Author Topic: Spider bite  (Read 3066 times)

Offline Des

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Spider bite
« on: June 03, 2015, 12:51:56 PM »
Several weeks ago I was bitten by a White Tailed Spider. These are common spiders in Australia and are not usually aggressive, but they can inflict a very nasty bite.



I was showering a few weeks ago when I felt something bite me on my back, after my shower I told my wife and she looked at it and said that there were two small puncture marks in the centre of a small raised lump. A few days later it flamed up to become a large swollen, blistered and red area about the size of a bread and butter plate, it was not painful but extremely itchy. My doctor confirmed it was a bite from the dreaded white tailed spider, he prescribed anti-biotics. It took quite a while to clear up and 70 anti-biotic capsules. My doctor thinks that the spider was on the shower head, when the hot water heated up the head the spider jumped off onto my back, at least I know that the spider was washed down the drain.

This photo shows the result of the bite, the lower left and right side of the photos shows the swelling.

Des.

Late Founder of ww1aircraftmodels.com and forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Offline Jamo

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2015, 01:09:58 PM »
Oooh that looks nasty Des. We get those white tails here in EnZed as well and I have killed a few in my home. They eat other spiders so we religiously kill all spiders in our house to try and keep numbers down. They are immigrants from Australia.
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Offline KitRookie37

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2015, 02:27:34 PM »
Hello gentlemen,
Ouch !!!  :-\
Lovely pet... You have some insane animals in Australia.
Quick recovery.
Best regards.
Alain.
Use the force, Luke.

Offline ermeio

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2015, 02:32:32 PM »
Insect's punctures are always nasty, Des.
Here in Italy we have wasps and tiger mosqutos, but once I found two scorpions in a vacation home and those could have been venomous.
I hope your convalescence is over and you are back in full health now.
Er me

Offline Nigel Jackson

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2015, 05:13:32 PM »
That looks nasty Des and I hope you're now fully recovered.

The region of France that we live in is beautiful; heavily wooded and teeming with wildlife. Unfortunately, it is also a hot spot for tics. For the ten years we've lived here this has not been a problem, but a couple of Sundays ago I returned home  from a customary long walk with a tic embedded in my forearm. Although cleanly removed asap, it swelled up and reddened. So, it was off to the doctor's the following day. He cheered me up no end. The moment he saw it he said you've got Lyme's disease from the tic. There were no ifs, buts, maybes, perhaps, I thinks, etc and he went on to regale me with the various stages without treatment. Anyway, I'm near to finishing my 60 elephant-treatment sized antibiotics.

It's all left me feeling very tired and must have affected my judgement - why else would I be about to embark, as reported elsewhere, on the Copper State Taube?

Best wishes
Nigel

Offline GrahamB

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2015, 07:48:52 PM »
Hi Des,

Ouch!

Well this arachnophobe has had his fears boosted by this - we have OZ whitetails occasionally in the house and they are fearless creatures. Unlike other species, they will march openly across the floor and are not phased by showing them aggression (but I always kill them anyway). My wife was bitten on the arm (probably) by a whitetail hiding on some curtains only a couple of weeks after we arrived in NZ - the results looked similar yours, Des. They do prey on other spiders and the shed has them because of the large population of grey spiders (harmless web-spinners). Generally if I see other spiders around the home I think that the whitetails are not as abundant as my overheated imagination has it.

Fortunately, NZ's only own potentially deadly species - the Katipo (a black-widow relative) - is now fairly scarce and confined to some coastal dunes/strandlines.

Good luck with the healing.
Cheers,

GrahamB


Offline Ernie

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2015, 10:17:42 PM »
Good grief Des, you have some mean critters down under!  I've
had some spider bites, but they were miniscule compared to
yours.  I'm glad to hear all is well again, but maybe let the shower
run a bit before you get into it! :o

Cheers,
Ernie :)
The new old guy, take two...

Online RAGIII

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2015, 10:26:12 PM »
Wow Des that is some bite! Spider venom is nasty stuff. If what the Dr. told my wife when she was bitten by a Brown Recluse is correct you do not build up an immunity. The venom stays with you and if bitten a second time it is worse! So be careful
RAGIII
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Michael Scarborough

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2015, 11:03:02 PM »
Well....this is a delightful thread to read, and see, while eating b'fast.

My wife was bitten by a brown recluse....it was terrible.

Good luck with the healing, Des!

Cheers (?),
Michael

guitarlute101

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2015, 01:53:06 AM »


Sorry to hear about that Des, take care of yourself!

And watch out for these too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TfeCcRiDEY

Mark

Offline Des

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #10 on: June 04, 2015, 06:05:17 AM »
Thanks guys for you words of support, the bite is fully healed now with no trace of it ever happening, but the doctor told me that it could keep reappearing for many years to come, doesn't always happen but the chance is there.

Des.
Late Founder of ww1aircraftmodels.com and forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Offline lcarroll

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #11 on: June 04, 2015, 02:05:55 PM »


Sorry to hear about that Des, take care of yourself!

And watch out for these too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TfeCcRiDEY

Mark


Good Grief, Mark, you may have changed my sanitation habits for life!! Glad you've recovered Des, but I think the dangers posed by bears, coyotes, wolves and cougars in the great Canadian wilderness pale by comparison to Aussie Spiders that leap from shower heads onto the backs of unsuspecting Master Scratch Builders! That, to me , is the ultimate in fears! :o
Cheers,
Lance

Offline Whiteknuckles

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #12 on: June 04, 2015, 09:26:59 PM »
Owww, that looked nasty Les!
They can be nasty little buggers that's for sure. As I understand it, it's not just their venom but bacteria on their fangs. They are scavengers and hunters so aren't adverse to carrion - hence they get some wild nasty bugs hanging out on their fangs. Some bites can end up with necrosis due to the nasty bugs...

Andrew


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Offline pietro

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2015, 02:12:16 PM »
Des, please don't post pictures like that! Get well soon!

Offline Squiffy

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Re: Spider bite
« Reply #14 on: July 23, 2015, 07:11:35 AM »
Thank god I live in cold and rainy England, where things like that live only in nightmares!