This past summer I was the lucky recipient of what I think was a brown recluse spider bite. However, now I'm wondering if that's the case. This article suggests that most doctors don't know what a brown recluse bite actually looks like. And most data indicates that there are no brown recluse spiders in New England (though a close cousin, the Mediterranean recluse has been confirmed in Ohio). However, I have found several articles that claim Brown Recluse's have been found in New England, and definitely as far north as Ohio and Pennsylvania. But, if the article claiming Brown recluse presence in New England was relying on doctor's reports rather than confirmed captured specimens, than it may have been erroneously reporting their presence here in New England as suggested by the article I linked above. Regardless, last summer I had some sort of nasty infection on my wrist that both looked liked and behaved like a brown recluse bite: weeks of pain, including a small portion (about dime-sized) of my flesh rotting away, and a multi-colored (reds, purples, greens and yellows) "bulls-eye" like wound that was both fascinating and disturbing to watch evolve and finally heal (I still have a small scar where the skin is not only slightly discolored but also has a different, almost plastic, appearance). Here is a diary of a person who suffered a recluse bite - her bite was about 4 times as large as mine but my bite followed a very similar (though not quite as gory) process. The poor gal who posted this used a combination of painkillers, antibiotics, and alternative medicine.
Oh the irony - as I was writing this, I just bumped my knee (where my brand new spider bite has been festering for a week) and broke open the puss filled swollen bump on it - I've been waiting for this to happen for days - the pain is excruciating - as I'm typing I'm shaking and al sot dropped the glass of water I had in my hand when it happened. The endorphin rush is fantastic and I'm beginning to feel a lil dopey now. Like I said, fascinating these wounds.
So anyway, my whole point in talking about last summer's spider bite was to lead into this new bit I got a little over a week ago which is following a similar evolution as the last spider bite though there doesn't seem to be any rotting flesh yet and not nearly as many colors (just white red and purple). Despite the fact that it's not as colorful or putrefied, it hurts far more than the last bite (which I liked to describe as the feeling of someone putting a cigarette out on your wrist , 24/7). This bite has swollen my knee so badly that I cannot walk or stand for more than 10 or 15 minutes without severe pain (enough to make me have to pause and regain control of my breathing) developing.
What I have discovered in my second round of research is that a variety of spiders cause "necrotic" wounds - that is, wounds that result in flesh rot, infection, swelling etc. So, I am pretty confident that these are two different types of spider bites, the first being more severe than this one, but it seems likely that neither were brown recluses.
It is truly amazing to me how such a small creature injecting such small volumes of venom can cause as much pain and damage for weeks on end. When Ashley gets home tonite I plan on having her both film it and look up some potential healing slaves in her library.
OK, I go smoke now.
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