CS>spider bite
* From: DByron wrote:
* Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 10:13:09
I'd appreciate some advice about spider bite treatment, which may be
that of a brown recluse.
http://curezone.com/forums/m.asp?f=430&i=9
Spider victim’s choice: surgery or lawn mower or ?
by Morgan Voorhis
of the Sierra Star
Two years ago, Don Crisp visited Oakhurst Community Medical
Center’s Urgent Care Unit because of a slight inflammation at his
beltline. Medical staff told him it was simply a large inflamed pimple.
No big deal.
A week later, that large “pimple” had grown to a diameter of four
inches. The area was swollen, scabbed and had a dark circle in the
center. Mr. Crisp made a bee-line back to the Oakhurst facility.
Fortunately, a doctor who worked at Yosemite Urgent Care and
specialized in toxicology, spotted his exposed abdomen, and from across
the room, recognized the pimple for what it was — a brown recluse
(pronounced wreck-loose) spider bite.
Things happened quickly for the Oakhurst resident. Because there
are no known antibiotics to stop the poison from spreading, Mr. Crisp
was advised to see a surgeon.
Removal of the diseased flesh was the only solution, he was told.
However, instead of laying under a surgeon’s knife, Mr. Crisp found
himself hooked to a lawn mower.
A lawn mower?!?
“Don Bray, a friend of mine, had a doctor friend in Texas, who used
a modified stun gun for treatment of insect and snake bites,” says Mr.
Crisp.
Sheets of information explaining the procedure were faxed to his
emergency room physician, Marland Hansen.
Apparently, a high-voltage, low-current shock to the wounded area
neutralizes the poisons, which the body then absorbs.
Mr. Crisp was game for anything. Since he had no stun gun, he
improvised and used the next best thing at hand. His lawn mower.
“I hooked up two leads,” he says, “one to the spark plug wire and
the other to the head of the lawn mower engine. Then I took the leads
and positioned them around the spider bite.
“My wife pulled the crank on the lawn mower, with the spark plug
out so it wouldn’t start, and I got the electrical charge.”
While the shock was somewhat painful, “it was bearable,” he adds.
Bearable and successful. After three “treatments,” Mr. Crisp
stopped the poison from spreading. The wound healed and the
discoloration paled.
“Within an hour of the first treatment, all the burning, itching,
and tingling went away,” says Mr. Crisp. “And within a short period of
time, the swelling went down.”
Because of this, Mr. Crisp was well prepared for what happened six
months later.
He was bit again, this time on the ankle. He immediately had his
suspicion confirmed by his doctor, and went home to hook himself up to
his lawn mower.
“And it went away almost over night. The longer you wait before you
receive the treatment, the longer it takes to work,” explains Mr. Crisp.
The brown recluse spider, also known as the violin spider because
of the markings on its back, falls under the same category as the black
widow — dangerous.
The main difference is that there is an anti-venom for the black
widow spider bite. Victims of the brown recluse spider bite aren’t
nearly as fortunate.
While doctors treat the bite with steroid drugs, antibiotics and
antihistamines, it usually has little or no effect.
Venom from the generally painless bite can destroy flesh and
muscle, create deep ulcers, and cause persistent flu-like symptoms.
In some cases, a skin graft is necessary to repair the damaged area
of skin around the bite.
Once in the bloodstream, the powerful venom can also cause
hemolysis, a breakdown of red blood cells, that sometimes leads to liver
or kidney failure.
The recluse, which is common in the southern and western United
States, is brown to tan in color, with a darker “violin” shape on its back.
Its body is about a quarter to a half-inch long, with a leg span
ranging from nickel-size to quarter-size, and it has six eyes.
The spider spins thick, irregular webs and prefers dark, warm
places and dusty corners. When frightened, it often bites and runs. The
female is more poisonous than the male.
While it prefers making its home within our homes, the spider likes
out-of-the-way spaces, especially attics, basements, or closets and
dresser drawers that aren’t opened often. Outside the house, it hides in
rock or leaf piles.
Even though it’s been two years since Mr. Crisp has had too-close
contact with a recluse, he now feels it is his obligation to pass his
knowledge on. What prompted this decision was spotting one of his
friends out shopping.
He was dressed in pants, with one pant leg hanging loosely. The
other screamed at the seams, as though his leg would break free any
moment, recalls Mr. Crisp.
“He got bit by a brown recluse on the ankle one year ago,” explains
Mr. Crisp. “The wound is still open and still draining. He’s been to
doctor after doctor, tried antibiotic after antibiotic, but nothing
helps. And now, he’s about to lose his leg. I thought to myself, ‘what
can I do to help him?’ It just broke my heart.”
Mr. Crisp offered his lawn mower treatment, and his friend promised
to try it.
Most people express stronger reactions to this unorthodox
alternative, such as “You’ve got to be kidding.”
But Mr. Crisp assures that he finds this topic no-joking matter.
In fact, there are medical studies and cases showing that direct
high-voltage current shock is effective in arresting the poison from
spreading.
There have been many confirmed or suspected spider bites that have
been treated via this method.
In each case, the first treatment ended the tissue damage, and none
of the cases required excision or graft.
Multiple shocks of one-to-two seconds were used. In the more severe
cases, added shocks were administered. It was important to have a
grounding wire on the opposite side of the limb or across the inflamed
area so that the shock could reach the depths of the bite.
Take heed that, because most venoms contain enzymes that promote
the spread of the venom, direct injection into the bite site is strongly
advised against. To do so allows the poison to spread through each
needle track.
“The shock treatment is a simple solution. It’s non-threatening,”
says Mr. Crisp. “Did you know that missionaries in Africa take cattle
prods to do the same thing?”
Dr. Hansen, a physician practicing family medicine, agrees with Mr.
Crisp that cattle prods are effective tools in arresting the poison.
“You can use lawn mowers, stun guns, electric cattle prods,” says
Dr. Hansen, “anything that gives a sudden blast of high voltage, but
with a very low current. That way you don’t get burned, only mildly
shocked.”
Dr. Hansen was unaware of this treatment until the day he examined
Mr. Crisp at Urgent Care. That’s the day he learned a great deal on
shock treatment for the bite.
“This is done around the world,” says Dr. Hansen. “In 1992, the
American College of Emergency Physicians tried it on 50 people, and they
said that they couldn’t tell if it did any good or not. So they don’t
recommend it. Nor do they forbid it.”
While Dr. Hansen has never spotted a brown recluse and has only
seen six sores that he was reasonably sure were caused by the spider
bite in 33 years, he admits that many doctors don’t know what to
attribute the blackened ulcerated area to at first glance.
“I had a very good friend who had one on his leg and he saw five
different doctors,” he says.
“And while he was back in Michigan, the doctors there had never
seen anything like it and thought it was cancer. So they cut it out and
left a hole in his leg, which they later grafted,” the doctor says.
“Right away, the pathologist said it wasn’t cancer, but necrotic or
dead tissue,” continues Dr. Hansen. “Cutting it out cured him, but also
left him with a huge scar.”
In those rare instances when Dr. Hansen does come across a victim
of the brown recluse, he now recommends shock, not only to patients, but
friends or acquaintances.
“And if I was bit, I’d try it myself,” admits Dr. Hansen. “It’s
just hard to refute the evidence. Don had it for weeks, started shocking
himself and in days, he was better.”
For those still skeptical, Mr. Crisp reiterates that people in
third-world countries regularly use this method, which leads him to ask:
“Why do we have our heads in the sand in the United States?”
Symptoms
If you are bit, you may feel a little sting but usually little if
any pain.
After a few hours, you will begin to feel pain that may range from
mild to severe. You will notice a rash and then a blister forming at the
place you were bitten.
You may also feel weak and nauseous, begin to vomit , become
feverish or have chills.
If you do not get medical treatment for the bite, the rash will
spread, and the center will turn hard and dark. Then your skin will
break open and ooze.
Without medical treatment, sooner or later, your red blood cells
will begin to die.
What to do
Use an antiseptic around the bite and place an ice pack over it.
Then get to your physician as quickly as possible.
Precautions to take
# Shake out clothes and blankets you have not worn or used for a while.
# Be careful around areas where you have seen spiders before.
# When working in the attic, basement, or other spider-friendly areas,
wear protective clothing, such as long pants, long-sleeved shirt or gloves.
# Don’t leave piles of old newspapers and clothes in attics or basements.
# Regularly clean-up out-of-the- way places inside the house, especially
areas behind furniture and inside closets.
# If you discover a violin spider, treat your home with an insecticide
containing lindane, following label instructions and precautions.
Some of the information used in this story was taken from the
Oklahoma State Medical Association, Volume 83, January 1990; and Good
Housekeeping, April 1993.
http://www.sierrastar.com/past/6-25-99/625spider.html
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