# Brown Recluse Spider Bite??????



## grapeman (May 13, 2012)

For you southern people out there, does anyone have any experience with a brown recluse spider bit? This is a strange question from someone who lives near the Canadian border in Upstate NY. One of the boys got bitten by something yesterday like a spider bit. Within hours it had swollen up to about a quarter inch high raised area a couple inches across. His arm has a mottled greenish color around that area. By today, he was feeling sick so he laid down. When he got up two hours later the area had grown a lot to about 4 inches across and there is an oozing sore in the middle of it a half inch across. He and my son went to the Emergency Room, where they said they were greeted right away and a stream of doctors kept coming in to examine it. All three of them say it looks like the textbook pictures of the Brown Recluse. We have none around here which is the mystery. They are treating it as such and he has to go in daily to have it monitored for growth and furthe skin tissue death and loss. They have sent pictures and samples to the CDC.

He realized that two days ago just before he got bit, that somebody had brought two of his leather coats home from Florida for him and they were in the car. It looks like they had a stowaway on them from the south where they are native.

Do any of you guys from Florida or the other southern states have any experience with this?


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## DirtyDawg10 (May 13, 2012)

Yikes! Good luck...hope everything goes well.


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## Brent2489 (May 13, 2012)

Better get it taken care of!!!

http://www.brownreclusespider.org/


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## Boatboy24 (May 13, 2012)

No experience personally, but glad you got him to a doc. A brown recluse bite can be devastating. I ran across what I thought might be one last summer. Didn't waste any time confirming its identity - it died in a hurry. Not taking any chances with two little ones running around the yard.


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## nursejohn (May 13, 2012)

The possibility of coming up from Florida in the coat sure sounds right to me. We do see those here in Texas. He did the right thing going to see a physician. If it is a brown recluse bite, he may be on antibiotics for a few days and he does need to watch the tissue closely to make sure that it doesn't start to become necrotic. Hope this all goes well. Keep us updated. I will surely put him in my prayers also, John.


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## ibglowin (May 13, 2012)

Wow not good. Glad you got help fast as that is of utmost importance with those bites. Keep us posted Rich. Hope they can get it neutralized quickly.


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## grapeman (May 13, 2012)

Yes he is on antibiotics already and it is slightly infected already. Weird things go on around our house!


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## Runningwolf (May 13, 2012)

Thanks for the update Rich. I here people talk about them all the time and the rare possibility that they could be around here. It must be when they are transported in like you talked about.


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## Deezil (May 13, 2012)

My dad had a brown recluse bite a few years back on his pinky finger.. He was out picking wild mushrooms and one was on the underside of the shroom and got him. Swelled up pretty good, like you mentioned... Lasted a few months, but eventually went back to normal with antibiotics.. Glad to hear its getting treated, thats the important part.


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## winemaker_3352 (May 13, 2012)

Yikes - I don't have experience with it - but they are common in MO those and Black Widows as well.

I have heard that if the bit doesn't get take care of soon enough most of the surronding tissue just dies.

I hope your friend turns out ok..


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## joea132 (May 13, 2012)

I'm sure you've done your research on the effects and all so you probably know more than most now. The venom will kill the surrounding tissue and leave a nasty hole kind of mark in the flesh. Do not stop the antibiotics even if you think it's completely healed. Take them until they're gone. That's really important. 

Another possibility is produce. I've heard of tarantulas in bunches of bananas in Connecticut. They hide inside the packages and travel on trucks. Brown recluses hide in dark damp locations in temperate climates. It certainly is strange for one to be up north but the leather jacket thing is a legitimate possibility. I do remember hearing of a scientist in my area who put his boot on after it sat in his garage and got bitten on his foot. 

Whatever the case, I hope he heals quickly and as painless as possible.


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## ffemt128 (May 14, 2012)

My old boss was bit by one here in PA a few years ago. Sure sounds the way his started out. I think he actually saw the spider and described it to the ER.


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## Wade E (May 14, 2012)

My mechanics nephew lost his leg to one many years ago or at least thats what he told me. He was gping to be s wicked good football or baseball player and was being watched by many scouts so this really ruined what could have been a great career. Hope this never comes close to this.


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## Midwest Vintner (May 14, 2012)

I got bit last year by an unknown spider/bug. It swelled, pussed, vein turned dark and then my skin hardened and flaked off. This happened over about 6 weeks or so and it was somewhat painful. Oddly, when the skin peeled, there was new skin under it, so I didn't need to cover it or anything.


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## TxBrew (May 14, 2012)

I know two different people who have had staph and they misdiagnosis it as brown recluse bite.


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## jswordy (May 14, 2012)

Bout 5 years ago, an HVAC repairman crawled under a trailer in Alabama where a nest of lil brown recluse had hatched out. He died before he could get back out from under there.

My cousins used to live in Missouri, and we'd walk those dirt roads with them barefoot (not me, thanks). One day there was a big black spider crossing the road and my cousin stepped on it. "Black widow," he said. 

"Really?" I said. He flipped it over, sure enough there was the red hourglass. I saw them step on them with bare feet all the time. I thought they were crazy.


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## roadpupp (May 14, 2012)

My dad in CT got a recluse bite on his toe. The telltale hole of rotting flesh took 6 weeks to heal but the antibiotic brought the swelling down and it ultimately healed up just fine. Good luck.


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## CarpeDuctum (May 14, 2012)

I live in upstate NY on the Niagara river. I was bit on my jaw by a brown recluse the first spring I was in my house. Very painful...shooting pains down my ear canal. My jaw started locking up. It eventually cleared up after a few weeks.

The spiders were living in my damp basement, crawl spaces and outside my house. A dehumidifier and chemicals killed off most of the interior population. Use a shop vacuum to remove webs ans eggs. Every couple months I put a band of granules around the outside perimeter of the house.  This has really collapsed the population. I also think my bug Zapper light helps too...less food for the spiders.

Good luck!


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## g8keeper (May 14, 2012)

and people wonder why in the hell i hate and am somewhat afraid of spiders.....i can watch them on tv, sure, but i tell ya, in real life, damn....lol...i can't stand them at all....lol...


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## Nubz (May 14, 2012)

What makes you think we don't have them here?
I have seen more than one in my lifetime and have lived no place else


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## tonyt (May 14, 2012)

They are quite a problem in Texas. They love to hide out in piles of clothes and in boots, even in bed sheets. A friend of mine took several months to completely heal. Said it was very painful also. http://www.brownreclusespider.org/


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## grapeman (May 14, 2012)

Update:
While coming home from the ER today to have it checked out, he was bitten twice more on the abdomen this time. The Triosh nurse there said there were no Brown Recluse here so it wasn't possible for it to be one of them. I guess she knows more than three doctors. The coats that came home are still in the car so he stopperd to the blue box store for lumber to get some bug bombs. When he moved to get out, it was under his shirt and bet him twice. They were already swollen and he was ready to pass out when he got here. My oldest son took him right back to the ER. I called there and informed the nurse that the doctors were treating it as a brown recluse and if they send someone to the vehicle they should be able to find it dead this time. I will let you know what happens later.


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## winemaker_3352 (May 14, 2012)

Holy Crap Rich!!!

I hope everything goes ok...


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## tonyt (May 14, 2012)

Don't rule out that some eggs hatched in the coat/car. Spiders have to be hit with spray directly to kill them. They do not pick up the poison from their feet like roaches and ants. The car should be vacuumed thoroughly and I would destroy the coats. Perhaps that would be a good job for the nurse. He is going to be one sore puppy for some time.


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## robie (May 14, 2012)

I have seen 3 or 4 such bites in my lifetime. I was raised in Texas and Oklahome.

Not good, but I'm glad he is getting treatment. He should be OK. Without treatment, if it is what you think, due to the presence of the venom, the area around the center can begin to die and rot. It will keep eating away until a huge hole, about 2 inches around will form. It can eventually cause great harm. It affects some people more than others. Not something to fool around with for sure.


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## g8keeper (May 14, 2012)

definitely sounds like something not to take lightly....hope all goes well....


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## TJsBasement (May 14, 2012)

That sucks, hope everything goes good.


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## Duster (May 14, 2012)

Nubz said:


> What makes you think we don't have them here?
> I have seen more than one in my lifetime and have lived no place else



I would have to agree with Nubz, I am in northern IN, not far from MI and they are common around here. I have a lot of family in upstate NY around Buffalo and they have been spotted there as well.


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## grapeman (May 14, 2012)

They are not native to our area of NY, but obviously can come in with vehicles. Look up their native range and it only goes half way or so up through the country. Regardless, obviously there is at least one here now. I hope it or they died from the bug bomb.


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## Runningwolf (May 14, 2012)

Holy smokes Rich! I hope he's ok. Keep us posted. Maybe lightning doesn't strik twice but this sure as heck did. I bet you don't have any mountain lions in your area either!


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## robie (May 15, 2012)

Back when I was still in school, these spiders got so bad in Little Rock, Arkansas that they had to shut down school for a week or so, so they could get them out of the kid's lockers.


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## Sirs (May 15, 2012)

had one bite me on the top of my foot back about 7 or 8 years ago hurt so bad I couldn't walk on it for a couple days but it did just like you described swoll up real quick blistered then had the hole in center made my foot feel like it was gonna bust and fall off was like that for a couple months


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