Bites from poisonous spiders
Spider bites can be quite nerve wracking and can cause damage if the
spider is poisonous. The most common symptom of a spider bite from a
poisonous variety of spider is a thin red line traveling from the area
that has been bitten and flu like symptoms. Reactions to poisonous
spider bites varies from individual to individual depending on their
constitution and may be any thing from a mild reaction to losing a
finger and being scarred for the rest of one’s life. The symptoms may
even vary from spider to spider. In fact the normal spiders that most
people would come across are harmless, but all the same neglecting a
spider bite can lead to complications and it is best to seek medical
help to be on the safer side.
Spiders are arachnids and not insects. They have fangs with which
they inject venom when they bite their victim. The most commonly known
poisonous spider is the Black Widow and they are the spiders that
account for the most poisonous spider bites in the United States and
Canada. Te female of the variety is the poisonous one.
When do spiders bite?
Spiders rarely attack people and bite only when they feel threatened.
They may be hiding in your clothing and when you attempt to wear it, the
spider gets pressed and feels threatened leading to its reaction of
biting. Most spiders are too small to be able to inject their venom into
the skin and even those that can, may not have venom strong enough to
cause you any damage. While experts are divided on the need to capture a
spider that has bitten you, the chances on your being bitten again make
it a hazardous task. But a captured spider could make identification
easy and also lead to the immediate treatment that is an antidote to the
venom of that particular spider. There is also a chance that the bites
may be due to the more common household bed bug.
Treating spider bites
Spider bites are not a very common occurrence and therefore may be
beyond the experience of most medical practitioners. It is likely that a
doctor practicing in the countryside may have had sufficient exposure
and experience of this. One very effective treatment is to inject a
tenth of a CC of Dexamethasone which is a steroid and immediately
decreases the swelling and inflammation caused by poisonous spider
bites. This is injected at two or three places all around the afflicted
area. The effects are immediate and failures are rare, but as it is a
steroid, care has to be taken while giving it.
Antibiotics are recommended if the spider bite causes a lesion and an
open wound. Otherwise treatment with Dexamethasone within the first 48
hours is sufficient and will not require antibiotics. Cortisone has also
been effectively used to treat bites from poisonous spiders. Neglected
lesions can require the scraping of the dead tissue, a procedure that is
very painful and heart rending.
The best method of injecting these medicines is through tiny insulin
needles and making sure that all the affected area of the bite from the
poisonous spider is treated. Care has to be taken if the person affected
is pregnant or has any other fungal disease. If such bites have occurred
near the eyes, direct injection of the medicine is not advised and other
methods may need to be followed to treat the poisonous spider bite.
Spider bites are uncommon and the bite of a poisonous spider rarer
still. This is the reason that most medical practitioners still advocate
the old cut and scrape method for treating such bites. However the
practice of direct injection is gaining favor and prominence and
continues to be the best method of treating the bite of a poisonous
spider. |
