spider bites (Full Version)

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3cappuccinosmom -> spider bites (8/15/2008 1:55:40 PM)

My two oldest have been getting spider bites this last week that are a little worrisome to me.

Both ended up with goose-eggs at the area of the bite, hot, red, and swollen, and the site of the bite open and a little weepy. Gebre had two and I was really worried and got medical advice, which was basically it's nothing to worry about and put some antibiotic and a bandaid on the bite. Gebre's resolved on their own with that treatment.

Asrat now has the same kind of bite, but to me it looks worse. Poor thing has the bite on his butt [&o], so he has to sit awkwardly because it hurts. I did the antibiotic ointment and bandaid, and he says it doesn't hurt (much) but it is weepy and seeping a little blood (which shows up on the bandaid), which worries me.

Is there a particular kind of spider that makes such ugly bites? Should I take any more action besides just watching for infection? I have swept up and cleaned out in the room, but haven't actually seen any spiders so I have no idea what's doing this.



stellaluna -> RE: spider bites (8/15/2008 2:02:29 PM)

Spider bites are just a nuisance. They take forever to heal sometimes and they hurt! Your boys probably got bit by nothing more than your average house spider. You can try making a paste with water and baking soda and putting that on before the band-aid. I've had good luck with bleach, but I'm not sure you should put that on a kid. It can make your skin peel.

Are they getting bit at night? I almost always do and it's usually because they get in the bed. You might want to spray their bedroom, if so.



3cappuccinosmom -> RE: spider bites (8/15/2008 2:56:27 PM)

I will try the baking soda. I'd forgotten about that!

I was just worried because I've never had a bite like these or seen one like them.



stellaluna -> RE: spider bites (8/15/2008 7:33:32 PM)

Do they have a hole or pit (or two) in the middle and a red knot all around? That's the kind I always get. It's fabulous. [sm=aside.gif]

(If they start to have puss and don't get any better after a few days, go to a doctor. Sometimes staph looks like a spider bite.)



cinderella092003 -> RE: spider bites (8/15/2008 10:49:45 PM)

Back when I was 15, and living in FL, I got bit by a brown recluse spider. at first I didn't really even notice it. It looked just like a mosquito bite. The only thing that bothered me that day was I had some shortness of breath, but didn't pay any attention to it because we were playing hard that day.

Within 48 hours, it had gone from a little bite to 5 cm in diameter, and the best way I can describe it was, there was a goose egg which contained the bite, and two other circles about 2 1/2 centemeters apart. it hurt so bad. walking just hurt it. It was red, hot, and oozing.

It took another day to get into the doctor and by that time she measured it as 7cm in diameter. It wrapped around half my thigh. I ended up having to have it lanced open. She used a needle for that and it hurt so bad. I had to take oral steriods for months to build my leg back up, from the damage the poison did.

I'm hoping I am not alarming you about your child, but just to share with you that if it gets much worse, I would take him to the doctor. That is one thing that I will never mess around with with my daughter because it was so painful, and such a long recovery



stellaluna -> RE: spider bites (8/15/2008 10:57:14 PM)

My dad was also bitten by a brown recluse--and also on the thigh! Man, that was some nasty stuff. [:@]

Probably by now, it would be very obvious if the little boys had been bitten by a recluse. I think. How long has it been since they got bit?



cinderella092003 -> RE: spider bites (8/15/2008 11:05:37 PM)

I hope it's not. Even at 15, the pain is something I will never forget. That bite did get me to clean all of the clutter out from my room and keep it nice and clean after that.



manda59 -> RE: spider bites (8/16/2008 5:08:20 AM)

<so glad I live in the UK where our spiders don't bite!!>



3cappuccinosmom -> RE: spider bites (8/16/2008 8:13:51 AM)

Stellaluna, you described the bites exactly. With where Asrat got bit, the poor kid is limping around. I'm worried he's going to blurt out in public "Hey, I got a spider bite on my butt!" [:o]

At this point it's been three days, so I don't think it could be a recluse.



dianetavegia -> RE: spider bites (8/16/2008 8:46:06 AM)

I'd really suggest you pull their beds away from the wall and get anything up off the floor. It sounds like they have a spider in their bedroom.

You can buy some sticky traps that will catch the spiders. The ones we have have molasses or some such sweet stuff with a super sticky surface. I was horrified to find a lizard in mine, alone with loads of spiders! Behind my bed, no less!

Brown recluse bites ulcerate and turn a dark color in the center, don't they?



stellaluna -> RE: spider bites (8/16/2008 3:12:38 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: dianetavegia
I'd really suggest you pull their beds away from the wall and get anything up off the floor. It sounds like they have a spider in their bedroom.

I was thinking about this last night while I was laying in bed. My bed used to be under the window, then about a year ago I moved it across the room and since then I haven't had a spider bite at all. I made a note to mention that in this thread, in case you need to shuffle their furniture around.

And I think I mentioned this in another thread recently, but I have a friend who says you can drive spiders away from a room by putting patchouli-soaked cotton balls in the corners and behind furniture. It sounds weird to me and I've never tried it, but she swears by it. <shrugs>

If your boys are still itchy and in a lot of pain, I'm really tempted to tell you just to dab a little bleach right on the bite. It does help.



PrincessButtercup -> RE: spider bites (8/16/2008 9:14:09 PM)

I don't know anything about fixing spider bites, but if your boys start shooting webs out of their hands, be sure to buy them cool costumes. [;)]



sisrev -> RE: spider bites (8/16/2008 9:54:53 PM)

Try something like ichthammol ointment--commonly known as "black salve" It is a sticky, stinky black ointment that has a "drawing" effect--can be used for boils, insect bites, etc.

Years ago my hubby had a spider bite on his thigh. He was in the military at that time, and the medics on 'sick-call' kept just cleaning it and putting antibiotic ointment on it, while it kept getting bigger, red, hot & swollen, etc. I started using the black salve at night. In the mornings when we would change the bandages, all kinds of nasty stuff would pull up out of the wound. In the evenings, after their stuff on it all day--nothing. The black salve has some kind of tar/petroleum base, that makes it look yucky and not smell so nice, but it works!



dianetavegia -> RE: spider bites (8/19/2008 1:13:16 PM)

ichthammol ointment is great!

Beware........ it stains clothing!



dianetavegia -> RE: spider bites (8/19/2008 1:15:34 PM)

A product of natural origin obtained in the first step by dry distillation of sulfur-rich oil shale. It is used in medicine as a remedy for treating some forms of skin diseases, such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. It is commonly used in an ointment in 10% or 20% concentrate as a "drawing salve", also called "black ointment". Its dermatological action was discovered by german physician Paul Gerson Unna.

This is a common salve to draw splinters, spider poisons, and about anything out of your skin.



3cappuccinosmom -> RE: spider bites (8/19/2008 2:16:45 PM)

I am going to have to look that stuff up. Sounds useful. Dh has had some injuries that could have used that!

At this point we were able to drain the thing (major gross out) twice, and it's healing up. But he is on antibiotics now because it really had turned into a nasty infection. I have never seen the like. [&:]



Mrs.Wifey -> RE: spider bites (8/19/2008 2:48:50 PM)

We have used the tar stuff on cystic acne, it works but it sure is [:'(]



isaacsmom -> RE: spider bites (8/19/2008 2:56:21 PM)

I think I have some of that stuff! I had a bad bite a couple of months ago and a guy hubby works with sent some for me. It worked nearly immediately. Stinky, but it worked. It smelled like eucalyptus and goat. LOL!



daisies4u -> RE: spider bites (8/19/2008 3:27:23 PM)

How big of a goose egg is it?

My son had a spider bite a couple of weeks ago that turned into a staph infection. He had to have it lanced. You may want to check in with the doctor.



3cappuccinosmom -> RE: spider bites (8/20/2008 7:55:09 AM)

daisies, it was a pretty big knot. Dh is a nurse and we've been in touch with a doc over the phone and gotten antibiotics, so ds is pretty well covered. [:)]



slimon11 -> RE: spider bites (8/30/2008 10:47:40 PM)

Thanks for the baking soda tip stellaluna! I have a spider bite, I read this last night and, put baking soda on it rather the ointment perscribed by the doctor. It worked better!
quote:

ORIGINAL: stellaluna

Spider bites are just a nuisance. They take forever to heal sometimes and they hurt! Your boys probably got bit by nothing more than your average house spider. You can try making a paste with water and baking soda and putting that on before the band-aid. I've had good luck with bleach, but I'm not sure you should put that on a kid. It can make your skin peel.

Are they getting bit at night? I almost always do and it's usually because they get in the bed. You might want to spray their bedroom, if so.



stellaluna -> RE: spider bites (8/30/2008 11:45:59 PM)

You're welcome. I've had plenty of bites to experiment on. [sm=aside.gif]



IonMoon -> RE: spider bites (8/31/2008 9:59:08 AM)

When my kids were little, we had the same problem one year. It got so bad, we ended up bombing the bedrooms. The spiders never came back.

I would suggest first trying to vacuum all the nooks and cranies in the rooms, including closets and vents. Clean out all cabinets, drawers, toy boxes & bins. Look for spots where you would typically not think to clean- like the underside of drawers. Often in places like that you will find spiders or eggs. We found the spiders we had behind strips of moulding around the ceiling. Then be sure to empty the vacuum right away and get it outside! And make sure the room is sealed up well, no cracks or crevices where spiders might crawl from attics, crawlspaces, etc. You might even want to cover heating vents with cheesecloth.

Of course, that is all prevention... for treating the bites... if it gets really bad, you could probably give some benadryl. But it sounds like you have suffiecient medical expertise available!

Tara P



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