Brown Recluse Spider Bite?

Last night we had to take my 17 month old son to the doctor on a late night emergency appointment. Earlier that morning I had noticed two bites on his thigh, which looked at first like mosquito bites. As the day progressed however the swelling and redness continued to get bigger till it was the size of a silver dollar. There was also a blister in the center the size of my thumbnail. I called the doctor and we took him in. The theory they told us is they think the bite is from a brown recluse spider. I pray not. I was up most of the night keeping an eye on him and looking for worsening symptoms. He is on antibiotics and prescription topical cream and this morning the wound does not look any worse. It just looks the same.

The reason I am telling you all this is to let you know to be careful when you are both inside and out. Wood piles, playground equipment, bushes, rocks, storage sheds, just about anywhere you can find brown recluse and black widow spiders, the two venomous spiders in this part of the country. They also like to live indoors in dark places like closets, boxes, just about anywhere that is dark and out of the way.

Barns are also the perfect place for brown recluse and black widow spiders. Shavings bins are one place of choice for the brown recluse and corners and dark spaces are another place of choice for both spiders. So please be careful. Be watchful when handling shavings and look carefully before grabbing that piece of wood to toss out of them. Shake out boots/shoes before putting them on and squish gloves before putting them on. Watch when picking up your saddles and saddle blankets as they like to nest in dark spaces. Generally just be careful wherever you are when pulling things out especially if they haven’t been pulled out in a while. They are not aggressive spiders and usually only bite when pressed against the skin.

I don’t want to scare anyone, just inform you. I am guilty myself for not being careful when it comes to checking for venomous spiders. I will be more now. Some people don’t have much a reaction to brown recluse spider bites other than a little soreness and redness, others require extensive hospital stays due to large wounds coming from the dying tissue. Death has been reported very rarely. They aren’t sure if the severe loss of tissue is from the bite itself or an infection that set in.

The Internet is full of information and I spent most of the night last night trying to educate myself. Not sure if all the info made me feel better or worse! Just please be aware and listen to your gut feelings if you are bit and seek medical attention as soon as symptoms appear if they are unusual.
I am so glad I listened to my mom voice and took him in when I did. We feel early treatment is why his symptoms haven't become worse. But I am still very worried.