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And I'm not talking about ex-girlfriends, either.
I woke up this morning with a big fucking bite on my left leg. It doesn't look or feel like a mosquito, ant or anything like that. At times it feels like a golf ball lodged underneath the skin. Kinda hurts.
Sounds more like a chigger. Have you been in high grass or sitting on the ground lately?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TJT
Uhhhhh. A chigger?
Yep. It's lil' insect that bites you and lays it's eggs under your skin. A very common insect in N.America. It will itch and hurt as the larvae works it's way out. It's no big deal unless it gets infected.
You must be a city boy? I thought everyone knew what a chigger was?
That is something you may want to have a doctor look at. not a qwack, a real doctor, experienced with insect bites. We have a spider, here in the states called the "Brown Recluse", with a venom that actually rots your flesh. Had a friend that lost the lower half of his leg, by procrastinating the visit to the doctor! Get it checked out!Quote:
Originally Posted by TFan
i did once ...ended up with a bump on my cheek the size of a marble...
that doesnt sound like chiggers at all.... pay no mind to that... you need to go to the ER... like it or not... spider bites esp ones that swell fast like that ... are poisionous... and you can be left w/ huge open wounds that are permanant if you dont get it taken care of ASAP.
I love the way you Americans conjugate...
I been bit
You been bit
He/ She been bit
We been bit
Y'all been bit
They been bit
Alternatively use the word "done", such as in "I done been bit" or "Y'all done gone and got yourselves bit" or even "We ain't been bit by nothing but them damn flies buzzing round that there waddermillon"
:lol:
And in answer to your question, TFan, I've been bitten by gnats (blackflies mostly), mosquitoes, midges and ants, but not spiders as far as I'm aware. Some spiders can cause lesions and leave deep scars. The bites can hurt for days. One of the least dangerous of the venomous species, the redback jumper is common in California and across the western US and its bites can cause pain and swelling that lasts for days.
Just be thankful it wasn't a black widow. Otherwise you possibly wouldn't be around to tell the tale.
That said, like Jen said, a visit to emergency might not be a bad idea..
Further info:
http://venomous-spiders.nanders.dk/index.htm
More info:Quote:
Originally Posted by CORVETTEDUDE
http://venomous-spiders.nanders.dk/reclusa.htm
http://www.brownreclusespider.biz/
Below is an image of the evil fucker:
http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp...lusabrown2.jpg
Pictures of his bites (kinda gross so click on them at your own risk)
http://www.brown-recluse-spiders.com...iles/bite3.jpg
and untreated after 10 days:
http://www.archaeologyfieldwork.com/...ownrecluse.jpg
One of the easiest ways to tell if you've been bitten by a spider that isn't lethal OR seriously necrotic, such as a brown recluse is if the bite is an angry red, SLIGHTLY tender around the puncture point and has a scab that picks off easily... then, unfortunately, gets another scab almost immediately.
There are a number of household spiders in America that have a weak necrotic venom (venom that causes the skin/muscle/tissue to rot. While not as disgusting and damaging as a brown recluse's bite, they do tend to last for a week or so before the residual toxins are used up.
Get it checked out. I had a neighbor get bit by something while he was doing some yardwork, which produced a welt the size of a softball in the kidney region of his gut. It wasn't pretty to look at let me tell you.
... When I was about 22, I hit a beekeeper's beehive on a warm summer day with a gas mower while wearing a bright colored shirt. I'll let y'all picture in your minds what happened next. Surprisingly, I still don't fear bees. Never have. Some spiders, yes; bees, no.
I also thought that a black widow's bite really doesn't live up to the hype. It might -- MIGHT -- get you sick, but death, no.
Well the bite has gone way down now. Yesterday it hurt whenever I used the group of muscles in that area. Today it doesn't hurt unless I apply direct pressure on it.
But now I am paranoid of spiders!
a friend of mine done been bit by one of them thar radioactive spiders. now he just mopes around a lot and wears brightly colored tights.
"Radioactive spiders", Gracie?Quote:
Originally Posted by trish
.
So that's what a Brown Recluse looks like. :shock: I know a couple of people that have been bitten by them (One hospitalized) and now that I've seen a pic I know that they're around.
Most common one around here is what I call a "Wolf" spider (Don't know where I heard/read that this is what they're called, may just have guessed). Little feller, about a half inch across/long, somewhat furry/fuzzy, and not very agressive. Tends to jump and dash when it sees or feels movement. Very fast. They build webs in a tunnel/funnel form in the shrubbery and when disturbed will zip down into them.
I'll wake up with the occasional welt from a common house spider, rarely itches and is only painful if I fuss with it. I usually let them roam as they have a hankerin' for fleas and gnats and are more likely to eat them than me.
You ain't dead yet?
Black widows like to hang out under the seats in outhouses. Check before you sit,or you might get a nasty bite on your dangling parts? It won't kill you but it's no fun.
People mistake the bites of other insects for spider bites,especially if they get them while sleeping. Spider bites are very rare.
I've seen plenty of people react to mosquito's and chiggers like you did w/that bite. Ticks will do it too,but they usually stay attached. All kinds of biting flies will raise a welt like that. It depends on your immune system and what the critter was nibbling on before it decided to have a bite of you.
I forget you younger folks grew up with air conditioning and stayed in with video games? You never got good and chewed up and you don't know how to deal with a normal reaction to an insect bite. Put some calamine lotion on it and don't sweat it. Bugs have to eat and you're on the menu.
BTW,Davy Crockett never worried about no bug bite.
hmmm... potential serious mediacal condition... what to do... go to the doctor.... or post a message on the internet seeking random advice... hmmmmm
Quote:
Originally Posted by trish
SHHH! dont tell anyone my secret!
Ticks! Nasty muhfuggas. :evil:
Keep some wooden kitchen matches handy. If you get one, don't pick it off, as the head stays under the skin. Light a wood match and let it burn for a second or two, then blow it out and touch the hot tip to the back of the tick. They let go, fast. If a match isn't handy, alcohol or amonia will do in a pinch, but the reaction is slower.
Spiders will bite in air-conditioning, while gnats, mosquitoes, and fleas are less likely to do so in lower temperatures/circulating air currents.
I haven't read a single post of this thread, but you have to love a forum that still has "Anyone ever been bit by a spider?" as a thread on the first page.
Over and out.
:wink:
:P
I'd like to add that I'm not saying that sarcastically, I really do think that's a great question. I've never been bit by a spider, but it is a good topic for conversation.Quote:
Originally Posted by hondarobot
Out.