I think I've been bitten by a brown recluse spider, but I don't know for sure.?

Question

I have like a birth mark on my arm. It's small & pinkish. I've had alot of brown recluse spiders around my house and inside it. I'm afraid I might of been bitten. Does anyone know any signs to be positive if it is or isn't a brown recluse bite? Don't tell me to go to the Doctor, if it gets bigger I will, but for right now I'm just wondering what it is.

Answer 1

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.
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.

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.

Answer 2

You can't be sure of the type of bit without identifying the spider. If you got bitten by a brown recluse it may not hurt, but it will probably become red and swollen, and then turn dark, like a bruise. You have to make a choice within the first 48 hours - if you get treatment within 48 hours, the bite won't cause the tissues under the skin to start dying - which is basically localized gangrene. If you wait, and it turns out to be a recluse bite, the venom kills tissues surrounding the bite for several weeks, and then it usually becomes infected, and leaves a permanent divot where the tissues died.

Answer 3

Brown recluse bites usually cave in, like a crater and slowly get bigger. The tissue sort of rots. Its really nasty. You can use google or yahoo images to search for "brown recluse spider bites" to see photos of them.

If it doesn't cave in or start to rot, and is red, hard and sore, especially if you develop a fever, it could be an abscess. Many people with small abscesses think they are spider bites at first. I had that problem.

Answer 4

If it starts to get really swollen, pink and very uncomfortable that is a good sign it is, you definitely want to get it checked out because left untreated brown recluse spider bites can be very dangerous. The poisons in the bite will eat your skin away, it will start out by looking like a whole is forming where the bit is.

Answer 5

thanks to each and everyone of you guys for the replies.