Some of you may remember a post from last summer about being bitten by a spider. Well, it turns out that unlike lightening (which I think is also false), spiders DO strike twice. Last Thursday Jeff was cutting down a tree in our woods and Jack and I went down to watch. I was wearing long pants, socks, and tennis shoes so I though that I was about as covered as I could be from any creepy crawlies. Turns out I was wrong, and I was bitten by what could possibly be a Wolf spider. Because of our woods, the Wolf spider is very populous here. It must have made its way up my leg and bit me on the thigh. I didn't notice it at first, but 24 hours later I awoke in the middle of the night to a very feverish, angry, red mark on my leg. By Saturday night we were really worried, and I was starting to feel kind of ill (although that may have been the morning sickness as well). We determined at that point that if it wasn't better by morning, I would go to Urgent Care. Sunday morning it seemed to be a little less swollen and angry, but it was turning black. I went ahead and went to church, where I was able to talk with my OB/GYN and he assured me that there wasn't really much that could be done for it. I've been putting hydrocortisone on it, and little by little it has been getting better.
I really hate spiders. Since moving to the country, I have had to deal with them on a weekly, almost daily basis. At first I freaked out, and then I took on the attitude that they were here for a purpose, and maybe what I should do is "Know thine enemy". So I began to study them and try to identify the most common ones on our property. Some of them really are quite beautiful, and harmless. They eat other insects that I'm not so fond of, and so I thought that we had come to some sort of .....coexistance. I see now that it was all just a ploy to lure me into a false sense of security. From now on, spiders, this is WAR.
8 comments:
I don't know where you live, but that looks like the brown recluse bite I got several years ago. Your flesh will rot out from the venom . . .
If it's a brown recluse, they'll want to put you on antibiotics, but you can do garlic poultices & treat/draw out the venom that way too. I'm a bit of a witch doctor freak that way, but anyway . . . yeah, check out the chances of it being a brown recluse.
Whatsovever things are true, whatsoever things are noble, whatsoever things are right.... I am proud of how VERY far you've come in the spider etc. category. You are simply amazing.
Miss you
G
Yes, we were also worried that it was a brown recluse. I like in Indiana, and it is possible that we have them, but this late in the season it would not be likely. I had a nurse look at it when it was really bad, and she agreed that it had the same "bullseye" pattern as the brown recluse. We held our breath overnight Sat. to see what the morning would bring, but it began to dissipate, and by now has faded greatly. Now it just itches!
Ohhhh GOOD!!! I'm very glad ~ they are nasty things. My neighbor & I both got one -- we have brown recluse & black widows everywhere. Blech.
I pray that your bite gets better. I haven't been keeping up with blogs so I just now noticed you are pregnant. I am so happy for you. I am glad that things are going well. What a blessing!!
ICK! Poor poor Betts! I'm sorry about this. I HATE the size of spiders in Indiana....another reason to LOVE MINNESOTA!!!
yuck
Ouch! Glad it is better though.
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