brown recluse spider bite- graphical pictures

[durst]

Has anyone seen the graphical pictures of a the brown recluse spider bite on the left hand that's going around on the internet? It shows the progress over nine days. Very painful looking. Any comment?

I just got that email a couple of days ago. All I can say is OOUCH!

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I got it a few days ago and just opened it today. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Talk about very disturbing photos...I found them on the Internet at

http://www.highway60.com/mark/brs/bite.asp?Msg=1078

Yes that is the man's thumb bone exposed in the later pictures.

I think the guy will be lucky if they don't have to amputate his entire hand at the wrist.

[susan322]

When our son was 5, he was bitten by a brown recluse - we did not know it at the time - it looked like a small burn at the beginning - and just got bigger. Coincidentally, my sister saw a program on PBS about the recluse and when she saw our son's leg the next day, suggested we take him to the doctor. At that point, our pediatrician confirmed the spider bite, but said our son was long past danger and to just keep the wound clean with antibiotic ointment covering.. All went very well, until a setback when he developed chicken pox just a few weeks later - the wound that had closed opened back up to twice the original size.. It was several more weeks before he was healed, again, but he had no long-term problems.. Weeks later, we found the pesky spider, still nesting on our front porch. We put him in a jar so we could confirm his species and also keep him away from our two younger children! It was a scary episode.

[cynthiac]

Why on why did I look at those pictures right after I ate my lunch. :roll:
ICK!

[Kathe Kitchens]

Let me share my experienc. I am around places where these little guys and all their arachnid cousins love to live on a daily basis. I keep a small bottle of high quality tea tree essential oil in my purse or pocket all the tiime. When I get a bite (or when I realize I got a bite), I immediately rub the tea tree oil into the site, sometimes breaking the skin so it can really get in there. Then I continue to apply it every couple of hours for the rest of the day and the next day if I feel it is needed. I usually get a little pustule which bursts and then I apply the tea tree oil to the open wound so it can really go to work. I don't ever have serious wounds, never scars and they are usually gone in a week or two. Tea tree oil is antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal so I guess it attacks everything at once. Thought I'd share this with everyone as no household should be without it if there's ever been a problem with spider bites. Of course, if you are concerned or if the wound doesn't respond, you should see your physician. Tea tree oil comes in lots of varieties but get the highest quality for best results. Hope you all find this helpful information.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

Kathe,
Would you please share your opinions on what high quality tea tree oils are and where to find them. All I know about essential oils is they seem to run the entire price range with most seemingly outrageously expensive on a cost per ounce basis.

[LFish]

durst wrote: Has anyone seen the graphical pictures of a the brown recluse spider bite on the left hand that's going around on the internet? It shows the progress over nine days. Very painful looking. Any comment?

I just got that email a couple of days ago. All I can say is OOUCH!

The Guy is a friend Of my Nephew, They had to make a skin graft to his hand, They removed skin from his hip. His hand is now in a cast. He lives in Denver, Co. While talking to one of his kids he leaned his hand on a wooden post, That's when it nailed him.

[ZIPPER]

David:

I have heard, not read, that a Medical treatment used is one to treat Leprosy.
Don't know where one would look to find out.

I have a 1/2 oz bottle of Tea Tree Oil that I got from Melaleuca. Label on the bottle is "Desert Essence" bottled by a Company out of Chatsworth, Ca. 91311 And NO it was not cheap!

All I know is that it works a lot better than the cheap stuff from Wal-Mart.

[Kathe Kitchens]

For those who would like to know, melaleuca is the type of Australian tree that tea tree oil comes from. It's a pungent oil so be prepared. As far as quality, the brand Wyndmere that I found in Whole Foods Market is very good. The Herb Market in Carrollton also carries a high quality oil but I can't remember the brand. Asking the proprietor or some one who REALLY knows herbs at a health food store is your next best alternative. By the way, this is off the spider bite subject but this stuff also knocks out warts and gets rid of ringworm and athlete's foot. It's also good on toenail fungus but you want to use it in addition to the cornmeal soak. I am telling you all this because I have used it for these purposes myself, on my own skin and that of my family. No scars, no residual problems. Tea tree oil is a true gift from God. And yes, it is very expensive to buy the highly concentrated essential oil but it also takes very little to work and is well worth the cost, in my (never to be humble :) ) opinion. If you decided to try this method, be sure to rub it in to the affected skin well, not just dab it on.

[drchelo]

Unfortunately, I have had to care for far too many spider bites in my Clinic in the last six years than I had ever seen in a quarter century of practice..the most common cousin of the brown recluse here in Texas is called the "Hobo Spider" because it lives in bushes and brush where hobos sleep outside..the initial bite does not hurt that much, but it rapidly swells and there is extensive tissue damage - although not as bad as its more reclusive relative. The poison liquefies the underlying tissue and the bacteria that the bite introduces into the bite have a field day with that dead tissue.
If you think you have been bitten by a hobo or a recluse, get thee to the nearest medical facility for evaluation - sometimes early treatment will forestall extensive damage. These bites are really nasty to treat, and may require more than one procedure..
drchelo

[Kathe Kitchens]

Never argue with the doc. Just sharin' my fortunate experiences. Like to hear your opinions on why it works, though? I'm interested because my doc was fascinated with how it removed warts & athlete's foot.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I'm going to assume durst has had his/her fill of comments and continue with the tea tree oil topic for the few of us still reading.

Thanks for the info on tea tree oil. We had Melaleuca (bottle brush) all around my campus in college. Who knew the value?

I found some interesting reading on Melaleuca alternifolia at the following website

http://www.thursdayplantation.com/about/page.cfm?aboutID=3

Mosquito repellent? Cool. Now I've got to find a bottle brush. That website also tells how to make a rudimentary tea tree oil mash the way the Australian natives did it. I don't see any reason why the home made stuff would be any different in effectiveness from the steam distilled stuff as long as it was very fresh. The impurities from the raw product would likely be contained in the steam distilled stuff, too. All the steam does is volatilize the oils (impurities and all) and carry the oils to a condenser to be collected. The high temp of the distillation process (180 degrees F) would tend to kill microbes in the mix and make the distilled stuff last much longer.

Another website called it "medicine chest in a bottle."

[CCC/vardener]

Ok,


I have to add something here. I love tea tree oil as much as the next guy(gal) and I WILL be heading to my local WFM (here in MD) to purchase a bottle of this snake oil.

but,

Kathe,

Did I read correctly that you have been bitten (repeatedly?) by a BRS and self treated with tea tree oil with sucess?

If so......Wow.

J[/quote]

[Kathe Kitchens]

Like I said in my first post, I am surrounded BRS's because I work in warehouses and gardens & bushes, and I get bitten all the time by spiders. I can't tell you absolutely, positively, 100% that I was bitten by a BRS more than a couple of times but I would bet you something serious that I have been bitten by them many times. The key to not suffering ill effects is the immediate application. It's like so many other biting or stinging things; sometimes they punch you with lots of venom, sometimes it's just a little bit. Sometimes you realize it right away and nip the bad effects in the bud, sometimes you let it go because you don't know it and it becomes a problem. Most of the time you don't know when one bites you, and it develops into a problem before any treatment is received; infection sets in, etc. I have never had any spider bite become serious, and I used no other treatment besides the tea tree oil.

[Kathe Kitchens]

Let me add more information. I was bitten many years ago by a BRS before I became aware of tea tree oil. From that bite, I suffered oozing, nasty wounds on both thighs and they took weeks to heal. My doctor helped some but the overall effect was pretty much that me & my immune system were on our own past a certain point. That's when I decided I'd better investigate something else. I worried for a couple of years that I would get another bad bite so when I found tea tree I was very relieved. I saw a BR spider bite me and I treated the bite immediately with tea tree to good effect as I reported. Like I said, it works for me. I'm not telling everybody to run out and buy it, or that it will absolutely, positively work but I shared my own experience for those who are interested. Nobody would believe the electric shock mechanism that Howard talks about would work but I know people who swear they've used it on BRS bites and snake bites too. I just believe we need to share information on our own experiences and we can all decide as adults the direction we will go with that information.