Bitten by a spider!

[Gazespana]

My 75 yr old Mum woke up with a bite on her arm whilst she was here 2 months ago. Bite looked like a blood blister with red swelling round the outside. Itching gradually got worse and it got bigger. Took her to local Spanish GP who said there was no doubt it was a tick bite, he gave her antibiotics, antihistamine together injection. After 2 days her arm and hand had swollen to twice the size, very scary ! She hotfooted it back to UK straight to hospital in taxi and spent 8 days in care of NHS feeling very ill and on an antibiotic drip ! Specialist Consultant was called in, he said in his opinion it was a venomous spider bite and she had been very lucky as it could have been more serious !! The bite area left a hole almost to her bone which had to be plugged. She still has a bandage and its almost healed but as she says, shes been to hell and back and no she wont be returning !! I sprayed the whole house down with insectiside but told her there were no more spiders/ticks - the snakes had eaten em all !!!!

[Rosie01]

I'm moving to Marbella come Sept and I'm terrified of spiders. It will be just me and my cat gosh if she eats the spider and becomes ill I would have wasted her passport costs of £600!!!

Bl...dy raining yet again been peeing down for a week floods everwhere and I've got the heating on and my dressing gown brrrr

[Busymum]

Thanks for that Gazespana! !!!!!

I am still Ok!

The cat is still alive ..... I am currently searching the internet for an oxygen bubble thingy-bob like Michael Jackson used to sleep in ..... once I am in there at night no spider will be able to get me ..... unless it is Peter Parker with a bunch of flowers and a bottle of Cava!

Busymum

[El Cid]

My 75 yr old Mum woke up with a bite on her arm whilst she was here 2 months ago...

If it had been a tick she would probably have woken up with it still attached to her arm. They certainly don't hurt and often the only way you know you have been bitten is when you see it getting bigger as it fills with blood.

You have to be very careful how you remove them as you must not leave the mouthpart attached or you risk infection. When one of our cats gets one we dab the tick with insecticide and it falls off a few hours later.

The biggest risk is that they can carry Lymes Disease and pass it to you. If you get a red ring round the bite you need to see a doctor to get a blood test to check. If you have picked up the disease it is easily treated but if left it can reappear months or even years later with nasty consequences.

On this lovely subject of bites and stings one to watch out for is the "Megarian Banded Centipede".

These are very common and have a nasty sting - I know - one bit me in bed. They are about 10cm long and look pretty alarming.

Picture and details here http://tinyurl.com/yj4skc

Sid

[Gazespana]

Hi Sid
The consultant was convinced that it wasn't a Tick bite as he said venom had been injected and he could understand the initial Spanish doctors assessment because of the blood blister which would indicate Tick bite. I know about the Banded Centipede and I know friends who have been stung, although its painful its not that bad ! he was 99.9% certain this was a spider.

[annie_d]

is there more or less chance of being bitten by something in rural Andalucia or Cheshire?

[Daystar]

Haven't you Ladies got real creepy crawly things to go to bed with like HUSBANDS and/or BOYFRIENDS????

[annie_d]

[rafiki]

....gosh if she eats the spider and becomes ill I would have wasted her passport costs of £600!!!

Crikey Rosie! Just paid the bill for the pet passport for our Jack Russell - £185 all in : chipping, two innoculations, blood test and passport doc. Cost of living seems very high in Bristol.

[crazyred]

Hi Busymum,

As a trainee homeopath can I suggest a remedy called Ledum which is for puncture wounds which are worse from heat. Also Apis Meliflora which is very good for stings & bites that involve venom and/or cause swelling (bees, wasps, mossies).

It might get rid of the last of the effects - safe for the cat too

[Cassandra]

... and if you haven't got any of those to hand a dab of Chanel works wonders for a bee sting

[laclotte]

Some years ago we apparently had a nest of spiders in our house in SA. Both sons and my self woke up one morning with a large 'blister' like bite. The blister is formed by the body trying to produce antibodies to the venom. The doctor burst the blister and all 3 of us ended up with a large wound, with mine, on my ankle, going through to the bone . It took years to heal properly and I still have the scar. A very painful experience

[Busymum]

Oh there you go again Laclotte! Just when I had started to sleep nights .... in a home made Michael Jackson tent constructed of tent poles, cling film and Busyboy's Action Man shark net for ventilation!

Busymum