SPIDER BITE UPDATE: First of all, thanks everyone for your prayers and healing thoughts. The short of it is, I am MUCH better today - YAY! Even typing this with 2 hands. So those of you who are satisfied with that answer, you can stop here. The long of it is that I went to the hospital after I first stopped at my PCPs satellite office, which is adjacent to the hospital in Sun City. When there was no doctor there that could see me, I WAS going to try to head up to an Urgent Care place, but I was in so much pain at that point, and felt my heart racing and was breathing hard, so I was fearful that I was going into anyphalactic (sp?) shock, so I opted for the ER next door. I should have figured I made a big mistake as soon as I got in there, and I couldnt even talk to a PERSON until I used a machine in the lobby to scan my drivers license (oh, when I couldnt get it to scan, a person actually came out from behind the window and showed me how to scan the license, and then told me to have a seat when I was done, and then WENT BACK INSIDE AND SHUT THE DOOR). After I got the license scanned, I went to the window and asked if he had any idea how long it would be before I could be seen (there was no one at all in the waiting room - which should have been my second clue), because I was in terrible pain from a SPIDER bite. He then asked me if my heart was racing or I was having trouble breathing - I said a little, but that I didnt know if it was related to HOW MUCH PAIN I was in, then he asked me if I was breaking out in hives, and I said I hadnt noticed any - so then he smiled and politely asked me again to have a seat and someone will be with you shortly. Ten minutes after that, he called my name to come back to the window and give him my basic info, (said he didnt need my insurance card), and sent me back to sit and wait. Another 15 minutes went by, and he came out, asked me to follow him, took me in a room and had me lie down on a bed, and then proceeded to push the bed out of the room, down the hall, and parked me against the wall in the hall and left. It was right in front of the nurses station, so as they were all hustling about, I figured someone would at least acknowledge I was there, but only after about another 20 minutes or so, a woman in a white coat (who I assumed was a doctor - she never identified herself), came and took my info (the same info I gave the dude in the lobby), and then asked me what I THOUGHT WAS THE MATTER....I said I had told the other fellow that I thought I might have been bitten by a poisonous spider - she asked me why I thought that - I said because Id been stung by a wasp before and the pain was not even in the same ballpark as this was, and went away rather quickly when I put something on it. She asked me about the heart and breathing and hives - yada yada...and then proceeded to examine the wound - was touching all round the wound, and asking me does it hurt when I touch it here, here, here? I said that the pain was just a very deep strong ache, but that it felt like I was burned where she was touching me. She asked me if I was itching at all, I said no. She then asked me if I wanted something for the pain, or something for the itching...at this point, I was ready to choke her with my good hand, but I restrained myself and said I need something for the PAIN PLEASE! She said ok, and just disappeared. I was freezing and shaking so hard that I was shaking the bed, and after about another 20 minutes or so of just lying there praying for the pain to go away and doing LaMaze breathing, my husband walked in - he asked me why I was shaking and I said because I was freezing. He couldnt get the nurses attention, so he went and asked an elderly lady volunteer if she could please get me a blanket, which she promptly did (and I was very grateful that it was also fresh out of a warmer - the only nice thing about the place). After about another 20 minutes or so, a nurse finally came over with a cart, introduced herself and the student who was following her, and proceeded to take my vitals. She said she had 2 shots for me that the doctor had prescribed - Morphine and one that was some sort of steriod/anti-inflammatory, and that they had to be given in my behind because they were very painful (oh, just great). She then wheeled my bed back into the empty room where it had been, in order to give me some privacy to administer the shots. I guess she decided to use me to teach the student how to give them - because I heard all the explaining, and then when she stuck me the first time, the nurse said she had to get it further in, and I gritted my teeth - my husband was looking at me doing the same. When she went to give me the Morphine, (which she said wouldnt be nearly as bad, but since Ive had a Morphine shot before, I knew better), and then the student jammed the needle in, and the nurse said it was too far sideways, so they had to do it again...at least I managed to not say any really bad words... Then they rolled me back out into my parking space in the lobby, and after they parked me again, asked if the pain was better - I asked, Do you mean the pain in my butt or the pain in my hand?, and they laughed (Im just so funny), and said my hand - I said no, but that my butt hurt so much from the shots that I had temporarily stopped thinking about my hand - they laughed again and left. A little while the doctor showed back up, all smiles, like everything should be fine now, and gave me a glove full of ice to put on my hand (um, no one could have done that when I first got there?). She handed me some info shed printed out on poisonous spider bites, and said they would be discharging me soon. The student nurse then brought me another bag of ice, and when she saw the ice glove, got all confused and went back to the nurse. The nurse finally came and discharged me with a script for 800 MG Ibuprofen. They got a wheel chair at my husbands insistence, and then we had to stop at the discharge window, and since Ive never been a patient there, they had to take every bit of information known to man (I should have just said it wouldnt be necessary because I would never be back there again), and then gave me a bill for $250! I said I had insurance and she said that was the co-pay! I looked all over the card and couldnt find anything about ER visits. So I gave her my Visa, and she said she could deduct $50 for prompt payment (the only other good thing aside from the blanket). When we left, since I had driven (and the Morphin hadnt kicked in), I had my husband follow me home. I was still in just as much pain as when I went there, and as I was driving along, I thought about the fact that the doctor wore no gloves to touch the wound-site, they did not clean it, put anything on it, not even a bandaid, and they gave me 2 shots and a prescription without ever even asking my weight, much less weighing me. When I got home, I had to hurry to get ready and get to my church because we were singing a special praise and worship service that I had practiced for for weeks, otherwise, I would have stayed home. After that was over with, (and I still had no relief from the pain from the Morphine), we stopped and picked up my Rx, which I took as soon as we got home. THEN, since I had no relief from the pain, I did what I probably should have done in the first place - went to the internet and asked what is the best thing to draw poison out of a spider bite. I was ready to try horse drawing salve and clay poultice (which I have since I have horses), but this one person online gave a long description of her experience, which was very similar to mine, except with her hospital visit, they gave her an antibiotic. What worked for her was to apply a poultice of baking soda and water. Yep, thats all folks. So I did it, waited for it to dry, peeled it off and did it again 2 more times. And while the pain was still there, I was amazed to find that it really was working - the poultice turned sort of yellow - and she said that was the venom that was being drawn out. After the third time, I then had found a tube of a clay face mask, that said it would draw impurities out of the skin, and soothe, so I put that on, wrapped it, took a Melatonin to try to help me get to sleep, and went to bed. When I woke up this morning, I was astounded to discover that the swelling was completely gone, and the pain was almost all gone as well! Baking soda - whodathunkit? Im definitely going to send a letter to that hospital administrator as well as to whatever agency holds them accountable tho. I guess the takeaway here is, spider bites can be life-threatening, so if you get one and you ARE concerned you are experiencing anaphalactic (sp?) shock, get to a hospital immediately - but otherwise, make sure you have baking soda on hand at all times.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 14:31:55 +0000
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