I got bitten by a spider.

from JoeUser Forums

I got bitten by a spider this morning, and I think it was a Black Widow.

I was cleaning out dried grass from the bottom of the lawn mower (the kids had mowed last time and didn't bother to clean off the grass clippings) and I felt something pinch my hand.  It wasn't incredibly painful, in fact I though I'd been poked with a splinter or something.  I shook the grass off my hand to see what I'd been jabbed with and a little black spider fell off onto the garage floor.  I had a look at it, and whilst it had that 'fiddle' kind of shape on it's back it wasn't red, it was more an orangey color.  So, I squashed it, had a look at my hand (didn't really see much there, exept a little red spot), and pressed on with my yard work. 

When I finshed and came inside, I started, to be blunt, to feel like crap.  I felt queasy, threw up, and now I feel like I've got the flu...my back aches, my shoulders ache, my head aches, my stomach aches, I still feel sick and I just feel 'blah'.

It wasn't until just now that I associated feeling rough with the spider.  I looked at my hand again, and there's a red dot in the middle of like a white area (like when you get bitten by a mosquito and you scratch it)...so I went and Googled some pictures of spiders and looked to see if there were any that looked like the one I found under my mower.

There were, sort of ...and the picture said it was a Black Widow.  It also said that whilst unpleasant, bites aren't usually fatal...I can just expect to feel rough for the rest of the day.  I'm not going to call my doc on his day off to tell him, I'll wait and if I still feel bad tomorrow I"ll make an appointment to go in and be seen.

So, that's how I spent my Sunday...getting nibbled on by an arachnid!

7,176 views 23 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Hope that you are ok. Getting bitten by a black widow is a common chidhood fear come true! At least it is one of mine.

Glad you only had a smalle nibble and not had some great big chunk taken out of you a la "8 Legged Freaks!"

Seriously, though. Take care.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top

I don't like spiders, and I do my best to stay the heck away from them.  I suppose that's why I managed to go this far and not get bitten.

I really do feel like crud.  Like I got hit by a truck.....my muscles hurt, my head hurts, I itch, I'm nauseated....oh woe is me!! Hehe....

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
yikes. we have lots of blackwidows here (i got one in a bunch of grapes a while back). you said the hourglass was on its back? ive only ever seen them on the underside of the abdomen. the good news is that while the venom is really toxic, they hardly ever inject enough to be lethal. if you dont feel better after 10-12 hours, you might think bout having it checked. we also have violin spiders here. ive had a spot about the size of a dime on the front of my shin that wouldnt go away so i eventually gave in and had it looked at. the dr said it was most likely a brown recluse or violin spider bite. the damn things like to crawl around in beds i guess and the bites cause tissue to die. anyway hope you feel better. shoulda sicced the crabs on it hahhahaha
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
My kitty got bit by a spider about four days ago. I noticed on Friday he was really lethargic and not himself, and I really didn't know what was going on. I was worried, so I took him to the kitty doctor. He found an abcessed wound on his neck. He lanced it and said that he sqeezed about two ounces of puss and yuck out of it. Gave us some meds (chicken flavoured!) and sent us on our way. My cat is 1000% better now, thank god. My 5 year old was in tears because he thought our Nikky was going to die. Frankly, I was worried too...glad it's all behind us.

-- B
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
2 ounces? No wonder the little guy was tired. Poor immune system was in overdrive!
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
an abcessed wound on his neck

is it an outside cat? sounds like what happened the three or four times our former cat forgot to remember what a rattlesnake was. lots of swelling and lots of dollars in vet bills but never fatal altho im not sure why.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
is it an outside cat? sounds like what happened the three or four times our former cat forgot to remember what a rattlesnake was. lots of swelling and lots of dollars in vet bills but never fatal altho im not sure why.


No, but we've been seeing a lot of spiders indoors lately (seeking cooler climes, I suppose...it's been in the 90's lately) so that's why our best guess is spider bite. I was bitten by a spider once. Nastly little fucker. Took a couple weeks to fully heal, and hurt like hell for the first three or four days. And to think that I've been ordained with the illustrious title of "Spider Terminator" in my household. Sheesh.

-- B
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top

It was on it's abdomen.  At the time it was really hard to tell what was up and what was down because it was either dead or playing dead and had it's legs all bunched...and I didn't want to get too close and get bitten again.  Like I said, I went and looked at all kinds of spiders yesterday afternoon, and it didn't look like a recluse, or a hobo, or anything else...the body shape was the same as a widow, and the markings were right, just the wrong color.  My daughter said that she had seen some widows under the deck (where the mower lives) but that she had just squashed them..these ones were black with the red markings, she said.

I wish I hadn't smushed it into the gargae floor now. 

Last night was rough, really rough.  My back aches, my legs feel like I have constant cramp, my stomach hurts and I'm perpetually nauseous.  I'm going to the doctor this morning, just to see what's up.

Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

Oh, and Mr Frog...my house it without a spider terminator until August.  Want a job?

He did say that he wished he was home because then he'd have taken the bite for me....how sweet!

Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
[quote} There were, sort of ...and the picture said it was a Black Widow. It also said that whilst unpleasant, bites aren't usually fatal...I can just expect to feel rough for the rest of the day. I'm not going to call my doc on his day off to tell him, I'll wait and if I still feel bad tomorrow I"ll make an appointment to go in and be seen.

So, that's how I spent my Sunday...getting nibbled on by an arachnid!

Late reading this, but I hope you're feeling better today, Dhar.
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
I just got back from the doc...yep, it was a widow.  Entomology are coming out to spray under the deck and see if we can get rid of the nasty little turds living back there.  Nothing much the doc can do...but he did tell me to take it easy, so now I have an offical excuse to lay on my ass all day! Woo hoo!
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
Be sure to let us know what the Dr says!  I have terrible reactions to any kind of sting or bite so I would have been to the emergency room.  Hope you get feeling much better immediately!
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top

I'm feeling like I have the flu today.  Just rough and blah, really.  Lonesome was so sweet...he said he wished he was home to take care of me, and that he wished he could have taken the bite for me!

I'm paranoid now...I keep looking for spiders everywhere I go.

Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
Dharma, so sorry this happened. You'll feel better soon though, I'm sure. It's always nice to have an excuse to lie around on your ass all day. But I guess I wouldn't choose means of a spider. Get better!

~Sarah
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm feeling like I have the flu today. Just rough and blah, really. Lonesome was so sweet...he said he wished he was home to take care of me, and that he wished he could have taken the bite for me!


What a sweetheart! Hope you're feeling better soon---and that they can get rid of the nasty little buggers for you.
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
Hope you are feeling better---sounds nasty! Shea's a lot braver than I, I wouldn't go anywhere near the creatures, not even to step on them and kill them
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top

Well, I went and laid by the pool this afternoon, took a little nap in the sun, and now I'm slightly sunburned but feeling much better.  Now I just feel like I ran a marathon a few days ago instead of yesterday.

Entomology are coming to spray my deck, porch and garage for the spiders this week.  We've also been told that there are Prairie Rattlesnakes in the neighborhood...so it seems that nowhere outside is safe! Eek!  Spiders and snakes and ticks, oh my! 

Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top

Feeling waaay better today....only had a stomach ache twice, and I don't itch now.  I can see 2 distinct fang marks where that little bugger got me.......I had to go under the deck to get the weed eater and wore long sleeves, long pants, long socks, shoes and a hat, and did a 'gettin' rid of widows' dance in the back yard when I came out from under there. 

I hate spiders. 

Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
Sorry to hear about your run-in with the spider. They can be pretty nasty. I've been bitten by black widows a few times and I'm pretty sure none of them were fatal.

Hope you get to feeling better soon.
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top
(it's just occured to me that the long email i sent u an hour ago has been sent off into oblivion never to be recovered to the wrong address because my laptop keys stick and it got sent to [email protected] -- i wonder if that exists or if will come back - if it comes back i'll send it on - stupid laptop)
Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
Any kind of bug that can cause you any kind of pain, I'm terrified of it.

I would never survive having little black poisonous horrors any where within 5 miles of myself.

I'm even afraid of flies, because the buzz sounds like a bee.

*shudder*
Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
GO TO THE DOCTOR! My dad got bit by a black widow spider once and got VERY VERY ILL! The first symptom is you legs will begin to hurt terribly. GO!!!!
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top

I already did, dude!  I'm over it now, but it wasn't very nice for a couple of days.


It wasn't my legs that hurt first, it was an all over kind of thing...and I had a rotten headache as well.


I'm ultra-aware of spiders now....