Does a bite from a brown recluse hurt initially?

Question

It landed on my hand as I cleaning in my kitchen, my hands were wet and soapy. My hand is itching, is this in my mind? Have I been bitten?

Answer 1

mine didn't. didn't even notice it until i felt something wet on my leg and saw a bull's eye pattern (blister, red, white/blue, red) with a leaking blister in the middle. cleansed and treated it at work that night (nurse) and noticed next day it'd very obviously grown during the shift. was too dumb to realize i had a problem when i was cleansing it and didn't register the coolness or lack of sensation to it. never itched--the tissue was dead so i couldn't feel anything if i wanted to (going back to my spacing it on coolness/lack of sensation). next day and it had started eating down as well as out. took forever to heal (spring until just before christmas). have a cool scar, though. from own research and md's it seems to vary with the person/amt of venom. some say it felt like a minor sting, others, like me, never felt a thing and if i hadn't caught a live specimen we would never have been certain it truly was a recluse. trust me, you'll figure it out really soon if it's anything more than a "normal" bite by what happens to be a brown spider and can start the antibiotics then (large amounts, possibly i.v. and you may need it debrided--dead tissue cut away so good can grow in-- but never once did i hear of creams or allergy pills, not even when i got a secondary ringworm infection while healing...you can not put a topical cream on an open wound!), but never hurts to go get it looked at. take a spider specimen with you if you can. lots of "recluse bites" aren't. don't apply heat--it draws blood to the site and can help it spread if it is from a recluse. but with the itching i doubt it was a recluse or if it was that you got much venom.

Answer 2

Bite Symptoms
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.

First Aid
If bitten, remain calm, and immediately seek medical attention (contact your physician, hospital and/or poison control center). Apply an ice pack directly to the bite area to relieve swelling and pain. Collect the spider (even a mangled specimen has diagnostic value), if possible, for positive identification by a spider expert. A plastic bag, small jar, or pill vial is useful and no preservative is necessary, but rubbing alcohol helps to preserve the spider.

An effective commercial antivenin is not available. The surgical removal of tissue was once standard procedure, but now this is thought to slow down wound healing. Some physicians administer high doses of cortisone-type hormones to combat hemolysis and other systemic complications. Treatment with oral dapsone (an antibiotic used mainly for leprosy) has been suggested to reduce the degree of tissue damage. However, an effective therapy has not yet been found in controlled studies.

Answer 3

no, you don't usually feel the bite or see the spider.
most people don't even know they have been biten at first.

keep an eye on it if you notice redness or an area that looks red on the edges and brown or black in the center then go to the doctor.
brown recluse bites can be very very serious. your doctor can give you a cream for the actual bite and pills that are like an allergy type meds.

don't get too worried but also watch the area closely. good luck.

Answer 4

If it was a brown recluse for sure get treatment immediately. My mom was bitten on the ankle 20 years ago and she still gets big ulcers on her ankle. It kills all of the tissue around the bite and will leave a big hole. My mom has has about 6 skin grafts so far and she will have trouble the rest of her life with this site on her ankle.

Answer 5

Rush to the doctor immediately!!! It always hurts like a mosquito bite in the beginning...It can turn really bad in the next couple of days!

Answer 6

Hey i'm here for the first time. I came across this question and I find the replies truly valuable. I hope to give something back and assist others too.

Answer 7

I'm not an expert, but i've heard that you don't feel the initial bite... if you haven't swelled up in an hour or so, i wouldn't worry about it

Answer 8

Yes I agree with what's been answered

Answer 9

well if you have then I think you need to go to the doctor..but try looking it up on webmd.com therres all kinds off good info in that site..just use it's search function to locate info on that type of spider bite.

Answer 10

watch the area really close you could loose a chunk of your hand!If you get a darkening ring around it get to the hospital quickly!