Brown recluse spider bite

[EricTheRed]

So. I've alluded to this little buggers bite, but didn't elaborate

Also known in RSA as the violin spider, it's toxin is cytotoxic and it can eat huge holes into you. And you don’t feel it until too late

I was bitten sometime march 3 to 5.
On the 6th it was giving me quite a bit of pain and triggered a nasty gout attack which further aggravated thimgs

You can see the swelling and some 'bruised ' tissue.

Went to emerg on the 12th - waaay too late

They checked me in and scheduled for surgery on tuesday the 14th. This is the hole hidden under the skin.

Another op a week later to get rid of the necrotic and poisoned meat resulted in a very large hole. More than double the one shown above.

Anyway, home now but movement via wheelchair and twice weekly visits to the clinic to change dressings.
Looking much better

Skin graft likely in 3 to 4 weeks. Will be able start physio to lear walking again around same time.

All from a itsy bitsy little spider
But don't kid yourself. It is nasty piece of work.
Normally a shy little fella which hides quickly
I must have stepped on him while working in the garden.

Silver lining?
I've got 150l corn and oats clearing for 8 weeks noe.
Should be well settled by the time i get to siphon and strip it!

[Swamptrout]

Holy eff

[quadra]

Damn! I wish you a speedy and uneventful recovery. I doubt the surgeon or wound team will want you walking on a freshly grafted foot for a few weeks after they do the grafts - do yourself a favor and talk to your doctor or physiotherapist about a modified physio program to help avoid atrophy and deconditioning during your recovery. There may be some modified exercise they can give you, and that can help with healing time as well.

[Saltbush Bill]

Damn Eric ,that spider sure did do some damage. Enough damage that it made me do a little research on them. Seems the little buggers have found there way around a lot of the world.
https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com.a ... use-spider
"Brown recluse spiders were introduced to Australia, and they can be found across the globe. They love warm climates and are most commonly found in the central and southern parts of the United States. In the wild, they live under rocks, logs and woodpiles.6 Oct 2022"
Thanks for the warning, I'll be keeping a close eye out for them in future.

[EricTheRed]

Damn! I wish you a speedy and uneventful recovery. I doubt the surgeon or wound team will want you walking on a freshly grafted foot for a few weeks after they do the grafts - do yourself a favor and talk to your doctor or physiotherapist about a modified physio program to help avoid atrophy and deconditioning during your recovery. There may be some modified exercise they can give you, and that can help with healing time as well.

Already have. Using a walking ring to keep at least right leg going.
Not allowed to put any weight on left foot.

[LWTCS]

Jeebus Christmas that looks nasty.
Man I hope you heal up back to good condition.

[Bradster68]

Iv heard lots about those things,your the first person I know. Speedy recovery my friend. If I could Id help you mash some grains and stay ahead of the game.

[Swamptrout]

Damn Eric ,that spider sure did do some damage. Enough damage that it made me do a little research on them. Seems the little buggers have found there way around a lot of the world.
https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com.a ... use-spider
"Brown recluse spiders were introduced to Australia, and they can be found across the globe. They love warm climates and are most commonly found in the central and southern parts of the United States. In the wild, they live under rocks, logs and woodpiles.6 Oct 2022"
Thanks for the warning, I'll be keeping a close eye out for them in future.

Related to our redbacks.

[jonnys_spirit]

Wow that’s serious! I’ve got a friend that got bit by one. They jave them in their attic.

Get well, heal up, and be careful!

Cheers,
-j

[Dancing4dan]

Hey Eric, that’s a whole lotta hurt!

They are the reason I double tap the out house toilet seat and advise visitors to do the same. Ie, lift the lid and seat and drop it twice before sitting down.

[Bushman]

It’s all been said but that is one ugly hole in your foot. Years ago I thought I had gout and it was very painful without the hole in my foot. Take care and hoping for a swift recovery.

[MooseMan]

Holy hell man that's a big hole in your foot!

I got hit a few times on the back by a false widow and that hurt a bit, but this is in a different world of pain!

Speedy recovery Eric, hope you get back to 100% as soon as you can.

[EricTheRed]

Thanks all

[Deplorable]

Damn. That's nasty.
Follow the doctor's orders. You don't want to make it worse than it already is.

[Stump Lake]

Dude, that looks bad! Did you know when it bit you.
Hope it gets better soon.

[wv_hillbilly]

Oof. Glad I did open that while eating lunch. Yikes! I wish you a speedy as possible recovery. Hope that just looks worse than it is/feels?

[Wildcats]

Wow. I've always heard about those kind of spider. Looks like it hurts like hell. Hope you get to feeling better soon.

[Archee72]

Damn Eric ,that spider sure did do some damage. Enough damage that it made me do a little research on them. Seems the little buggers have found there way around a lot of the world.
https://www.australiawidefirstaid.com.a ... use-spider
"Brown recluse spiders were introduced to Australia, and they can be found across the globe. They love warm climates and are most commonly found in the central and southern parts of the United States. In the wild, they live under rocks, logs and woodpiles.6 Oct 2022"
Thanks for the warning, I'll be keeping a close eye out for them in future.

Related to our redbacks.

We get the pest spraying blokes around regularly to avoid such things Swampy

[juana_b]

Oh snap Eric! All the times I've been bitten by critters I'm sure glad it's never been a recluse. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[goose eye]

All yall got lp tanks in summer . Don't reach your hand under tank to lift until yall tip tank and look underneath. Blackwidows an fiddlebacks like staying up under. It cool to em and good ambush point

So I'm tole

[HDNB]

yet another good reason for living in the frozen north. no earthquakes, no tsunamis, no typhoons/cyclones/hurricanes....only the river valley floods on occasion and the odd very rare tornado. no venomous snakes and venomous spiders are rare tourists no malaria, zika...rare lyme carrying ticks.

moose and bear are big enough to see from a distance for the most part.

best wishes for a speedy recovery. that looks to be about a -14 on the fun scale.

[seamusm53]

We moved instantly out of a rent house years ago when I found a few in the kitchen sink one morning. Will say a prayer for your full recovery. They are some nasty spawn of the devil.

[sadie33]

My foster brother got bit by one, they wanted to remove his leg below the knee, but he refused. It took some time, but his foot healed and he was able to use it just fine. Praying for a quick recovery!!

[NZChris]

Look up Plantain. It grows in our lawn.

Our family has had a lot of success using it as a poultice when antibiotics haven't been working, including White Tail spider bites. Drinking it as a tea when you have a resistant infection helps too.

Manuka honey worked when a friend got a resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection on her leg from a spider bite. They were discussing removing her leg before her husband took some to the hospital and plastered her leg with it. She still has her leg.

[EricTheRed]

Look up Plantain. It grows in our lawn.

Our family has had a lot of success using it as a poultice when antibiotics haven't been working, including White Tail spider bites. Drinking it as a tea when you have a resistant infection helps too.

Manuka honey worked when a friend got a resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection on her leg from a spider bite. They were discussing removing her leg before her husband took some to the hospital and plastered her leg with it. She still has her leg.

Don't have any plantain in my yard, but will look around for local supply.
Also had a severe mrsa infection. 3 successive heavy doses of penicillin got the fever down and stopped hole from growing larger.
There was a worried look in the surgeon and wound specialist every time they opened the wound.
To top this all off, this also triggered a major gout attack which resulted in 6 additional wound locations. 2 of those are mostly healed and the others coming along ok.
Had days where wounds were just constantly oozing blood and uric acid. Messy.

Thanks to all for the well wishes. Appreciated very much.

[NZChris]

Look up Plantain. It grows in our lawn.

Our family has had a lot of success using it as a poultice when antibiotics haven't been working, including White Tail spider bites. Drinking it as a tea when you have a resistant infection helps too.

Manuka honey worked when a friend got a resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection on her leg from a spider bite. They were discussing removing her leg before her husband took some to the hospital and plastered her leg with it. She still has her leg.

Don't have any plantain in my yard, but will look around for local supply.

It grows wild in a lot of climates and countries. It's more likely that you'll find it in a field, your lawn, or on the roadside, than in a shop.

[goose eye]

He talking bout the weed not the fruit least way round here. Blackseed is one

Will lift you up in prayer thought wrote it before.

A lot ofmedicine at your fingertips if you know how to look.

So I'm tole

[quadra]

How ya going Eric?

[EricTheRed]

How ya going Eric?

Thanks for asking.
Going good. Doc and wound nurses are happy with progress. In can 'walk' again with the help of a walker. That was a major milestone.
15th i go in for skin graft assessment and if good to go op on 16th

Holding thumbs.

Current wound condition

[Saltbush Bill]

Best of luck with it Eric.....I'm spending more time looking carefully at spiders when I'm rummaging around in the shed or garden atm thanks to the photos that you posted up.
Every second spider I see seems to be big brown and hairy and resembles a Brown Recluse.
Just to make me even more careful I watched a Red Belly Black snake slither into my shed a few days ago.
Between your spider and snakes I'm walking around with eyes in the back of my head at the moment.