Urgent Advise On Spider Bite Needed

Help/urgent-spider Bite Bad Reaction!
I know this is ironic but I'm asking for help from long timers or the unfortunate short timers with this experience. We are in the process of moving houses and disrupting all sorts of things. During the night I was bitten (Sat night) by a spider--5 times (unusual for a spider) so I wasn't sure it was a spider. The bites are now 3-5" in diameter, hot, inflamed and itch/hurt like hell. Yesterday (Sunday) several hours after the inflammation became intolerable I discovered what looked like a giant Brown Recluse. As my experience with spiders previously was in the US, I just thought "OMG, it's just a huge BR" as the body was 3/4" wide and 1.5" long with a leg span of 4-5". This thing was FAST and ran from where I disrupted it into another box.

Now, I'm not normally squeamish and actually don't mind the tarantulas here, but given the pain I was in, I screamed and hopped onto my bed. That brought dh and our 3 boys running in. Dh had decided he'd check out the box and sure enough Snr. Spider was just waiting to make a break for it. Out he came and Snr. Speedy Gonzales Spider tried to make it through the door as our 17 year old with huge feet and arachniphobia JUMPED on Snr SGS. It took 3 or 4 stampings to stop the movement but he was dead. I then scooped him up and we took a better look. From the distressed corpse I THINK it is either a GIANT BR or HOBO (Aggressive House Spider.)

I couldn't sleep last night even with RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) on my leg and 150 mgs of Benedryl (which would normally knock anyone out, especially as I had already taken 4 doses of 25-50 mg throughout the day), 800 mgs of ibuprofen (2x that day) plus topical tea tree oil, hydrocortisone. The red areas are now bigger and more diffuse but the centers (dime to nickle sized) are raised and hot. It appears as though the inflammation is causing bruising because I now have what looks like a target on each bite.

PLEASE, anyone with experience in DR Spider bites...do share your wisdom. I'm now going to try Essential Oil of basil as I have found several refs to it being used for these.

TIA!!!
DrChrisHE

should read: Urgent Advice Needed

Sorry for my butchered title. Please do share or PM me but I suspect posting would help others too!
TIA!
DrChrisHE:bunny::bunny::bunny:

Why post to DR1?

Thanks for the replies. I AM a doc so all I'm trying to do is ascertain whether the DR has GIANT BRs (like so many other critters) OR if it's a HOBO. Now, I will say that my experience with clinics in SPM has been very discouraging. Every day I see the results of what goes on in the ER...long disgustingly detailed stories if you want.

The other reason is that there IS no consensus among docs as to HOW to treat these. Really, it's true.

I did search the DR1 files before posting and read all of what was there. I'm trying to find out what ex-pats have done to help themselves here. One site says Noni helps but ONLY Polynesian Noni. So, does that clear up why I posted?

BTW, I am headed to MY clinic to attend to MY patients (orphanage kids, staff and volunteers.) I'm hoping that some of our visiting medical missionaries will have more to add.

Keep going with replies or experiences please!
TIA
DrChrisHE:bunny::bunny::bunny:

Dr James DR1 name?

Chip said:

Don't forget to contact dr james, he has many years on the island and apparently has treated many such cases as your succesfully.

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I'm running out to the clinic I was supposed to be at an hour ago...IF ANYONE KNOWS Dr.James's DR1 name OR is willing to point him toward my post, I'd GREATLY appreciate it. The wifi out in Ramon Santana is not as reliable so I may not see it until I return. Also, HB and JRR have my local phone if someone REALLY thinks I need to go immediately to a specific clinic (not just any clinic in SPM).
TIA!!!:bunny::bunny::bunny::bunny::bunny:

Thanks!

jinty05 said:

You can reach Dr James Bailes on 809 309 6460. His surgery is located in Costambar, Puerta Plata.

John

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Thanks to everyone. And, thank you to John and Margaret for Dr. James's info.
paz y salud,
Chris:bunny::bunny::bunny:

UPDATE on spider bite

Well I worked 8 hours between the clinic and house calls, and consulted the various international medical missionaries who are here now (along with some online contacts with pix)...I'm sorry to disagree about the various MUST GO to clinic perspective but REALLY, I have seen just awful iatrogenic conditions caused by DR docs. I have personally had to undo the "work" they did.

I've been to both Correro's and Galvis's clinics in Juan Dolio. They are ok and I'll leave it at that. While Galvis accepts insurance, Cordero doesn't. With both clinics, you rarely see either of the head-line NAME docs, but docs completing their training. That is not to say that I can't learn from them but I do get annoyed when I have to take the blood work out of the hands of the "doctor" and interpret the results! I kid you not.

Now, as for my condition, I decided that as there is virtually no consensus on HOW to treat these (everyone HAS an opinion but under careful study, the oral cortico steroids, Leprosy drugs, and such don't actually come out on top for reducing necrotizing involvement) I would go with the Essential Oil of Basil treatment (this IS real and has plenty of MDs, NDs, PhDs, RNS, etc. behind it. One topically applies EO of basil to the puncture wounds and covers them with a bandage. After experimenting on three of the five wounds, I had SUCH a positive response on the basil wounds that I said "Screw the experiment, I'm putting it on all of them." I did GET a bunch of basil but haven't made the recommended tea yet.

I am now 99% positive that this spider is a HOBO or Aggressive House spider as I sent the pix to a US-based State Extension service. I was also told next time to just trap it so they wouldn't have to interpret pancake a la ara?a. As of 48+ hours (I was bitten at night sometime between Sat and Sun), I have NOT DEVELOPED constitutional/neurologic symptoms which are classic of both BR and Black Widows (this was definitely not a Black Widow but I wasn't sure if the Giant Centipede thing applied to spiders; thus my BR GUESS first until I looked up the size.

For those who want to know, I'll post how this is progressing. IF the above tx is working, I should NOT have developed a blister by morning. If not, I may have started it too late and still may benefit from this IF I don't form a "volcano" wound. Then I'll concede to going to a clinic but I want someone with a tropical med background if possible. I figured pix would be to gross and graphic but if anyone is interested, PM me.

Once again, I truly appreciate all the helpful public and PMs in response to my cry for help.