Spider Bites

I have never been bothered by spiders and if I see a web I don't even stop to see if there is a spider there or what type. Yeah sure I have copped a few bites over the years but it was only local pain radiating around the bite. Next day a bit itchy but nothing compared to say a wasp sting.

Well all that has changed for me after loosing five days in absolute agony to a multiple spider bite. Don't know what type it was but the spider/s got me six times in the same area. See photo and no comments about the sexy leg. :rolleyes:

Went to Hospital after a day and they gave me Panadol Forte and sent me home. I was told there that they do not administer anti venom for spider bites anymore - only snake bites.

Their venom gets to the nerve ending and sends pain signals to the brain. No real pain but your body thinks there is. The pain is so intense is constantly full on and there is no chance of sleep in the first three days for me. Another two days of random attacks every minute or so then it settles to something you can live with.

I will treat spiders with a lot more respect than I have and perhaps this experience might prompt others to do so as well. I have no idea of the species of spider but I can think of a few names I can call it.

When I got bitten years ago they gave me an alcohol based gel to put on it, cooled it and made the itch/sting go away. Made it all cool, enough to get to sleep. Didn't have pain part with mine so no pain killers.

Did you see the spider? It looks more like a snake to me.
Are you going to smoke that ham?

Sorry to hear about that Rod. Did you try ice packs?

Sorry to hear of your mishap. My sister was bitten recently and doctor said they have identified many new types this year over here. (Melbourne)
I don't worry too much about spiders, but the black ba%#ards in the shed get a touch of the butane to discourage them.:D

Nah the ham stays. :D

Tried ice packs and cold and warm baths but it is at the nerve endings so no relief and two Panadol Forte every four hours didn't seem to do much either. It's a waiting game but I must say at the end of it I am revived, appreciaiate normality and ready to catch up on the lost days. I had no other symptoms and felt healthy despite the pain.

I can't be sure it was a spider but the most likely given I was standing in a fairly thick web working and live in the metro area. Mind you we had a bobtail in the garden a month or so back that the trusty dog found.

I worked in the same area last night and wore track pants, socks lifted over the track pants and shoes - wasn't a pretty sight and it was a bit hot to be over dressed but I reckon another bite at the moment will set it off again. Was a good excuse to knock off a stubby or two from the Xmas left overs when I finished.

Man! this thread brings back memories!

CHECK UNDER GAS BOTTLES BEFORE PICKING THEM UP!!!!

I picked up a gas bottle that was in the garage and a black widow got me good. Went to the hospital and they just gave me more of the same, said if it got worse come back.

Mate, hope you are feeling better soon!

P.S I got nailed in the ankle by a sting ray whilst fishing the flats. Worst pain EVER!

45 MIN in the hottest water you can handle, dilutes the toxins and Morphine is a beutiful drug!!

Weird bite pattern, not random at all. Looks like the offender was chomping on you at specified intervals.

We're getting a lot of spider bites in ED these days, especially the Black House Spider which your bites look like. Mind you, you'll know it if you get a Red Back bite, excruciatingly painful they are. Plus the affected limb will sweat like crazy below the bite.

Everyone should have a compression bandage in their shed for both bites and to stem bleeding (just in case the table saw bites :D ).

If you think you've been bitten by a spider then apply the bandage above the bite on the affected limb, past the bite and down to the end of the limb. In Rod's case, you'd start from the knee down to the ankle. Secondly, do not move and call an ambulance.

I might do a basic first aid post one of these days :)

Looks nasty and sounds worse.. pleased to hear all turned out well for you.:2tsup:

Thanks for the well wishes. :2tsup:

I'm almost as good as ever with only a few needle like twinges every now and then.

Scott I assume ED means Emergency Department so is it correct they don't do anti-venom for spider bites anymore. I have a feeling I was short changed on that and could have been because I didn't make enough fuss for them to take it seriously.

I had profuse sweating on the bite leg below the knee and as the days went by I would have sweating in other limbs the same. Wierd as below the knee was wet but above it was dry and normal. The pain was unbearable but I didn't have stomach cramps or feel nausiated which the hospital staff asked me a few times. Perhaps it was a pussy cat spider but the number of bites increased the effect.

I was standing in the web for five minutes so I gave it/them plenty of opportunity to have a go. Won't be that silly again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rodm

Scott I assume ED means Emergency Department so is it correct they don't do anti-venom for spider bites anymore. I have a feeling I was short changed on that and could have been because I didn't make enough fuss for them to take it seriously.

---

Yep, Emergency Department.

There is anti-venom available for everything under the sun, including spider bites in every major hospital. The reason it's not given is that the side effects of the anti-venom can often be worse than the bite itself. If the anti-venom is given it can cause heart arrhythmia's etc, etc. It's only given when the situation is clearly diabolical and there are no other options. These days patients are given medications to quell the symptoms and are observed until the danger has passed, usually something for the pain.

Sounds like you've got a redback bite. Redback venom is a neurotoxin hence the pain and sweating (sympathetic nerve response). I think (I'll check it up for you) no one has died from a redback bite for many years (?decades).

A little more information can be found at this website:

Spider facts - Australian Museum

Quote:

---

There have been no deaths in Australia from a confirmed spider bite since 1979. An effective antivenom for Redback Spiders was introduced in 1956, and one for funnel-web spiders in 1980. These are the only two spiders that have caused deaths in Australia in the past.

A spider bite is not a notifiable medical emergency, so there are no Australia-wide statistics, but the following figures give an idea of the incidence of reported bites in recent years.

Approximately 2000 people are bitten each year by Redback Spiders

Funnel-web spider antivenom has been given to at least 100 patients since 1980. Antivenom is given only when signs of serious envenomation are observed. Many spider bites are 'blank', which means that no venom has been injected.

---

Thanks Scott,
Makes sense and they were right as it obviously wasn't life threatening in my situation. Would have been good not to have endured the pain for so long but no point taking risks when not necessary.

I used to have a heavy infestation of redabcks in my shed in Sydney. Always checked every garden tool I took out just in case.
At some point the daddy longlegs moved in and I never saw a redback after that. I don't know if one is a natural predator of the other or if it was a change in environment.

Not enormously relevant to this thread, but I know which I'd rather have bit/envenomate me. :)

The Daddy Long Legs is a spider that can cause a heap of pain, and lay you up in bed for a few days. I know about them first hand. Another is the dreaded "White Tailed" spider. They seem to have become a lot more prevalent over the last 25 years or so. I never saw or heard of them too much before that. However, they bite and the flesh around the bite begins to decay, and keeps on decaying for many months. They are also agressive. I found one late at night in our house, which is very clean and newish. They get in as hatchlings I think. Anyhow, this was a full sized male, and after I sprayed him to make him drop off the curtain rod, he hit the floor and charged at me. He could have gone anywhere, but I played with him, and it was me he wanted to bite. Flesh rotting is not good. :oo:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Buzza

The Daddy Long Legs is a spider that can cause a heap of pain, and lay you up in bed for a few days. I know about them first hand.


Maybe your SA spiders are a different breed

Daddy-long-legs Spider, Pholcus phalangioides - Australian Museum

Another is the dreaded (???) "White Tailed" spider. They seem to have become a lot more prevalent over the last 25 years or so. I never saw or heard of them too much before that ( So what were you doing in 1987?). However, they bite and the flesh around the bite begins to decay, and keeps on decaying for many months. (Complete and utter rubbish)

Don't believe everything you read.
White-tailed Spider - Australian Museum

They are also agressive. I found one late at night in our house, which is very clean and newish. They get in as hatchlings I think. Anyhow, this was a full sized male, and after I sprayed him to make him drop off the curtain rod, he hit the floor ( With a thud) and charged at me.( yeeeehaaaa) He could have gone anywhere, but I played with him, (so brave!!) and it was me he wanted to bite. You must be sooo tastey

Yeah, they are spiders. Did you run from the room weeping? Flesh rotting is not good. :oo:

---

Get a grip sunshine. They are just part of the scenery. They don't attack. They don't run after you. If you get one down your sock, you may well get stung , and it can hurt like hell, it may even cause death if you aren't too healthy.

Don't make up stories!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avery

Get a grip sunshine. They are just part of the scenery. They don't attack. They don't run after you. If you get one down your sock, you may well get stung , and it can hurt like hell, it may even cause death if you aren't too healthy.

Don't make up stories!

---

:whs:

Well Avery, both of those reports support what I have said.

I saw the Daddy-Long-Legs spider actually get onto my ankle and nip me before I could let go off what I was doing at the time. He had climbed onto my ankle unnoticed, whilst I was setting up the caravan. We were on holidays towing a caravan in Victoria, & I was the driver. This bite had my ankle swollen and in pain for three whole days before I could drive again. The only way to ease the pain was to lay down with my leg raised. That was my one time test. Which almost matches the the test done by the Brains Department. (Which was also only a one time test and proved they can inject the goods into a human).

As for the White tail report you point out, that matches as well. I found him looking down at me from the curtain rod and sprayed him. This was easier than trying to rescue the dear little thing. When he hit the ground, he made straight for my bare feet, but I dropped a double sheet of T. P. over him, picked the bundle up and flushed him down the loo. We have a lot of these spiders around the property, which is on the edge of a country town, and most of them have made towards us when we tried to kill them. Your Brains Department has also pointed out that the White Tailed spider bite can and will leave an ulceration. If you can grasp what that means, you will understand that once started in many people, ulcerations can continue to grow and last for a year or more. No, I never ran screaming from the room, and have never run screaming from anything in my life. While you suggest I get a grip, I suggest to you that you let go of yours.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Buzza

Well Avery, both of those reports support what I have said.

I saw the Daddy-Long-Legs spider actually get onto my ankle and nip me before I could let go off what I was doing at the time. .

---

Then it wasn't a "Daddy Longlegs" you'd better read this - UCR Spiders Site: Daddy Long Legs Myth

Ian Smith, your findings are in contradition to Avery's. They were done by an American Brains Department. It was established that the spider can bite a human in the single test that they mentioned in the Australian test. It did cause a slight irritation. My bite was not life threatening but it did swell my ankle area up, and as stated, the only relief was to put my leg higher then my torso.

Unless you have experienced a bite, you just do not know. As stated, you don't believe everything you read. Once they do a test where several hundred people get bitten, and the results are tested, from all of that Brains Department lot, they may have a decent piece of info to put out. If they ever call for volunteers, I suggest you both put your names on the list.

We all have different reactions to bee stings, and probably from spider bites.

I don't make up stories, and suggest you think carefully before writing such accusations.

I lived in Melbourne for 4 years. Back in Canada, it took me years to realize that every spot on the wall was not likely some sort of spider.
It really is a shame that you can't deal with your vermin with a 12 gauge and a few #8 trap loads like we do here. For the bigger things, SSG in a 3" magnum shell is effective but noisy.
My girlfriend and I each shoot 3.5's (Benelli Nova and Remington 887) but that's really over the top except for Canada Geese.

Rod ,I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune and hope that you're up and about without any lasting effects.

Many years ago whilst living in Perth I was putting down a bore where we had just built a new home.One moring I went out and without checking my Sandshoes felt a nip between the toes ,I took the shoe off and shook out a Redback. Immediately you think of notonly killing the little barsteward but whats the issue with the foot.

My foot went numb so swmbo being a registered nurse applied a cold compress, and told me to sit still unfortunately the cricket was on the TV so it wasn't any hardship.
Took quite a while for the swelling between the toes and the numbness to subside.
Was ever vigilant after that with shoes left outside.
Used to have a lot of redbacks here but with an influx of Daddy longlegs we have not seen too many about.

Cheers:)

Glad your on the mend Rod. Certainly sounded like a red back bite. Daddy long legs and blue tongue lizards are excellent for getting rid of red backs. I never shoo either of those away.
I got bitten last weekend. Not by a spider though. I was standing waist deep in a lake, holding my daughter, when something latched onto my foot. I felt it shaking it's head trying to tear out a chunk. I high tailed it out of there and ended up with some big teeth marks on the side of my foot. No real damage but a bit of a shock at the time.

Some pretty severe cases of arachnophobia here, arguably with good cause. Quite a few myths and I too believed the about the super poisonous daddy-longlegs that were unable to bite humans.

I think we need to remember that reactions to bites of many kinds are themselves very varied. For example, I am lucky with bee and wasp stings in that they hardly trouble me at all but I have three male cousins who are all hospital cases if they are bitten.

I imagine it is similar with spider and snake bites. Some people will have a more adverse reaction with anaphylactic and necrosis conditions being at the worrying end of the scale.

Red-backs I have found to be very passive and have to be provoked to become antagonistic. The black house spider, I think, is from the same family but even more shy and retiring. We often have them around our windows. You still want to avoid being bitten by either spider if you possibly can.

The bitey stingy things that have given me the most trouble are the spitfire caterpillars. I was beside myself with the irritation when one dropped out of a tree on me. SWMBO was not sufficiently sympathetic.

I sympathise with anybody who is bitten and suffers discomfort and pain as a result of bite and stings and I trust by now that Rod is close to fully repaired.

Regards
Paul

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm right as rain now so a week to shake it off completely.
I think I was just unlucky to get so many bites.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Buzza

It was established that the spider can bite a human in the single test that they mentioned in the Australian test.

---

Sorry Buzza, I just wanted to point out that the test they mentioned was the TV show Myth Busters. :roll: More entertainment than science but kudos to the museum for mentioning all points of reference.

I had to head to the doctor once because my leg felt like it was going to explode. It was diagnosed as a white tail spider bite. Very painful for the first couple of days, then the necrosis around the bite for maybe a year afterwards. Apparently most people don't even know they get bitten until a while afterwards like I did. Quite nasty.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Daniel99

I had to head to the doctor once because my leg felt like it was going to explode. It was diagnosed as a white tail spider bite. Very painful for the first couple of days, then the necrosis around the bite for maybe a year afterwards. Apparently most people don't even know they get bitten until a while afterwards like I did. Quite nasty.

---

Welcome to the Forums Daniel99 and thanks for the info regarding the white tail spider. The necrosis aspect is insidious to put it mildly.

Regards
Paul

They take a bite from a white tailed spider very seriously out here. There has been reports of necrosis from a number of people and a couple of months ago, my sister in law was bitten on the arm around the elbow and she was given the strongest antibiotics that you can have. The bite site swelled and blistered very badly.

You guys are hysterical (in both senses of the word). Try strolling out to the laundry and being confronted by a taipan.

I lived in my grandmothers house for a few years when she died while the will was sorted. Before it got sold they got it fumigated. I'll never forget the pest guy coming down from the roof cavity white a a ghost: "I've been doing this for 7 years and have never seen so many spidering on one place". It was riddled with redbacks funnelwebs house spiders etc. There were 1/2 dozen redbacks withing an inch of my hands when I did the laundry.

I also had a male funnelweb living under my bed right where I stood up every morning in another place. Got an expert of rehydrate it and check it under a microscope to make sure.

Anyway, to the point. I discovered last year that codein can be had in a diluted liquid form on prescription. 5mg per ml codein lingtus. It's cheap, magic cough supressant and low side effect pain relief. If any of you find yourselves in this situation it might help. Paracetamol and ibyprofin rot your liver, asprin rots your stomach. Ibyprofin has other side effects despite what the pretty lady in the ad says. Opiates are not perfect but if your taking big doses for most people they do less harm.

2c.

Quote:

---

You guys are hysterical (in both senses of the word)

---

I don't want to hijack this thread, but I have been twice confronted by poisonous snakes in a building in which I have been living and had a snake bite my boot in long grass.
I've lived in some way or another with all manner of spiders. I've had them walk over me at night waking me up, have had them crawling over me in the bush while mustering when I was young. I don't particularly like them, but I don't consider myself to be paranoid or hysterical, just mindful of the affects that a bite or sting.
Most of this thread is about personal experiences, some worse than others, and I feel for those who have had bad reactions to the bites, but to relate what has happened is not hysterical. There are facts and opinions stated that I may or may not agree with, some things I don't know enough about to comment on, but hysterical I wouldn't consider them to be.

That's my 2c

Robert

Thank you Robert.

It looks like very bad bite..
i’ve got this bite on my stomach that’s been itchy for days. it looks exactly like a spider bite, two little swollen punctures. i’m covered in bug bites from the #### that’s been getting into the house, so why not another spider? it’s only a few inches above where i had a staph infection, and i’m not too worried about it because like i said it’s been there for days, and the last time i was bitten, it was nasty and huge and very much resembled that staph infection. sometimes the scar from my first bite still itches, and i don’t know if that’s something mental or not. i’m pretty sure i’d know if it was still infected, considering it’s been nearly a year. i’ve been keeping it clean and watching it.

i wish that i still had a picture of my old bite, back before it was lanced. it made a giant pustule and i put a hot towel on it to help with the swelling and it brought out all of these tiny pus-filled holes under a clear, deflated bubble. i wanted to pop it so badly. it was so gross looking, that i deleted the picture.

i got staph because i had a furuncle caused by and ingrown hair on my lower stomach that i dried to cut open and drain myself. stupid me, trying to get some sort of weird satisfaction out of picking at my skin. i will admit that once i was numb enough, it was pretty awesome watching them lance both infection. changing out my own packing was not fun, though. neither was not being able to bend over or sit from the pain.

did i mention that i got both of these at the same time, only a couple of days after fracturing my talus and having to wear a boot? last april suuuuuucked.

now my skin is crawling. blech.