime in on this also, as I used to work for OSU Extension and have identified many spiders (very few of them were in fact hobo's btw) and also have done a lot of research on them.

You do not want to lance that bite, sure it sounds good but its a great avenue for infection as soon as you do that.

Almost all spiders are venomnous to a certain point. I dont know if thats a Hobo bite or not, it could be or a number of other spiders. Each person's body is different in how it reacts to spider venom and also how much is injection makes a difference as well.

If you want THE DEFINITIVE HOBO SPIDER ID information then download this PDF file

http://pep.wsu.edu/pdf/PLS116_1.pdf

It is a WSU publication that has lots of good information as well as great pictures to positively ID hobo spiders.

Fact is, there is 2 other spiders that appear very similar to Hobo's.......The Domestic House Spider and Giant House Spider, both in the Agrestis family just like the Hobo. I have ID'd about 5-6 Hobo's in my time, out of a couple hundred or so that came into our office. In other words, they arent that common......a lot of spiders look like them, and a lot of bites will look like their bites also.

The only way to really ID a Hobo is to look at the Palps, which are male reproductive features (and what many people think are the fangs, but they arent), so unless you have a good dissecting scope its just an educated guess.

Hope all goes well for your wife, sounds like the right course is being taken.

sliverslinger · 03-16-2006, 09:04 PM

[image]

[/image] [image]

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THESE ARE AS OF 10:00 PM THURSDAY EVENING.
Anyth

ing else we can to ?

Troutinator · 03-16-2006, 09:15 PM

Nope.. control pain, observe the site for increased inflamation, do not disturb the site, and above all... keep the faith. It WILL get better, but it will be weeks not days.

Spider invenomation is nasty. Regardless of who did it, it sucks. Been there did this and have the scar to show for it.

Troutinator · 03-16-2006, 09:18 PM

actually, I want to add to what I said earlier. This does not look like a hobo spider invenometion. There isn't the necrosis that is typical. And let me be clear, I am NO expert. But this looks like a bad insect bite, probably a spider, but it is not nearly as evil as a hobo spider bite. So just keep on top of it and treat the symptoms!

Dr Strangelove · 03-16-2006, 09:45 PM

PM sent

Fshklr · 03-17-2006, 04:45 AM

please continue updating with pics...my brother was biten yrs ago in 3 places on his leg..the end results and scars are nothing to take lightly.

Just_learning · 03-17-2006, 06:09 AM

I dont care what the doctor says, I would lance that sucker and release some of that pressure. Or just poke it with a needle. It looks painful. Hope she heals soon.

sliverslinger · 03-17-2006, 06:21 AM

we tried poking it with a needle several times and nothing will come out. Now it has a couple of blisters on it. It is a hard knot on her hand.

Freakwater · 03-17-2006, 06:25 AM

I would go see the doctor again immediately and stop taking medical advice from fishermen. This could result in terrible scarring at best if not treated correctly.

Freakwater

sliverslinger · 03-17-2006, 06:36 AM

she is going back to the indian clinic today. Maybe they can do an indian healing dance to help her. We dont have the money or insurance to go to a real doctor.

I believe that they are doing all they can to get this under control, But I wish it would just go away.

Keeper · 03-17-2006, 06:48 AM

Next time your wife gets a bite, try this home remedy: Make a thick paste out of water and meat tenderizer and plaster the bite. I thought my husband was nuts(jury is still out) but it has worked on bee stings, mosquitoes and spider bites.

Just_learning · 03-17-2006, 09:16 AM

Keeper,
My father does the same thing. Except with salt and mosquito bites. Make a salt paste and put that on it, works great.

JL

Super Fluke · 03-17-2006, 09:52 AM

Those bite look like they really hurt and those are some nasty lookin' spinders.

Chrome Bumper · 03-17-2006, 02:43 PM

Looks better..... I like the hot towel treatment idea along with what ever the Doc orders.

Fshklr · 03-21-2006, 04:47 AM

How's things progressing??? that thing burst yet???
:lurk:

sliverslinger · 03-21-2006, 06:32 AM

It finally bursted and it was full of greenish puss. It is now going back down. She goes back to the doctor today for a final check up. She is feeling alot better. Thank you everyone for the great advice. We tried almost everything. The doctor took a culture last week and friday the bite bursted. I think she she is going make it. She does not have any of the black skin like they showed on the internet. Thank God.