Those who know me best know that I do not like spiders. To appease all you do-gooder nature freaks, I will admit they have a place in the Great Scheme of Things. They are wonderfully beneficial in the garden. They are NOT wonderfully beneficial inside my house. It is now fall, and what with the interminable ongoing remodeling (will it ever end?) and the advance of cooler weather, the spiders are making their way indoors. Six weeks ago I woke up with 6 spider bites on one leg, and 1 spider bite on the other. The picture above shows three of the bites a week after they first appeared. What really freaked me out is that I apparently got bitten in my bed. Meaning a spider was in bed with me. Probably brought in with the sheets from the clothesline.
Six weeks later, my legs are not a pretty sight, as evidenced by the photo on the right. Despite the passage of time, the bites are still a violent red and they itch something fierce. This is the first (and, I hope, only) time I have been bitten by a spider and it is not something I want to repeat. What's worse is now I'm getting those gigantic scarey "drain spiders" that appear in my bathtub and sinks. You can't kill them with Raid. They just shake it off and laugh in your face. Then they scuttle up to the ceiling where they hang out, waiting to slide down on their butt thread to scare you as you wash your face or brush your hair.
4 comments:
HI, I was wondering if you had any symptoms after your spider bites. I had the same situation happen to me, bitten seven times & only in one leg in bed some time in the night. I'm scared the bites are infected or can get worse as time passes. I got bit 3 days ago & the bites seem to get a little shade darker than before. Did you have any complications with your spider bites?? Please, I need help asap!!
I'm going to go on good faith that yours is a legitimate comment and not a spammer. *g*
The symptoms I had after the spider bite were two-fold. First, the areas were very red with slight swelling. Then I had intense (very intense!) itching. Try not to scratch them, as it will prevent them from healing. Don't wait like I did before going to a doctor. Drs. tend to dismiss bites like this, so it helps to do your homework and really research what a spider bite looks like before you see a doc and tell him or her they're spider bites.
On Sept. 7 it will be one year since I was bitten, and the bites on my ankle are enlarged, red, and scaly because I kept scratching at them (they itched so badly!) They still itch, even though I've used a prescription anti-itch cortizone creme. My doc basically said the reason my ankle bites look so bad and never healed is due to the constant scratching, despite the fact I only allowed myself to scratch once a day, and then not directly on the bite, but around it. However, my doc said that I probably scratched them in my sleep, too.
At any rate, I have a very large red patch of damaged skin on my ankle where I was bitten the most. The other bites healed after a very long time (months) and are still slightly red and will likely remain that way forever. Once the ankle bites heal, I will probably have a large scar.
Best of luck with your bites. If they start to itch, DON'T SCRATCH THEM! It will delay healing and prolong your misery!
Did you ever find out what type of spider it was? I have a bite on my ankle that looks IDENTICAL to yours that I got in the garden this weekend. I first thought it was a mosquito bite but within 24 hrs it took a non circular shape and turned purplish red and ITCHED like something I can't even describe! Should I see a doc or be concerned?
I'm Scott, in SW MN, and came home from work to learn my daughter had a bite on her back. We just looked at it. I matched the image to the one that lead here. She said it itched at first, but not bad now, but she is extremely tired at 6:30 pm CST. She is an athlete and bright go for it girl and this does not fit.. 6:30pm. We do have spiders move in after first frost. I like the little ones that nab fruit flies because I garden. My wife, two daughters all hate spiders. Advise?
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