i think my husband was bit by a brown recluse spider..?

Question

i dont know if it is a spider bite or a staph infection...it started as a red patch 6 days ago,this morning it had like a pus thing in the middle ...he poped that and now it is scabbed over but his leg is real swollen and he can hardley walk on it...he is in alot of pain and has been sleeping alot for the last 2 days...he said he would go to er in morning but im afraid he might go into shock or something...any info would help please...

Answer 1

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 2

I recommend that you get him to the hospital tonight. I researched and this sounds exactly like a black widow spider bite. Put a warm compress on the bite or soak in a warm bath to help reduce some infection. Also give him some ibuprofen to help ease the pain unless he has a narcotic pain medicine then take it.

With a staph infection, he would have bruising around the area and be tender and also after 6 days it would have been a big pus pocket. Brown recluses will cause the muscle to die out within the second day.

Answer 3

I had the same symptoms, I couldn't walk on my leg and it was red and swollen. When I got to the doctor the next day, , he diagnosed it as a staph infection and gave me antibiotics which cleared it up. Go to the ER asap. A staph infection can spread quickly throughout your body. A blood test could determine if it's a staph infection. Don't wait.

If he got bit by a brown recluse, he would still need to go to ER asap. Good luck

Answer 4

He needs the ER, you do not need to wait till Monday for a doctor, go now as the pus combined with the swollen & pain are all bad. I would not think it is a spider bite as it would progress faster USUALLY than this. Here is a great link to stories & actual pictures of bites from a few hours old to weeks old healing. http://www.highway60.com/mark/brs/default.htm
Either way he has some sort of massive infection there & you do not want it spreading esp into the blood steam more than is already has, the sleeping more the last 2 days tells me it is spreading to the entire body, not just the leg.

Answer 5

Bad bad bad. Go to the ER. Regardless of what initiated the problem, a lot of pain, swollen leg, sleeping a lot, there is a bad infection which will just get worse if you wait. He will need IV antibiotics. If it is a brown recluse spider bite, he could wind up with necrosis of his tissue. Sound good? No, go to the ER!

PS Don't go to an Urgent Care, go to an ER. Stat.

Answer 6

You need to go to your Dr. or E.R. asap. They can culture it quickly & check for staph. If it is a spider bite they need to check it too, because Recluse bites can cause large deep ulcer-like wounds that can be very damaging to tissue. Don't wait!

Answer 7

Michelle is correct if it was a recluse spider. It does seem to be something else.
Has he had a tetanus shot within the last ten years? If not, then it could be from almost anything. Nail or insect, or something else.

Answer 8

I would suggest going to the Emergency Room NOW...
Certain infections can progress very rapidly...

Answer 9

Why on earth has he waited this long? Make him go to the ER NOW. Don't wait any longer.

Answer 10

GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brown Recluse spiders can KILL YOU. I don't want to start a panic here, but if you think, even if you only THINK he's been bit by a brown recluse, take him immediately.