The last time you saw a bug in your house.

CeCe wrote:Earlier this week. A damn wolf spider. I voted for death but my son captured it instead.

As a general rule of thumb, here are a few times you should always seek medical attention :

•If the bite is anywhere near the face, head, or neck region. Even a minor bite can cause probelms here because swelling can damage essential organs or disrupt breathing. If someone experiences a bite in these areas from a wolf spider or any type of spider, it is best to at least be in a hospital in case complications are to arise.


•If the woud seems to grow outward. This would indicate that you've been bitten by a spider with necrotic venom, which is true of some wolf spiders. A necrotic spider bite contains a toxin which not only just immediately kills the cells it touches, but those cells also send confused signals to the body, and the body isn't sure how to react to the toxin, often letting it continually spread for quite a while killing tissue. Since the body has no way of repairing this tissue, in most cases it will need to be surgically removed. If the wound continues to grow, seek medical attention for the Wolf Spider bite immediately.


•If there is excessive swelling. A bit of redness, swelling, and itchiness is normal, but a lot of swelling might potentially indicate a more serious negative reaction to the spider's venom. Just be aware and monitor the wound, and if you do notice a lot of swelling, it would be a good idea to go to your nearest doctor to have it checked out.


So, the basic thing we've learned about dealing with a Wolf Spider bite is that in most cases, you're going to be fine and just experience some minor itchiness and swelling. The best and most important thing you can do is to simply monitor the wound and check for the warning signs immediately following the bite, which include a growing wound area, excessive swelling, or discoloration of the wound on a large scale. The second really important thing to remember is that you shouldn't panic. Even the most dangerous spider bites are generally not at all lethal, and even in the worse case scenario, most people make a complete recovery from even the most necrotic spider bite, often left with only a small scar and a good story to tell. In general, if you see a big, strange looking, or frightening spider, just stay away from it. If it's in your house, don't be nice, kill the thing. That might not be the correct thing to say to animal rights activists, but they're dangerous and besides, it's just a little bit freaky isn't it?