Progress Time Line
July 20, 2004
July 22 - July 24, 2004
July 26, 2004
July 27, 2004
July 28, 2004
July 30 - August 8, 2004
August 9, 2004
August 14, 2004
August 15 - 19, 2004
August 20, 2004
August 24, 2004
September 1, 2004
September 5 - 8, 2004
September 15, 2004
September 20, 2004
September 29, 2004
October 15, 2004
October 20, 2004
Nov - Dec 15, 2004
December 31, 2004
January 2, 2005
January 15, 2005
January 27, 2005
February 24, 2004
March 4, 2004
April 15, 2004
May 15, 2004
BRS Information
Related Links
DR. Kenneth Burton's Site
Info provided by BRS victims
Recluse Community Project
Myths surrounding the BRS
I am posting this information so that others, who are bitten by a brown recluse spider, can know what to expect to happen to them and to let them know that there are others who have gone through a similar experience. I have been through it and have lived to tell the tale and in my specific case, let them know of the treatment that I chose to follow. ( Some of what I have written is in past voice and some is in present voice�I decided not to go through it and correct it. As you can see, the images are very graphics and sometimes pretty gross)
(click on the image for larger picture)
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I have been visiting my mother in Salina, Kansas. I live in New York City. I arrived July 6th for a month long visit and to do some planning for a tour upon which I was about to embark. I had been training (fitness), I had picked up a tennis racquet after eleven years of not touching one and was hitting everyday against the wall and had the occasional pick up game. I was conducting business from her home (I can work from anywhere where there is a connection to the Internet)
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I was bitten some time between 5:00 and 8:00 am. I remember, though mostly asleep, feeling slight itch on my right leg and pressed my legs together. I contracted my quads to relieve the itch then reached down to swipe and continued sleeping. At 12:00 noon, I woke up with a significant pain and strange looking bruise on my leg. Even more interesting is that I had a dead spider carcass lying next to me. It was brown but I didn't know what it was.
I use the Internet a lot for my professional life and went to the search engines right away and searched using the search words, spider bite, bruising, up came a lot of information about the Brown Recluse Spider. I read that it was one of two poisonous spiders in America�the other was the Black widow. I read what it does to you if you are bitten and I became light headed, started to sweat and thought I was going to throw up all at the same time. I flushed like a toilet. I think that might just be a wussy guy reaction (that is what the nurse later said). The venom from a BRS bite constricts the small blood vessels, arteries and capillaries of the tissues around the bite and with no blood flowing to the tissue, the tissue dies. The Brown Recluse Spiders don't eat it's pray, they drink it. The information also said to get medical attention immediately.
I called my mother, explained the situation and she suggest that I go to a local clinic�Statcare
The Doctor at the clinic put me on Antibiotics and steroids for 7 days. I guess the antibiotics were for a secondary infection and I am not sure what the steroids were for.
I called my regular doctor in NYC Dr. Tescher, but he didn't know that much about BRS bites
I also called another one of my doctors Dr. Kassimeir (New York dermatologist) he didn't return my call.
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The redness has increased as has the darker center area...this is starting to look ugly
An ice pack is the only thing that allowed me any comfort. (Apply it for 20 minutes and then off for at least 20 minutes).
The pain has been increasing. I cannot lie down, I can not sit and I cannot stand for more than 7-15 minutes at a time the pain is too great so it keeps me alternating between the three positions. Also, I cannot straighten my leg fully and my leg is turning outward. I can not put my foot down flat on the floor and have to walk on my toes with my heel up. This has started to stress and fatigue my quad substantially and the change in my gate has started affecting my lower back. I have started walking with a cane for support.
I have continued my research and it looks like the most widely accepted therapy is to cut the wound and the get a skin graph...that seems a little primitive to me. I will continue my research.
I have continued the research and just discovered some information by Doctor Burton from Louisiana. http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Forest/2021/recluse/intro.html. In his practice, he has been using Nitroglycerine Patches to treat Brown Recluse Spider bites and claims to have had success for some years�I called him and left a message (not really expecting a call back).
I have moved to crutches. The pain is getting worse still and I have not been able to straighten my leg and it is still turning outward. The ice pack is my only saving grace
Pain is worse still�I did, to my surprise, receive a call from Doctor Burton. I had a nice long conversation with him and was reassured about the Nitro strategy. The details of his treatment: Use a.2 mg/hr patch directly on the wound and leave it on for 24 hours, then replace it. You can also use the NitroLingual Spray. Spray it directly on the wound.
Very Important - you are not supposed to wash the wound as this could disrupt the communication between the cells. The body knows better how to heal itself and the nitropatch being a vasodialator, can penetrate into the intersicial fluid and dilate the blood vessels and the capillaries to allow blood to flow to the affected area. Watch out for Nitro headaches.
The pain and discomfort has been increasing every day. This is more pain than I can remember ever having and I am not what one would consider a wuss. It is unbearable. After some convincing of the local doctors (I am glad they had the flexibility to allow me to create my own strategy for treatment), I received a prescription for the Nitroglycerin Patches and they have arrived. I applied the patched as soon as I received them and after about two hours, the pain went from debilitating pain to just excruciating pain. (this is a step in the right direction)
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I have been able to sleep for what seems like a long time now...20 minutes seems like a long time. I can only sleep with the ice pack but the pain seems to be slightly less.
I have been trying to straighten my leg through a series of stretches for my hamstring, quad and my hip flexor. I still cannot stand without profound pain and discomfort. I am still using the ice pack.
I couldn't stand being inside anymore so I decided to try going to the Mall just to have a walk (limp) around and see the outside world. I walked for about 100 yards and turned around. By the time I returned to my starting point I was exhausted and had to go home. I went home and slept for a while. I am still in immense pain. Thank goodness for ice packs.
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The pain is not getting any better. I cannot stand or sit for any extended period of time.
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I am thinking to myself and probably aloud "What a waste". I cannot stand being idle...I probably shouldn't but I have started exercising in bed...sit-ups and stretches. The pain has decreased a bit while I am lying down but still cannot stand or sit for very long. Ice pack.
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I have started to walk slowly
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I have started doing some physical work - painted the living room. I would paint for a few minutes and then run in the room when the pain became too great and then I would go paint for a few more minutes while the pain subsided and then back to lying down...etc.. I put up sheet rock on one of the walls etc. while doing the work I used the patch and I think it might work better than the Nitro spray and least it looked like there was more progress. I define progress as scabbing and having the scabbing encroaching on the dead area.
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I have been feeling some twitching and buzzing going on under the wound for about three days now. I am not sure whether it is good or bad. I am the optimistic sort so, I think it is a good thing (I hope). Also, I have noticed that there is a tiny wet spot that seems to form in the middle of the dead patch. And today I think I see the formation of some scabbing in the middle of the dead patch. I hope that means that the healing will go from the middle out as well as from the outer rim inward. I am still using the ice pack consistently.
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A patch of scab sloughed off both yesterday and today. I hope it is a good trend and that the healing continues encroaching on the wound. Looking for signs of progress is like watching paint dry. My mother tells me that "a pot watched never boils"
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I had a busy weekend with my family so, I was very tired last night. I still have the buzzing under my wound. I certainly hope that is a good sign. I've picked up another bottle of Nitrolingual spray. I believe this is my forth bottle. As I am becoming more active, I also picked up some Nitro patches they are easier to cover. So now I am using both patches and spray and, of course, the ice pack.
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I have the thought that I have not been using enough Nitro spray and perhaps that is why the healing is not happening faster so I have been spraying more on at a time. I sometimes have a hard time catching my breath and have to take very deep breaths.
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There hasn't been much change for over a month. I have this very ugly mass of necrotic tissue that doesn't change. I have been showing a lot of people and they get pretty grossed out by the looks of it. I am still short of breath and I am still not walking normally yet. I seem to have developed a discomfort on my right side by my ribs where my liver is located.
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I tried some tennis today�It was probably a mistake as my leg hurts now. But I cannot stand having to be inside all day.
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Not much progress. The wound is not doing anything. It is very ugly. I hope it is healing from the inside out. The pain is greatly diminished and I have been doing without the ice pack through out this time period.
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The mass of necrotic (dead) tissue had finally dropped off (with a little help from me�very little) and I think I am now on my way to healing just in time for the New Year. I am still not quite100%. I think my immune system has been compromised by the spider bite. In the last month I have had bronchitis and then I caught a violent flu.
I am heading back to New York. The wound looks open and raw and it is oozing and festering...I would have thought it would just dry up and heal but it seems to have a different agenda. This is becoming stupid now.
The wound is still wet and I keep it covered. I still have the liver/rib discomfort I haven't figure it out yet and I haven't gone to the doctor�but probably should.
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I have resumed my fitness regimen slowly, but it should get better.
I have been leaving the bandages off for the first time and I have some sensitivity to the pants touching and rubbing the wound. I am exercising harder now and am feeling more strength in my leg. I am still not sure what this discomfort on my side is. I have read there are some systemic issues regarding the Brown Recluse Spider bite.
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The scaring is still scaling and the wound has not healed completely. I have a crusting over what I think are the original bite marks but the crust is not completely hard as I think the oozing below is continuous - I have looked up non-healing wounds on the Internet and haven't really found any thing that applies. I caught a cold and it seems to be more severe that what it seems to be for others�I still think the strength of my immune system is way below normal.
The scaring is becoming more obvious and seemingly permanent. It itches quite a bit. I have been jumping rope and running stairs for my fitness and am feeling stronger.
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I now have a deep scar and it has a scaly white crust on it. It is still pretty ugly but I think it is done. I got crushed by a cold this month�boy oh boy, my body has become a citadel. I am starting different organic and alternative therapies. One day all of this will be behind me�I hope. I have resumed running and inline skating.
If anything changes I will keep you posted.
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