This Strange Mark On His Leg Leads to Unexpected Death…Find Out What Is It
This Strange Mark On His Leg Leads to Unexpected Death…Find Out What Is It
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When 10-year-old Keith Pierce found a strange mark on his leg, no one suspected that it would ultimately lead to his tragic death. In September of 2015, Keith noticed the mark on his leg and showed it to his parents. When his leg began to swell, they took him to the emergency room but were sent home by doctors after they ruled out cancer. When the pain and swelling failed to subside, Keith’s parents took him back to the hospital where emergency surgery was performed on his leg. Sadly, Keith never woke up after his surgery. With the help of the coroner, Keith’s parents learned that there son had died from a brown recluse spider bite. This tragic story makes it clear why you need to know where this spider lives, what it looks like and what to do if you or someone you love is bitten.
Location
The first step to identifying brown recluse spiders is understanding where they live. In the United States, these spiders are found from Nebraska to Ohio and from Florida to the southern part of Texas. They are most prominent in the south-central and south-eastern region of the country. If you live in the northeastern or northwestern United States, the spider you’re looking at probably isn’t a brown recluse, though it is possible that one may have been brought to the area in a box or shipping container. These spiders get their name from their love of dark, undisturbed spaces and stay away from humans when possible. If you’re going to encounter one, its most likely to be in a basement, storage shed or barn.
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Appearance
The brown recluse spider is brown, as it’s name suggests, and has a distinctive pattern on its back that looks very much like a fiddle or violin. The violin shape points toward the back of the spider with the rounded curve towards the spider’s head. Brown recluse spiders are usually about three-eights of an inch long and three-sixteenths of an inch wide.
Symptoms of a Bite
Bites from this spider often go unnoticed until several hours after the incident, so you may not know you’ve been bitten right away. In most cases, symptoms of the bite appear as a red patch of skin that may or may not contain a blister. Intense pain and itching will begin around the site around 2 to 8 hours after the bite. If left untreated, the skin around the bite will begin to die, causing an open sore or ulcer. This occurs about a week after the bite. Some people may have a systemic, or whole body reaction, to a bite rather than a localized one. In this case, the bite may cause fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and joint pain, a flat, purple and red spotted rash may also appear anywhere on the body.
Bite First Aid
If you think you or someone else has been bitten by a brown recluse spider, the most important thing you can do is keep everyone calm. Panic and excited movement will only serve to spread the spider’s venom throughout the body more quickly. Dampen a cloth with cool water and apply it directly to the bite. Alternatively, cover the bite with a rag or cloth and then place an ice pack over it. If you can safely do so, catch the spider so you have it for identification. Visit your doctor or local hospital as soon as possible and explain the situation to them so they can verify that the wound is a spider bite and begin treatment.
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