Is it a spider bite? What should I do?

**Jamauk** · 02-12-2011, 10:42 PM

I was at a friend's house today and had on sandals. I kicked my shoes off when I got there and spent the afternoon barefoot.

I was sitting on a bar stool and after a while, I got up to go check on the kids, my foot felt really weird. I didn't think much of it and went to hang out with my friends again.

A little while later I got up and realized the bottom of my right foot was really really swollen & puffy.

After I got home I went into the bathroom, cleaned off the bottom of my foot and examined it (as best one can actually examine the bottom of their foot).

I see what could maybe be a puncture mark, but it's so swollen its hard to tell.

My entire foot and partially up my calf is a little tingly and when I walk my knee cap has been sliding around. I can't tell if it's because my knee is swollen or because I'm walking funny from the swelling in my foot.

Anyway, I'm think it's possibly a spider bite? I'm deathly afraid of spiders so I'm freaking out a bit

. I dont' want to over react, but I don't want to wake up dead, either.

DH is out of town and I'm home alone with the kids. The swelling doesn't seem to be getting worse, but the tingling is.....what would you do?

**daylily** · 02-12-2011, 10:51 PM

I would make a poultice of activated charcoal to put on it and change it every 15 minutes for 2 hours then every 30 minutes then every hour. Check out Charcoal Remedies.

You can get activated charcoal at many drug stores.

**nodmicks** · 02-12-2011, 11:45 PM

i think I'd be calling the hotline on my insurance card or the triage nurse asking if I should be seen or not. Now I might be paranoid but as a kid I grew up in an area full of black widows, brown recluse and scorpions.

I hope everything is ok.

**Jamauk** · 02-13-2011, 12:54 AM

Thanks guys. Everything in my foot & leg seems to have settled down. I don't feel sick, I don't have the chills or anything and all of the swelling seems to be going away. I'm going to prop it up a bit before heading to bed and keep my fingers crossed

**Contrary Housewife** · 02-13-2011, 09:41 AM

Most spiders don't have 'mouths' big enough to bite through human skin. The few poisonous ones that do... well you'd know if it was poison. It will look very red and bruised and may be intensely painful.

I don't believe any of the 3-4 poison spiders in the US live in WA.

**stinkbug** · 02-13-2011, 11:18 AM

WA has both black widows and brown recluse. My mom was bitten by a brown recluse years ago...it was horrible! You'd know it if you'd been nailed by one of them.
I'm trying to figure out how it's warm enough over there to go barefoot!!!

**valerian** · 02-13-2011, 11:39 AM

I'd get it checked out at the ER or something...the tingling part sounds rather scary! I'm terrified of spiders also...more so than snakes or anything else.

**Darlene** · 02-13-2011, 12:19 PM

Glad the swelling is going down & you feel better. As long as you don't start shooting webs out of your wrists I think you are in the clear.

**Jamauk** · 02-13-2011, 12:36 PM

Thanks for your answers, everyone. I woke up and everything feels fine. All of the swelling is down and my leg is back to normal. I must have just stepped on something that irritated my foot is all I can guess.

We do have several poisonous spiders in WA and quite a few other varieties that aren't poisonous but can give you one heck of a bite. I wasn't afraid of spiders until we moved out here. They are HUGE & everywhere. Shudder!!

Anyway ~ as for going barefoot. Because it's always so wet & damp here, it's common courtesy to kick off your shoes when you enter someone else's house here. I'm recovering from tendonitis in my OTHER foot (running injury) and the only shoes that feel good on my foot right now are my sandals. Besides, I'm in Western WA ~ people out here where sandals year 'round

**mzpepper** · 02-13-2011, 01:32 PM

We wear sandals, but only with socks!

**Ramona** · 02-13-2011, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by Jamauk

Thanks for your answers, everyone. I woke up and everything feels fine. All of the swelling is down and my leg is back to normal. I must have just stepped on something that irritated my foot is all I can guess.

We do have several poisonous spiders in WA and quite a few other varieties that aren't poisonous but can give you one heck of a bite. I wasn't afraid of spiders until we moved out here. They are HUGE & everywhere. Shudder!!

Anyway ~ as for going barefoot. Because it's always so wet & damp here, it's common courtesy to kick off your shoes when you enter someone else's house here. I'm recovering from tendonitis in my OTHER foot (running injury) and the only shoes that feel good on my foot right now are my sandals. Besides, I'm in Western WA ~ people out here where sandals year 'round

Keep a pair of rubber flip flops in your purse and change into them when you kick off your sandals.

I wonder if it could have been a red ant bite, it's not the season for wasps and bees. I'm glad you're back to normal.