Spider Bite?

[Fishmanpa]

Just curious,

Anyone here ever get a spider bite? The reason I ask is I think that happened to me. I went out Saturday to do some shopping and my right foot started to itch. I didn't think much of it as I've had "hot spots" before. You know, a spot that itches really bad. That's what I thought it was and Saturday night I applied some hydrocortisone cream. It did relieve the itching a bit.

By yesterday morning it was really itching bad and when I took off my sock, my foot was red and swollen. I had a huge blister on inside of my pinky toe between the toes. I thought it had to be athletes foot so I bought some cream for that even though I couldn't imagine where I might have picked that up. Well... it bothered me all day yesterday and the redness and swelling got worse. It also really didn't look like athletes foot and I can't imagine where I possibly could have picked it up as we're pretty neat and clean here.

Anyway. I started thinking that perhaps this was a spider bite. I happened to put on a pair of shoes that I haven't worn in a while on Saturday. Maybe there was a spider in there? They were under the bed and spiders like areas like that. So... no bite I can actually see... a single large blister on the inside of my pinky toe (has since drained) and a maddening itching, redness and swelling radiating out from the pinky toe. If it were a black widow or brown recluse (both around here) it would be much more painful from what I read so I'm not too worried but damn if this is not annoying. The itching woke me up twice last night! It's a little better this morning but still. Thinking of calling the doc if it doesn't get any better by tomorrow.

Ok internet entomologists... opinions?

Positive thoughts

[Tanner40]

Definitely not a brown recluse, as a friend of mine was bitten by one, and you would surely know it. Keep an eye on it and if it continues to be red and swollen, you might want to have your GP take a quick look at it.

That will teach you to be paranoid like me, check those shoes prior to putting them on your feet. :-;

[Fishmanpa]

Definitely not a brown recluse, as a friend of mine was bitten by one, and you would surely know it. Keep an eye on it and if it continues to be red and swollen, you might want to have your GP take a quick look at it.

That will teach you to be paranoid like me, check those shoes prior to putting them on your feet. :-;

Ha! This morning I did just that! And I checked my other shoes thinking a dead one might be in there ~lol~

My gf is totally freaked out by spiders. I mean scream like she's being murdered when she sees one scared ~lol~ They don't bother me but bees and wasps? That's another story!

Positive thoughts

[Tanner40]

I scream like a little girl if I see a spider. That's what vacuum cleaners were made for, to suck them right up. Lol

[Fishmanpa]

I scream like a little girl if I see a spider. That's what vacuum cleaners were made for, to suck them right up. Lol

Ha! I'm that way with bees and wasps! Our cat is the best spider hunter and killer. I find them dead all the time and have seen him stalk and kill them but he can't kill what he doesn't see....

Positive thoughts

[Althea]

It's actually pretty difficult to know what kind of spider bit you if you didn't see the spider. Even biologists tend not to identify by bite, and medical personnel are notoriously bad judges, claiming bites from brown recluses in areas where they don't actually appear. (I was bitten by something that may or may not have been a brown recluse, depending on who you ask. That was the end of my live-and-let-live policy with spiders--I'm out for vengeance now.)

But unless it's something with serious systemic implications like a black widow bite, mostly they just treat symptomatically anyway.

[Fishmanpa]

Thanks Althea,

If it was a brown recluse I'd be a hurtin' pup for sure. Whatever it was it sure is uncomfortable but manageable with the cream. If it's not any better in a couple of days I'll see my GP. I'm just not entirely sure what the heck it is!

Positive thoughts