The Laughing Wolf: How Not To Celebrate

July 05, 2005

How Not To Celebrate

Well, not how I intended to start the day's posting, but my plans got changed by fidel.

As I was trying to get the washing machine hooked up in the new lair, I felt something drop on my hand and then almost immediately pain. I flicked the thing on my hand off onto the top of the washer, and then said something bad because it was a spider. I thought I recognized it, but the burning sensation in my hand took precedent. Thinking fast, I popped a Benadryl and called my doctor and put in a request for the on-call doctor to call back. Then, I got a ziplock bag and a plastic spoon and put the spider into said bag, sealing it well. Then I took off towards town after being sure I had an ana-kit with me. I was about four minutes out from the hospital when the duty doctor called back, and he said to go on to the hospital.

If you are sick or injured near Lafayette, Indiana, I can recommend St. Elizabeth's ER highly. I was triaged immediately and in a treatment room within about five minutes. The doctor brought a book and confirmed that my new friend fidel -- I named it on the way to the hospital -- was indeed a brown recluse. There is not a lot to be done: antibiotics to control/prevent secondary infections, anti-inflammatory, and medicine for the pain/pain to come. What to look for on the necrosis. I call my doctor tomorrow and follow-up with her and/or the wound specialist the ER referred me to. Total elapsed time in the ER was about 30 minutes. Not bad.

More later.

Posted by wolf1 at July 5, 2005 02:53 AM | TrackBack

Comments

Dang man

You take good care of that hand. Those lil buggers can be nasty

Posted by: BloodSpite at July 5, 2005 05:26 AM

Take care of yourself, LW. Not a good thing.

Glad that your trip to the ER was so short! That's one hospital that has it right.

Posted by: That 1 Guy at July 5, 2005 12:29 PM

Wow - I didn't know there were brown recluses anywhere near here!!! Take care of yourself please!

Posted by: Teresa at July 5, 2005 01:59 PM

Oh my! Get better soon. I had no idea they were up in your neck of the woods.

Posted by: Oddybobo at July 5, 2005 02:25 PM

Im glad you were able to get rid of fidel quickly, and not allow him to be like his namesake.

Personally, after giving the creature such an apt connotation, I would have squashed the thing with a very loud "Abajo, fidel!"

Posted by: Val Prieto at July 5, 2005 03:02 PM

I started to, but then thought better of it. You see, not only did he need to survive to be identified by the ER, but I decided I really liked the idea of it starving/suffocating in a slow death in the sealed ziplock, on display for all the staff and medical students, being used as an example of a bad thing... Much better and more fitting.

Thanks to all for the kind words, good thoughts, and prayers. They are much appreciated.

Posted by: Laughing Wolf at July 5, 2005 05:04 PM

Ouch, awww you poor baby

See, now you know why women think spiders are a bad thing. Not just because they are gross, because they do things like that.

Posted by: Machelle at July 5, 2005 06:07 PM

.. I do not envy you the pain you are about to receive, kemosabe... keep the wound clean and keep taking your anti-inflammatories....

Posted by: Eric at July 6, 2005 02:15 AM

Eck, you handled that a heck of a lot better than I would have.

I hope things are ok.

Posted by: Sissy at July 6, 2005 02:47 AM

I'm with Eric.

Keep it clean...otherwise you're heading for some Bad Bad Juju.

Recluse bites are always bad.

Posted by: Yabu at September 18, 2005 05:59 AM