Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Several Spiders Spin Serious Symptoms For Spinner Clan
Northwoods. In a spate of seperate attacks, what was later identified as the Brown Recluse Spider bit the hell out of Papa Barry Spinner and his eldest daughter Sparah. The bite wounds were difficult to identify as this member of the arachnid family is considered rare in the upper Midwest.
The Brown Recluse or Fiddleback spider lives in old barns, wood piles, and even piles of clothes. It is considered non-aggressive but will bite if disturbed. The bites can go unnoticed for days while other symptoms such as abdomninal pain, fever, chills and extreme nausea set in. After a week, the bites turn red and become large and hard, forming a black spot in the middle. Eventually, the wounds open up and the tissue around the bite begins to die and slough off. If the wound is not kept clean, gangrene can set in. There is no antivenin and no cure except vigilant wound care and, in worst case scenarios, skin grafting. Bites are hard to identify because often times the spider is nowhere to be seen before or after. Papa Barry received his bites up and down his legs while working in a heavily wooded area near his home despite the fact that he was wearing tight jeans and cowboy boots. The Spinner daughter received hers while cutting wood from a dead tree in the Superior National Forest, yet her loverman Hair-e-Guy and his brother Little Hair-e-Guy received no bites. It is possible that Papa Spinner did not receive his bites in the woods but inadvertantly brought the spiders into his home with the wood he stores inside. Yet, aside from the bite wounds there was no sign of the spiders in either case, although there had be more then one to inflict the nearly two dozen bites found on each Spinner.
Although Brown Recluse sightings are uncommon in the Upper Midwest, they are not unknown. As recently as two years ago, an elderly bedridden woman was bitten in a nursing home in north western Wisconsin near the Minnesota border.
The moral of the story is that these nasty little critters are out there, but there is little to be done to protect yourself against them and little medical treatment available in case of an attack. In Papa Spinner's case, antibiotics were given, although it was admitted by another doctor that they were of little use, since spider venom is not composed of microorganisma like bacteria. In some cases steroids such as prednizone may be given to stave off infammation but the efficacy of these drugs may be marginal at best.
Thankfully, both Spinners are recovering.
The Brown Recluse or Fiddleback spider lives in old barns, wood piles, and even piles of clothes. It is considered non-aggressive but will bite if disturbed. The bites can go unnoticed for days while other symptoms such as abdomninal pain, fever, chills and extreme nausea set in. After a week, the bites turn red and become large and hard, forming a black spot in the middle. Eventually, the wounds open up and the tissue around the bite begins to die and slough off. If the wound is not kept clean, gangrene can set in. There is no antivenin and no cure except vigilant wound care and, in worst case scenarios, skin grafting. Bites are hard to identify because often times the spider is nowhere to be seen before or after. Papa Barry received his bites up and down his legs while working in a heavily wooded area near his home despite the fact that he was wearing tight jeans and cowboy boots. The Spinner daughter received hers while cutting wood from a dead tree in the Superior National Forest, yet her loverman Hair-e-Guy and his brother Little Hair-e-Guy received no bites. It is possible that Papa Spinner did not receive his bites in the woods but inadvertantly brought the spiders into his home with the wood he stores inside. Yet, aside from the bite wounds there was no sign of the spiders in either case, although there had be more then one to inflict the nearly two dozen bites found on each Spinner.
Although Brown Recluse sightings are uncommon in the Upper Midwest, they are not unknown. As recently as two years ago, an elderly bedridden woman was bitten in a nursing home in north western Wisconsin near the Minnesota border.
The moral of the story is that these nasty little critters are out there, but there is little to be done to protect yourself against them and little medical treatment available in case of an attack. In Papa Spinner's case, antibiotics were given, although it was admitted by another doctor that they were of little use, since spider venom is not composed of microorganisma like bacteria. In some cases steroids such as prednizone may be given to stave off infammation but the efficacy of these drugs may be marginal at best.
Thankfully, both Spinners are recovering.
