Anyone been bitten by a Reclusive Brown spider?

Question

How bad was it? Are the bites ALWAYS (really) bad? Will part of your flesh (almost always) rot? ~nervous

(I haven't been bitten, but the thought scares me now... Thanks *Discovery Channel..ugh... something else for me to worry about...) ~frowns

Answer 1

I wasnt, but my father was. This was back in the 70's though. I do recall they had to fly in anti-venom at the time, instead of trying to move him. He had been bitten on the index finger while working under a house here in Ohio. He didnt even realize he;d been bit. The next day was Memorial Day, we are all to go to a parade, Dad wasnt getting up, and I was sent to wake him. I was freaked cause he didnt know me, was totally out of it, and his hand was HUGE and had a purplish/blue hue almost to the elbow. I do remember too that after they gave him the anti-venom he recovered pretty fast, but; he quit doing under house repair work, and now has a pretty bad fear of all spiders. If bit, get to a hospital, immediately. If found like my dad was..when the poisons had had a chance to invade as far as they did, a 911 call would be in order. to keep them away, use diatimacious earth around the house, find those old timey osage oranges and shove them into all corners of the basement, attice, ect. (we called them monkey balls back then..they have a strong citrus smell spiders do not like), and euculyptus leaves are another thing spiders do not like. We raise guinea hens, since we are out in the country and the bugs are pretty darned big..and 90% of their diet is bugs, including spiders, ticks, mosquitoes and bees even! they will lie and wait for a bee to leave the hive and pick them off. they also will stomp a snake to death. waaay cool, but noisy, they are known as the farmers watchdog, cause they raise so much fuss if something strange is spotted. if you want to know more about them, go to www.guineafowl.com

Answer 2

The physical reaction to a brown recluse spider bite depends on the amount of venom injected and an individual's sensitivity to it. Some people are unaffected by a bite, whereas others experience immediate or delayed effects as the venom kills the tissues (necrosis) at the site of the bite. Many brown recluse bites cause just a little red mark that heals without event. The vast majority of brown recluse bites heal without severe scarring (http://spiders.ucr.edu/avoidbites.html).

Initially, the bite may feel like a pinprick or go unnoticed. Some may not be aware of the bite for 2 to 8 hours. Others feel a stinging sensation followed by intense pain. Infrequently, some victims experience general systemic reactions that may include restlessness, generalized itching, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or shock. A small white blister usually initially rises at the bite site surrounded by a swollen area. The affected area enlarges and becomes red, and the tissue is hard to the touch for some time. The lesion from a brown recluse spider bite is a dry, blue-gray or blue-white, irregular sinking patch with ragged edges and surrounding redness--termed the "red, white, and blue sign." The lesion usually is 1½ inches by 2¾ inches or smaller. Characteristics of a bite are further discussed at http://www.amednews.com/free/hlsa0805.

The bite of the brown recluse spider can result in a painful, deep wound that takes a long time to heal. Fatalities are extremely rare, but bites are most dangerous to young children, the elderly, and those in poor physical condition. When there is a severe reaction to the bite, the site can erupt into a "volcano lesion" (a hole in the flesh due to damaged, gangrenous tissue). The open wound may range from the size of an adult's thumbnail to the span of a hand. The dead tissue gradually sloughs away, exposing underlying tissues. The sunken, ulcerating sore may heal slowly up to 6 to 8 weeks. Full recovery may take several months and scarring may remain.

It is difficult for a physician to accurately diagnose a "brown recluse bite" based simply on wound characteristics. It is absolutely necessary to have the spider for a positive identification. Necrotic wounds can result from a variety of agents such as bacteria (Staphylococcus, "flesh-eating" Streptococcus, etc.), viruses, fungi, and arthropods (non-recluse spiders, centipedes, mites, ticks, wasps, bedbugs, kissing bugs, biting flies, etc.). Necrotic conditions also can be caused by vascular and lymphatic disorders, drug reactions, underlying diseases states, and a variety of other agents. An annotated list of conditions that could be mistaken for a brown recluse spider bite is available at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2002/08/05/hlsa0805.htm. Misdiagnosis of lesions as brown recluse bites can delay appropriate care.

Answer 3

If you have been bitten by the recluse spider, you need to see a doctor. My daughter sat on a spider once and we didn't know what kind it was until the bite on her butt got really swollen and hot to touch and she had a fever and didn't feel well. I took her to the urgent care center and the doctor drained the pus out of the bite and put my daughter on antibiotics. She had to go back the next to week to get it drained. It left a pit in her skin for a long time. Yeah, the bites always look pretty bad and they do have to be treated. Fortunately, as long as you go to the doctor and get it treated, you will be fine. It is not fatal.

Answer 4

I hv not bitten by this spider..so..i am still alive..i think..

The brown recluse spider is a venomous spider, Loxosceles reclusa, of the family Sicariidae (formerly of the family Loxoscelidae). It is usually between 1/4 and 3/4 inch (6.4-19.1mm) but may grow larger. It is brown and usually has markings on the dorsal side of its thorax, with a black line coming from it that looks like a violin with the neck of the violin pointing to the rear of the spider resulting in the nickname "fiddleback spider" or "violin spider". Coloring varies from light tan to brown and the violin marking may not be visible. Since the "violin pattern" is not diagnostic, it is far more important, for purposes of identification, to examine the eyes. Contrary to most spiders, which have 8 eyes, recluse spiders have 6 eyes arranged in pairs (dyads) with one median pair and 2 lateral pairs. Only a few other spiders have 3 pairs of eyes arranged this way (e.g., scytodids), and recluses can be distinguished from these as recluse abdomens have no coloration pattern nor do their legs, which also lack spines.

Answer 5

i have been bitten by a Brown Recluse (not reclusive brown) spider. the bite hurts a lot, and if not treated can and will rot some flesh from your body..... usually the spider will bite multiple times if agitated, not just once, that is why the bites are usually bad....

definitly not a fun thing to have

Answer 6

I was once...nothing bad really happened. It swelled up like a mother f*cker, and was quite painful for awhile, but I survived. But I heard it's worse each time you get bitten.

Answer 7

my sisters family were bitten and they thought it was that spider , it left very bad sores and one had to be cut open to drain. They live in Fla. slow to heal too.

Answer 8

NO i've got no longer, you're fortunate! I only have been given an e mail forward approximately them although, what they appear like and the ranges of the chew....I hate spiders, huge concern, so i'm hoping one does not land on me.

Answer 9

MY BUDDY RICH HAS BEEN BITTEN MANY TIMES, LOOKS LIKE A BULLET WOUND WHEN IT HEALS. HE WAITS A COUPLE OF DAYS FOR THE GANG GREENOUS FLESH TO KINDA KNOT UP THEN HE TEARS THE ROTTEN FLESH OUT WITH HEMOSTATS AND CLEANS THE HOLE OUT WITH RUBBING ALCOHOL.

Answer 10

no it wont rot only if u get medical attention within 24 hours. ive never been bitten but i studided them. but like i said get medical attention