Medications: Hot compresses, Levofloxacin, Pain Killers
Then Hospitalized and IV antibiotics Zosyn, Vancomycin and Lortab
EMail:
Thurs 1/25, Bitten on calf of right leg as knelt down; felt like light sting but did not see spider.
Over the weekend experienced flu-like symptoms of aching, joint pain - just felt "bad". On calf, found small sore with a 'head' and popped it. Knew it was from the sting/bite received on 1/25 and wondering was it spider, scorpion, or just fire ant?
Worked Monday but had some stiffness in leg & still felt bad. Tuesday stiffness/swelling worsened, flu-like symptoms worsened, calf had large 5-6" red whelt and a dime sized blister in the middle of red area. Feverish. Showed site to wife and we decided I would go to doctor next morning.
Wed - Dr. appt & was put on oral antibiotics, hot compresses and elevate leg. Later after much research, found out 'hot compress' is worse thing - it helps the venom to spread. By evening pain worse, I was restless; calf was badly swollen and could not get 'easy'; also taking Advil and Benadryl. Can't sleep; toss/turn and presure/pain is bad. Wife began doing online research since we were not sure what had bitten/stung me. Where I was working has spiders that include BRS, black widows and brown scorpions. After researching symptoms and checking websites, she believes it is a brown recluse bite.
Thursday, 1 week after initial bite/sting. Pain increasing, black area (necrosis)growing, fever, chills, still restless. Can't stand for bed sheet to even touch bite area. Necrosis area is about quarter-size and wife takes first digital photo. Still doing research online and really thinking symptoms are exactly like BRS. Nightime - Could not sleep; dozed off and on for about 3 hours on sofa. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can touch the site. Feverish and pain is much worse. Decide to be waiting in doctor's parking lot first thing Friday morning.
Friday a.m. Necrosis tissue larger; has grown overnight. Doctor is not sure BRS bite. Numbs site, and tries to 'lance/drain' wound but nothing would come out. Admitted to Hospital around 10 a.m. and put on IV antibiotic Levaquin. Then turned over to surgeon who changes IV meds to Zosyn and Vancomycin along with Lortab for pain - these antibiotics treat 'staph' infection. Leg must stay elevated - as soon as it is lowered pain is horrible. Can put almost no pressure on foot/leg. Doctors seem to still believe it is staph. Wife finds www.highway60 website that night and after reading stories and seeing pictures is convinced it is a BRS bite.
Saturday 2/3 - I'm worse. How can it be any worse? It is. Taking lortab every 4 hrs, cannot put any pressure on foot or leg; keep constantly elevated. Pain is worse than ever. Necrosis area is even larger. We take second set of photos to compare. See second surgeon who seems more proactive and sympathetic to pain and horrible necrotic area.
Sunday (2/4)a.m. Yes, it's even worse. Take another set of photos which clearly show the fast moving venom and necrotic area. Begin wondering, "just how bad and big can this get?" Pain is almost unbearable; have to have some relief. Surgeon #2 comes in and sees necrosis has grown, sees I am in horrible pain and decides to do surgery. He says it will relieve the pressure/pain and I will feel better and be able to put pressure on leg again. We are doubtful but willing to do anything at this point. Have surgery around 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Surgeon #2 tells wife he is sure it's a BRS bite. Was never any infection or pus area; just venom killing tissue. Sunday afternoon on morphine; wound wrapped. Wonder how bad it will hurt when Morphine wears off. Later that afternoon decide to attempt to take few steps to bathroom and it feels better than it did - not as much pressure/pain.
Monday a.m. 2/5 Surgeon comes by and unwraps wound. Good grief, it's BIG. But it does feel better. Spent 2 more days in hospital. Pain is much better and I'm not having to take Lortab so often. Can put pressure on foot and limp to bathroom. Wednesday a.m. Left hospital with negative-pressure wound system. We have now begun the very long slow process of healing. I will be out of work around 8 weeks as the wound heals. All this because of a little brown spider!! 2/25/07 It's been almost a month since bite; two weeks out of the hospital The negative-pressure wound machine has done a wonderful job helping the 'hole' to fill-in and heal from the bottom out. But, now it's time to try something else. On 2/22 had skin-graft surgery. Go back to surgeon on 2/27 to see if it took. Will take photo and post it. Worst part of skin graft is the 'donor' site where they take the skin FROM. But none of this is as bad as it hurt when the venom was killing the tissue and it was turning black. 2/27 The skin-graft "took". Yea this is wonderful news and many prayers answered. Check out photos of donor site and skin-graft on wound. Once again, here we go on down our road to recovery. And "what a trip"!!!! Going back to Surgeon Friday, 3/2 to have staples removed. 3/21 Returned to work finally, but sooner than anyone thought. Skin graft healed really well.
