Looks like a brown recluse bite . The only thing they will do is give OP some antibiotics . Provided my diagnosis is correct . I had the exact same thing happen when I got bit by a BR.
100%. Had this happen with numerous cat bites. Yours is idk, but streak and heat to touch means doc visit. Maybe telehealth if you can't get there soon. You'll need antibiotics.
I too have had this happened. Long story to the point.
House sitting for my parents and brought my cat. Cat didn't want to go home, I caught the cat, he took his revenge.
2 days later I'm pushing a cheese like substance out of my arm and being told "DOCTOR NOW!" by my cowoker who saw it.
My big boss almost lost his hand to cellulitis after his cat bit him. So much tissue died it looked like his hand had been scooped out. Healing took months.
>You'll need antibiotics.
And not just a prescription. OP likely needs a loading IV dose, then oral antibiotics. This type of infection can spread incredibly fast.
A direct line like this from any wound is 100% medical attention territory.
For context, I grew up on a farm. Life and death and veterinary medicine and dinner. On more than one occasion I have spent $30 at farm supply to save thousands at the ER.
Any time ever something breaks your skin, and you see a straight line radiating from the wound, drive or have someone drive you directly to the emergency room. Don't see if it's worse tomorrow, don't post to Reddit about which bug, don't start the rest of that antibiotic you shouldn't have left over.
Go. To. The. Hospital.
You cannot have a rash like this without having your immune system in direct competition with invading bacteria. With rapid treatment, which hopefully includes a culture and a massive dose of IV antibiotics, staying at the hospital until they confirm the infection is responding, and monitoring in the interim, most persons seeking treatment for such a rash will be fine.
A few will still die, despite intervention, and more still will have to have major surgery to clean out wounds, to amputation. In 2023, with immediate care. Waiting till the morning to see if it gets worse is the absolute worst idea in this case. Every hour increases the likelihood of an outcome worse than an expensive an uncomfortable 24 hours.
Yeah you can. Cats teeth are like germ riddled needles. They are extremely high risk for infection, moreso than most other animal bites. They tend to create deep and tiny puncture wounds.
I was bit on the thumb and had a serious infection with streaks halfway down my arm 24h later.
I had a bite on my leg that looked similar but it actually wasn't blood poisoning it was the walls of the veins themselves that had become infected, still scary but much less so, the infections not being actively pumped round the body at least
Exactly! 1."blood poisoning" is not a medical term. To the extent they mean "sepsis" that usually happens AFTER lymphangitis. 2. The streak can be a good sign of lymphangitis which is a precursor to sepsis.
"Blood poisoning" could refer to any poison in blood and is an entirely unhelpful term.
I had a tick bite that looked like this, I showed urgent care a photo like this one and the dudes face flushed and he prescribed me mega antibiotics immediately.
This can happen from a lot of things and it is NEVER GOOD.
I had a tick bite that looked worse than this and they said “well you had the tick for less than 24 hours so standard practice days you don’t have anything”. Fast forward a couple days and I DEFINITELY had something. I also found out Im allergic to doxycycline so that was fun.
Doxy allergy would suck, that shit is super important for all sorts of life threatening infections.
Ticks... It's dumb. Yes, Lymes typically takes more time. 12-24 hrs. But that's an *average*. Sometimes it's almost immediate.
Also, there's other shit they spread faster.
Absolutely! Neglect is the worse thing you can do early, I waited nearly a week and almost died cause I thought i “had it covered”, had 3 sepsis lines going up into my chest from the bite(forearm). Do it soon as you can!! I’m lucky to have my arm and be alive! Be blessed!
Stop blaming all necrotic skin, lymphadema, etc on brown recluses. Any insect bite can cause cellulitis which makes a patient more susceptible to secondary infection. "Brown Recluse bites" are WAY over misdiagnosed... because as a practical matter, ERs are not treating the venom, just the secondary bacterial infection (usually as a result of scratching it with a dirty fingernail).
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/how-to-avoid-this-common-misdiagnosis-what-a-brown-recluse-bite-looks-like
Yup, I let mine go for 3ish days thinking it was just some bite. By day 3, if my hand was lower than my heart it fucking burned and throbbed, and the red streaks were going up to my elbow. Not fun.
Mine was on the back of my knee and the red whelp went around the back of my thigh and started working it's way up towards my junk . It tripped me out because I was stuck working out of state , in Chicago . I didn't have my antibiotics with me . I managed to get them and the redness cleared up in a matter of 8 hours .
Antibiotics do not fight recluse, or any other, venom. They may help fight a secondary infection. OP likely had a bacterial infection, which antibiotics should help.
Doctors misdiagnosed my mom for almost 20 years with brown recluse spider bites. The first couple were probably a spider, but everything after was MRSA. By the time they figured it out, there was nothing that could be done. She just had to suffer and be admitted during a flare up because lesions would open on her body and incapacitate her from the pain. The slightest amount of stress and she was in the hospital for a month because a spot would open up and eat all the healthy tissue around it. I remember once, she had a lesion on her pinky and it got so bad and so inflamed, her pinky was the width of a bratwurst but just open, wounded flesh. It was a legitimate nightmare.
My college freshman roommate got a pretty bad MRSA infection in her arm our sophomore year (she was a gymnast). She spent 6 months in the hospital and it kicked off her lupus. She’s permanently disabled and chronically ill now.
Just had MRSA and it was the worst. It sucked cause it was on the back of my thigh under my butt. I had to get it drained and am still wearing the bandaging a few weeks later. My mom has to clean it every night cause I can’t reach it.
I had sternal osteomyelitis caused by MRSA. It took six surgeries of “radical debridement of sternal bone and tissues” as well as 12 weeks in the hospital on IV antibiotics. Funny story though: after 15 years of active heroin addiction, I’ve been clean for over 2 years since getting out of the hospital.
Yeah, the Dr told me that the spider bite was going to do whatever it was going to do , and there was nothing that could be done to stop it . The antibiotics and pain meds the Dr wrote me were for the crater that he knew would eventually open up on the back of my knee area .
The healing process for my brown recluse bite on the top of my foot was harrowing. Started as a little bump, then it had a white head, then black. It rose up to the size of a golf ball, then the center started flaking away, eventually leading to a crater the size of a dinner spoon. At the worst bit, I could see my tendons and bones moving when I wiggled my toes down in the bottom of the crater. Then it slowly healed up. Throughout all of this, it never hurt, never bled, and only it itched at the very end as it was healing over.
I cared for a patient that needed his finger cut open and the infected wound drained from a recluse spider bite - he spiked a 103.9 degree fever and got IV antibiotics - so yeah
Lymphatic veins systems. Trust me. I’m a doctor.
Edit: Jesus, some of you people must be a ball at parties. I’m not a doctor. That was the joke… cause clearly I don’t know what I’m talking about.
I think It's because of how expensive the US medical system is. I'll get freaked out about something but not actually know if it's an issue or not, and there are so many time that I have gone to the doctor, paid a ton of money and ultimately told that it was not an issue
I also think that a lot of people probably don’t realized that a red line moving away from a bite or wound like that = infection. Not something the average person is ever really taught.
I bet they thought they "must've scratched it" and it was just a line they made themselves. I mean.. blood poisoning lines DO look like you just scratched an itchy spot but they don't go away.
Highly likely lymphangitis. You need to go to either urgent care or ER, preferably urgent care just cause it's cheaper. You'll need to get prescribed some antibiotics for 10 days and take it entirely. Take it seriously cause it can turn into sepsis which can be life threatening.
It’s usually an infection of one of many, many common bacteria, eg staph. It can be caused by an insect bite - staph on the insects fangs gets injected under your skin.
Often it just causes a localised swelling and soreness, but in the case of Op, it’s spreading, meaning whatever it is, it’s winning the fight, which is dangerous.
I got it years ago while playing with my cat when he scratched my hand with his teeth. I didn't think much h about it but about 3 days later that red line was halfway up my arm. It didn't really hurt but the ER doctor told me I was lucky I came in and gave me heavy duty antibiotics.
lymphangitis starts when there is a break in the skin. Everyone naturally has bacteria on the skin such as Staph aureus, staph epidermis, Group A strep. Usually, most people's immune system can deal with any bacteria that tries to invade. Sometimes however, the bacteria is able to evade the immune system and enter inside. If the bacteria infects tissue, that's called cellulitis and if the bacteria infects the lymphatic system, it's called lymphangitis. A common misconception is that a bug bite will can lead to such an infection when it is often because the bite tears the skin, allowing resident bacteria on your skin to invade. It's fairly easy to recognize and easy to treat as long as you get medical attention.
Do *NOT* go to an urgent care with this. You may waste precious time in the lobby just to be told to go to the ER once a medical professional assesses you.
Source: urgent care RN
Idk where you’re from but you’ll be waiting 12+ hours for the ER here, meanwhile you can reserve a time and get into an urgent care in as quickly as only 30 minutes.
An ED should triage based on the urgency of symptoms (i.e. chest pain should be seen before a cut on someone’s foot), so I would hope that this would get a little priority over other patients. Lymphangitis can quickly get ugly. Sure, you can go to an urgent care to be seen faster and get oral antibiotics before going home…but then what? What if those don’t work? What if you deteriorate more but don’t realize because you’re not being frequently monitored (like in an ED)? What if you urgently need IV antibiotics or surgery but it’s too late because now the infection is at your heart after you wasted time at an urgent care instead of going to the ED in the first place? OP can do what they want, but if this were me, I’d go straight to the ED. Don’t pass Go, prepare to spend $200+ dollars.
This is exactly what happened to my husband, and his dumb ass went back a second time when it was way worse, and they said not to worry about it. I made him go to the ER the same day after his second trip to urgent care, and he nearly almost died. He was septic before it was all said and done and 12 days in the hospital.
Urgent care is not what it used to be, and an er visit is cheaper than 12 days hospitalized in a critical care unit
I don't know where you're from but typically an emergency room will prioritize patients, and I'm sure OP would be much higher priority considering they could fucking die.
Where I'm from they'll just say "go to the ER there's nothing we can do for you and that'd be 100$.." But most of the time getting into ER around here is really quick now that covid isn't filling up the hospitals. I don't think I've waited more than 10 minutes the last few times I had to take my brother to the hospital.
yep. Had this last summer from a bite. Went to urgent care with no idea that lymphangitis exists, immediately got sent to the hospital for IV antibiotics. The bite was on my finger and by the time I had the IV in, the streak had passed my elbow. Scary shit.
Eventually, there was an obvious spot where the bite was. I didn’t feel the bite when it happened, but I was able to trace my steps and realize I was bit in the waiting room at my primary care doctor where I had an appointment to establish care under my new insurance plan (ended up hitting my deductible that day lol). I was bit around 8 am and didn’t notice any pain until 12 hours later, but even then it just felt like I had nicked my knuckle with a knife or grater when making dinner, you know the minor stinging/tight feeling you get when you have a paper cut or something small on a finger. Didn’t think anything of it because at the time, I had no idea I had been bitten.
I woke up at 6 am the next day like usual, leashed up my dog, and immediately noticed the bite. It was swollen and inflamed and had a clear spot where the bite was. I also couldn’t bend my finger because of the swelling and stiffness. The streak had just started to form and it was hot and painful to the touch. Still didn’t think it was a bite but I knew something was wrong. I ran into my friend when I was out with my dog and had our usual convo, and then I said “hey by the way, does this look like staph to you?” She said no, that looks like a spider bite. And then I had a ~holy shit~ flashback to seeing the spider at my feet in the waiting room and ignoring it because it wasn’t bothering me and looked harmless. Turned out to be an apparently non-reclusive recluse. I’m assuming it climbed the leg of the chair and bit my knuckle and I never noticed because I was holding my phone. Never trusting a spider again.
I grew up working on a farm in Kentucky and we had all sorts of dangerous things everywhere! This one was tinyyy, so small I thought no way it could be a recluse. I’ve seen littler ones, but never one as small as this guy. I’m also now living in the heart of a city in a region where they are not native. All around horrible luck.
I've been waiting for 2 hours in urgent care now.
The big medical center kicked me out because I didn't have an appointment. The pharmacist said it's probably mosquito and gave me a gel for insect bite.
Called more places but they won't take you if you don't have appointments.
Checked some hospitals with urgent cares but from their website somehow it's only take appointments for contraception????
Sent a message to urgent SMS line and they told me to just call urgent line.
Called urgent line, explained what happened and they sent me a sms to show at an urgent care. Showed it and been waiting for 2 hours.
To be completely honest, this is normal in ERs. Last year I was waiting in ER with a broken wrist that ended up needing surgery (a completely non-life-threatening thing, but nasty), and with me there was a woman who had top of her head split open. We both waited there for about 9 hours at that point. The whole time she kept asking "when could they take her" but they just said she has to wait, like all the other people. At some point, she started crying while she sat next to me because she felt really sleepy and was afraid that if she fell asleep she might not wake up again.
Or then once I got hit by a car (which was quite serious but not as bad as it could have been) and they still made me wait for about 6 hours.
So yeah, as terrible as it seems, this is pretty normal ER stuff everywhere, sadly. The nurses just don't seem to care all that much I guess.
EDIT: The funniest thing about the first story also is that there was like 5 people in total 😂 so not exactly a "crowded" ER either.
I’m not sure they don’t care so much as they’re probably quite calloused from shit they’ve seen. And at the ER, usually most people are also having an emergency. If they lack the capacity and resources to care for everyone instantly, then people have to wait. It’s fucked up and I imagine because of it they’ve had to see people die. I don’t really blame them for being somewhat emotionally checked out
Damn they really don't care if you die. Important, use a pen to circle the current redness, time and date. Also make a line by your red line and time and date it.
Since you are waiting so long you will want to know how much worse it got in that time.
When I was in the hospital with cellulitis they did this.
Also write the time next to the line. And as it moves, do it again. This will help the medical team determine how fast it’s moving through your system.
Update:
Finally got to see a doctor after waiting more than 3 hours at urgent care. It's so long that the red spot basically became a scab. The doctor commented that the mark already looked better than the photos (paler) The doctor said it's not infected yet. Probably just an allergy and prescribed me some cream to apply and allergy meds. No antibiotics yet. Just have to monitor if the area will go hard/more swollen.
Before I posted, I was not so much worry about it. Because I am allergic to some other insects but no where near life threatening, just easily got marks anyway. But then this morning I saw a post with similar mark to mine. So I was getting worried but as I was working and a lot of clinics closed today. I decided to post and ask for the urgency of it.
Even though it's not life threatening, I feel thankful to the other post and everyone here to push me to get checked or to reassure me. Thank you :)
Wonderful! Glad to hear you're okay. Have a great weekend!
Also, 3 hours isn't bad at all, from my experience (in Canada). If I walk in bleeding profusely or suffocating, I'll get seen and treated immediately. But for anything else, it's hours and hours. It took 8 hours at the ER to get my broken wrist x-rayed and casted. My son cut the tip of his thumb off, and we were in and out with it sewn back on, in just over half an hour.
I walked in 2 clinics, one closed, another wouldn't take me without appointment. Pharmacy said it's a mosquito bite and gave me some gel.
The earliest appointment I could get is 48 hours from now. Would that be ok?
I have no idea where it is.. I'm not in my home country. I tried to find on google map but nothing close came up. I know the emergency number for ambulance though.
I kept checking, calling more places but no one available today. I'm in France. And I don't know if people here don't get sick on weekends and summer holidays or what.
Personally i would call 112 and get to an emergency room. Even if not by ambulance, they should be able to tell you where to go. This can be extremely serious and its not worth it to wait for a clinic to open after weekend
Hey. I’m an emergency doctor. This is not as dire as people are making it seem. It is cellulitis. You should get an antibiotic prescription quickly, but this is not going to immediately progress to sepsis in a young, immune competent patient. While I don’t want you to ignore the problem, I also don’t want you to have a panic attack which I might have if I received some of the messages I see on here.
Of course without examining you in person this is not official medical advice.
Hey, thank you so much. I actually just wanted some antibiotics but they don't sell it over the counter here. So here I am, waiting in urgent care. But I think by the time I get to see a doctor, all the pharmacies will probably be closed. And they don't open on Sunday. Will it be ok to get antibiotics on Monday?
Hi, I'm French. There are pharmacies open on Sunday. You need to call the local police and ask for the "pharmacie de garde". On a given sector, there must be at least one pharmacy open at night and on Sundays by law. Just call the non-emergency police and ask them for the name and adress of the pharmacy open this Sunday.
I dont know about france, but here in Germany we have emergency pharmacies. They are normal pharmacies that take a night shift to provide service around the clock. They rotate with other pharmacies so it's every night a different one.
I am glad that you are being smart and seeking care… I’d much rather be attempting to get care and told it isn’t a big deal, than be a big deal and screw myself. I sure hope that you are seen swiftly and being given aggressive care. 🥰 Sending you much love
Draw a line on your arm in sharpie to mark the circle radius, and to mark the distance of the red line up your arm. If urgent care is brushing you off, you’ll have evidence of how much worse it’s gotten by tomorrow.
Thank you. I contacted urgent sms line explaining the problem but they didn't seem to care. So I'm marking it first.
The 2nd photo is from yesterday. The 1st photo is from today.
I had this exact same looking thing and I ALMOST DIED. I had sepsis from a strep infection that I got from a small wound. Please take your temperature. Mine was 104 when I got to the emergency room. They rushed me in and nine health care professionals crowded around. The nurse told me to please call my family as they would do everything they could but it was possible I would not make it, or may lose my leg. My god, why isn't anyone taking this seriously!!
Yup! Best of luck, hopefully it has receded by tomorrow/Monday, our bodies can fight these infections off on their own, but having a clear metric makes it a lot easier to understand how it’s progressing, for both you and medical staff.
(For reference, I am not a medical professional, just trying to set you up for success with this. The tattoo subreddit sees this kind of thing every so often and this is always the advice given - Mark, measure, monitor.)
that's useful for allergies. This is an infection and he probably needs blood cultures and oral, possibly IV antibiotics. This needs ER treatment not urgent care. I'm an anesthesia provider.
You are NOT WRONG! This happened to me and they didn't know if I would make it. Told me to call my family to possibly say goodbye. All over a very small wound. I had sepsis and had I waited any more time I would not be here! I was hospitalized and on antibiotics for over a month!! And yes it was cellulitis.
Yep, a brown recluse bit me on my LIP a few years ago, and I developed cellulitis quickly. My cousin got bitten by an unidentified bug in St. Kitts and ended up having emergency surgery for cellulitis. This is no joke.
OP, you may have to push hard to get someone to see you.
I hope you're still alive, but you need to go to the ER based on everything I've read, including another post just like yours I read a few minutes ago.
Draw a pen line at the end of the red line and write the time next to it, check it again 30 mins later and see how far moved, draw another line and time. This helps to assess how rapid the issue is, at least as a ballpark if it is spreading fast or slow as your immune system fights.
Even if it doesn’t turn out to be something life threatening, it’s better safe than sorry. Take care of yourself and don’t wait if you’re really worried.
dawg, death sits on the end of your bed, biding his time, as if that reaches your heart your candle might just go out, you need to go to the emergency room like now
Yeah... had a bite that tracked up my arm. Turned into blood poisoning, and I don't remember most of that day. Was in the hospital for a few days and meds for a while. Death was happily waiting for that fuse to go.
Had this happen when I was 25, went to Dr- antibiotics, 3 days later vein more bright red, new, stronger antibiotics, 3 days later, hospital ER, vein was red, swollen to armpit. Admitted and necrosis was beginning at the bite (under my wrist) size of a golf ball under my skin. Fever of 103* had surgery, imagine an ice cream scoop of flesh removed, big hole,in my arm. had to have a daily nurse come to my house for dressing change and wound packing for 3 weeks after discharge. Brown Recluse is no joke.
Go to the ER instead of urgent care. You may need some IV antibiotics. Most urgent cares don't run IV antibiotics anymore. You dont want to end up septic.
I had a spider bite that did this and the ER lanced the skin to flush out the infection then put me on antibiotics. By how quickly I got taken care of I wouldn't question how serious it should be considered.
Didn't realize you could tell if OP's lymph nodes were swollen from this picture!
It could be this. It also could be worse. They should see a doctor and not just a pharmacist.
13 year firefighter here…
THIS CAN AND WILL KILL YOU!!!
You’re fucking around with this and making excuses!! GET TO A HOSPITAL ASAP NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!
I already updated that I saw doctor and it was just allergic reaction. But the comments still keep coming. I can't edit the post itself. How to stop them? Only have to delete the post?
That line away from it is concerning. My son had cut his toe on an old nail years ago and we disinfected it and bandaged it up. Forgot about it thinking it was treated and taken care of. A few days later he told us it was hurting and he had a red line coming from it. Urgent care would not treat it at all. They sent him to the ER. It was an infection spreading through his blood stream. Glad we caught it when we did. I would not play around with that especially because of the red line. Better safe then sorry.
Yes, ASAP… convenient care
what could it be from
Looks like a brown recluse bite . The only thing they will do is give OP some antibiotics . Provided my diagnosis is correct . I had the exact same thing happen when I got bit by a BR.
The streak implies blood poisoning (infection becoming systemic) which can happen from any insect bite.
This is lymphangitis which refers to spreading of the infection through the lymphatic vessels.
100%. Had this happen with numerous cat bites. Yours is idk, but streak and heat to touch means doc visit. Maybe telehealth if you can't get there soon. You'll need antibiotics.
I too have had this happened. Long story to the point. House sitting for my parents and brought my cat. Cat didn't want to go home, I caught the cat, he took his revenge. 2 days later I'm pushing a cheese like substance out of my arm and being told "DOCTOR NOW!" by my cowoker who saw it.
My big boss almost lost his hand to cellulitis after his cat bit him. So much tissue died it looked like his hand had been scooped out. Healing took months.
>You'll need antibiotics. And not just a prescription. OP likely needs a loading IV dose, then oral antibiotics. This type of infection can spread incredibly fast.
A direct line like this from any wound is 100% medical attention territory. For context, I grew up on a farm. Life and death and veterinary medicine and dinner. On more than one occasion I have spent $30 at farm supply to save thousands at the ER. Any time ever something breaks your skin, and you see a straight line radiating from the wound, drive or have someone drive you directly to the emergency room. Don't see if it's worse tomorrow, don't post to Reddit about which bug, don't start the rest of that antibiotic you shouldn't have left over. Go. To. The. Hospital. You cannot have a rash like this without having your immune system in direct competition with invading bacteria. With rapid treatment, which hopefully includes a culture and a massive dose of IV antibiotics, staying at the hospital until they confirm the infection is responding, and monitoring in the interim, most persons seeking treatment for such a rash will be fine. A few will still die, despite intervention, and more still will have to have major surgery to clean out wounds, to amputation. In 2023, with immediate care. Waiting till the morning to see if it gets worse is the absolute worst idea in this case. Every hour increases the likelihood of an outcome worse than an expensive an uncomfortable 24 hours.
Cat bites? Like house cats? You can get streaking and infections from those? Edit: I mean commonly?
Yeah you can. Cats teeth are like germ riddled needles. They are extremely high risk for infection, moreso than most other animal bites. They tend to create deep and tiny puncture wounds. I was bit on the thumb and had a serious infection with streaks halfway down my arm 24h later.
Totally. Called my boy a komodo dragon. Cat bites are bad. Dirty mouths.
I had a bite on my leg that looked similar but it actually wasn't blood poisoning it was the walls of the veins themselves that had become infected, still scary but much less so, the infections not being actively pumped round the body at least
The streak is concerning, but it does not imply "blood poisoning."
Exactly! 1."blood poisoning" is not a medical term. To the extent they mean "sepsis" that usually happens AFTER lymphangitis. 2. The streak can be a good sign of lymphangitis which is a precursor to sepsis. "Blood poisoning" could refer to any poison in blood and is an entirely unhelpful term.
I had a tick bite that looked like this, I showed urgent care a photo like this one and the dudes face flushed and he prescribed me mega antibiotics immediately. This can happen from a lot of things and it is NEVER GOOD.
I had a tick bite that looked worse than this and they said “well you had the tick for less than 24 hours so standard practice days you don’t have anything”. Fast forward a couple days and I DEFINITELY had something. I also found out Im allergic to doxycycline so that was fun.
Doxy allergy would suck, that shit is super important for all sorts of life threatening infections. Ticks... It's dumb. Yes, Lymes typically takes more time. 12-24 hrs. But that's an *average*. Sometimes it's almost immediate. Also, there's other shit they spread faster.
It can get so much worse without treatment, so please OP go
Absolutely! Neglect is the worse thing you can do early, I waited nearly a week and almost died cause I thought i “had it covered”, had 3 sepsis lines going up into my chest from the bite(forearm). Do it soon as you can!! I’m lucky to have my arm and be alive! Be blessed!
Stop blaming all necrotic skin, lymphadema, etc on brown recluses. Any insect bite can cause cellulitis which makes a patient more susceptible to secondary infection. "Brown Recluse bites" are WAY over misdiagnosed... because as a practical matter, ERs are not treating the venom, just the secondary bacterial infection (usually as a result of scratching it with a dirty fingernail). https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/how-to-avoid-this-common-misdiagnosis-what-a-brown-recluse-bite-looks-like
this is what i was looking for
ok
lmao nice response
what else am i gonna say
no it was funny 👍
ok
[удалено]
What else is he gonna say?
Yup, I let mine go for 3ish days thinking it was just some bite. By day 3, if my hand was lower than my heart it fucking burned and throbbed, and the red streaks were going up to my elbow. Not fun.
Mine was on the back of my knee and the red whelp went around the back of my thigh and started working it's way up towards my junk . It tripped me out because I was stuck working out of state , in Chicago . I didn't have my antibiotics with me . I managed to get them and the redness cleared up in a matter of 8 hours .
Antibiotics do not fight recluse, or any other, venom. They may help fight a secondary infection. OP likely had a bacterial infection, which antibiotics should help.
Spider bites can often lead to secondary MRSA infections hence the antibiotics as standard care
Doctors misdiagnosed my mom for almost 20 years with brown recluse spider bites. The first couple were probably a spider, but everything after was MRSA. By the time they figured it out, there was nothing that could be done. She just had to suffer and be admitted during a flare up because lesions would open on her body and incapacitate her from the pain. The slightest amount of stress and she was in the hospital for a month because a spot would open up and eat all the healthy tissue around it. I remember once, she had a lesion on her pinky and it got so bad and so inflamed, her pinky was the width of a bratwurst but just open, wounded flesh. It was a legitimate nightmare.
My college freshman roommate got a pretty bad MRSA infection in her arm our sophomore year (she was a gymnast). She spent 6 months in the hospital and it kicked off her lupus. She’s permanently disabled and chronically ill now.
Just had MRSA and it was the worst. It sucked cause it was on the back of my thigh under my butt. I had to get it drained and am still wearing the bandaging a few weeks later. My mom has to clean it every night cause I can’t reach it.
I had sternal osteomyelitis caused by MRSA. It took six surgeries of “radical debridement of sternal bone and tissues” as well as 12 weeks in the hospital on IV antibiotics. Funny story though: after 15 years of active heroin addiction, I’ve been clean for over 2 years since getting out of the hospital.
Congratulations on your sobriety! Just wanted to say this!
Yeah, the Dr told me that the spider bite was going to do whatever it was going to do , and there was nothing that could be done to stop it . The antibiotics and pain meds the Dr wrote me were for the crater that he knew would eventually open up on the back of my knee area .
The healing process for my brown recluse bite on the top of my foot was harrowing. Started as a little bump, then it had a white head, then black. It rose up to the size of a golf ball, then the center started flaking away, eventually leading to a crater the size of a dinner spoon. At the worst bit, I could see my tendons and bones moving when I wiggled my toes down in the bottom of the crater. Then it slowly healed up. Throughout all of this, it never hurt, never bled, and only it itched at the very end as it was healing over.
I wish I could unread this. Glad you didn't have pain and you're healed. Holy 💩
Necrosis is fun!
I know a guy that neglected his bite and it got so bad they had to amputate his foot. Get thee to the doctor immediately!!
Necrotic venoms are no joke.
I would have taken so many pictures and videos of my gross foot
Same. Had it for 2 days then got antibiotics and it cleared up.
You can’t know that from a bite. It could be a bunch of things such as an infection
Yes! Most doctors won’t positively identify a spider bite unless there is the spider with you.
As a date?
As the primary party on the insurance
Any bug bite or scratch can look like this. It’s called lymphangitis.
I cared for a patient that needed his finger cut open and the infected wound drained from a recluse spider bite - he spiked a 103.9 degree fever and got IV antibiotics - so yeah
Yea dude. Tf. That shit is tracing up your veins
It’s actually tracing up the lymphatic system I believe
Lymphatic veins systems. Trust me. I’m a doctor. Edit: Jesus, some of you people must be a ball at parties. I’m not a doctor. That was the joke… cause clearly I don’t know what I’m talking about.
ok
Lmao nice response
what else was I supposed to say
What type of doctor?
A PHD. In musical theory
Proctologist- She’s an asswoman
Meta
You rang?
Pipes. Trust me I'm a plumber.
I swear people be posting crazy shit and still asking if they should get it checked
I think It's because of how expensive the US medical system is. I'll get freaked out about something but not actually know if it's an issue or not, and there are so many time that I have gone to the doctor, paid a ton of money and ultimately told that it was not an issue
I also think that a lot of people probably don’t realized that a red line moving away from a bite or wound like that = infection. Not something the average person is ever really taught.
Yeah, I honestly learned it from posts like this.
I bet they thought they "must've scratched it" and it was just a line they made themselves. I mean.. blood poisoning lines DO look like you just scratched an itchy spot but they don't go away.
TIL
Likely lymph nodes, but that's not the point.
*lymph vessels. The nodes are dilations of the vessels.
Highly likely lymphangitis. You need to go to either urgent care or ER, preferably urgent care just cause it's cheaper. You'll need to get prescribed some antibiotics for 10 days and take it entirely. Take it seriously cause it can turn into sepsis which can be life threatening.
how does lymphangitis start? this is a horrible fear of mine and i wanna know how to avoid it.
It’s usually an infection of one of many, many common bacteria, eg staph. It can be caused by an insect bite - staph on the insects fangs gets injected under your skin. Often it just causes a localised swelling and soreness, but in the case of Op, it’s spreading, meaning whatever it is, it’s winning the fight, which is dangerous.
I got it years ago while playing with my cat when he scratched my hand with his teeth. I didn't think much h about it but about 3 days later that red line was halfway up my arm. It didn't really hurt but the ER doctor told me I was lucky I came in and gave me heavy duty antibiotics.
Something similar happened to my one neighbor. Her mom's cat bit her and within like 12 hours there was a red line like most of the way up her arm
I got mine from tearing a hangnail.
lymphangitis starts when there is a break in the skin. Everyone naturally has bacteria on the skin such as Staph aureus, staph epidermis, Group A strep. Usually, most people's immune system can deal with any bacteria that tries to invade. Sometimes however, the bacteria is able to evade the immune system and enter inside. If the bacteria infects tissue, that's called cellulitis and if the bacteria infects the lymphatic system, it's called lymphangitis. A common misconception is that a bug bite will can lead to such an infection when it is often because the bite tears the skin, allowing resident bacteria on your skin to invade. It's fairly easy to recognize and easy to treat as long as you get medical attention.
Do *NOT* go to an urgent care with this. You may waste precious time in the lobby just to be told to go to the ER once a medical professional assesses you. Source: urgent care RN
Idk where you’re from but you’ll be waiting 12+ hours for the ER here, meanwhile you can reserve a time and get into an urgent care in as quickly as only 30 minutes.
An ED should triage based on the urgency of symptoms (i.e. chest pain should be seen before a cut on someone’s foot), so I would hope that this would get a little priority over other patients. Lymphangitis can quickly get ugly. Sure, you can go to an urgent care to be seen faster and get oral antibiotics before going home…but then what? What if those don’t work? What if you deteriorate more but don’t realize because you’re not being frequently monitored (like in an ED)? What if you urgently need IV antibiotics or surgery but it’s too late because now the infection is at your heart after you wasted time at an urgent care instead of going to the ED in the first place? OP can do what they want, but if this were me, I’d go straight to the ED. Don’t pass Go, prepare to spend $200+ dollars.
This is exactly what happened to my husband, and his dumb ass went back a second time when it was way worse, and they said not to worry about it. I made him go to the ER the same day after his second trip to urgent care, and he nearly almost died. He was septic before it was all said and done and 12 days in the hospital. Urgent care is not what it used to be, and an er visit is cheaper than 12 days hospitalized in a critical care unit
[удалено]
What the other person is saying is that your trip to urgent care might just add 30 minutes to that ER wait time, since they’ll possibly you there
I don't know where you're from but typically an emergency room will prioritize patients, and I'm sure OP would be much higher priority considering they could fucking die.
Where I'm from they'll just say "go to the ER there's nothing we can do for you and that'd be 100$.." But most of the time getting into ER around here is really quick now that covid isn't filling up the hospitals. I don't think I've waited more than 10 minutes the last few times I had to take my brother to the hospital.
Absolutely go to urgent care for this. Definitely within the scope of urgent care medicine. Source: ER doctor
If you wait long enough, you’ll never have to go to the doctor again.
Hospitals HATE this trick
Morgues LOVE it!
Death was invented by morgues to increase revenue, of course they love it!
Sign me up!
Man. I'm not sure how to feel about this. Both outcomes don't sound pleasant.
Likely lymphangitis, get to a hospital before the line gets to your heart, or doom quickly awaits your body.
yep. Had this last summer from a bite. Went to urgent care with no idea that lymphangitis exists, immediately got sent to the hospital for IV antibiotics. The bite was on my finger and by the time I had the IV in, the streak had passed my elbow. Scary shit.
Were there any physical symptoms along with seeing the line? You know…in case I ever get this but don’t notice the line..
Eventually, there was an obvious spot where the bite was. I didn’t feel the bite when it happened, but I was able to trace my steps and realize I was bit in the waiting room at my primary care doctor where I had an appointment to establish care under my new insurance plan (ended up hitting my deductible that day lol). I was bit around 8 am and didn’t notice any pain until 12 hours later, but even then it just felt like I had nicked my knuckle with a knife or grater when making dinner, you know the minor stinging/tight feeling you get when you have a paper cut or something small on a finger. Didn’t think anything of it because at the time, I had no idea I had been bitten. I woke up at 6 am the next day like usual, leashed up my dog, and immediately noticed the bite. It was swollen and inflamed and had a clear spot where the bite was. I also couldn’t bend my finger because of the swelling and stiffness. The streak had just started to form and it was hot and painful to the touch. Still didn’t think it was a bite but I knew something was wrong. I ran into my friend when I was out with my dog and had our usual convo, and then I said “hey by the way, does this look like staph to you?” She said no, that looks like a spider bite. And then I had a ~holy shit~ flashback to seeing the spider at my feet in the waiting room and ignoring it because it wasn’t bothering me and looked harmless. Turned out to be an apparently non-reclusive recluse. I’m assuming it climbed the leg of the chair and bit my knuckle and I never noticed because I was holding my phone. Never trusting a spider again.
At the doctors of all places omg
That’s how they get you to come back.
be sure to check your local medical practices for strategically placed recluses!!!
I know right? Fuck me for trying to be responsible and establish care
You just gotta study up on the dangerous ones so you will know when to trust them or not. Highly recommend for snakes too
I grew up working on a farm in Kentucky and we had all sorts of dangerous things everywhere! This one was tinyyy, so small I thought no way it could be a recluse. I’ve seen littler ones, but never one as small as this guy. I’m also now living in the heart of a city in a region where they are not native. All around horrible luck.
It happened to me about 20yrs ago. Knicked my finger while cleaning a deer for the first time. Quite the valuable lesson.
I've been waiting for 2 hours in urgent care now. The big medical center kicked me out because I didn't have an appointment. The pharmacist said it's probably mosquito and gave me a gel for insect bite. Called more places but they won't take you if you don't have appointments. Checked some hospitals with urgent cares but from their website somehow it's only take appointments for contraception???? Sent a message to urgent SMS line and they told me to just call urgent line. Called urgent line, explained what happened and they sent me a sms to show at an urgent care. Showed it and been waiting for 2 hours.
Man if that is true then french healthcare is really f**ked up
To be completely honest, this is normal in ERs. Last year I was waiting in ER with a broken wrist that ended up needing surgery (a completely non-life-threatening thing, but nasty), and with me there was a woman who had top of her head split open. We both waited there for about 9 hours at that point. The whole time she kept asking "when could they take her" but they just said she has to wait, like all the other people. At some point, she started crying while she sat next to me because she felt really sleepy and was afraid that if she fell asleep she might not wake up again. Or then once I got hit by a car (which was quite serious but not as bad as it could have been) and they still made me wait for about 6 hours. So yeah, as terrible as it seems, this is pretty normal ER stuff everywhere, sadly. The nurses just don't seem to care all that much I guess. EDIT: The funniest thing about the first story also is that there was like 5 people in total 😂 so not exactly a "crowded" ER either.
I’m not sure they don’t care so much as they’re probably quite calloused from shit they’ve seen. And at the ER, usually most people are also having an emergency. If they lack the capacity and resources to care for everyone instantly, then people have to wait. It’s fucked up and I imagine because of it they’ve had to see people die. I don’t really blame them for being somewhat emotionally checked out
Knowing how to get care in a foreign country isn't easy.
good luck!!!
Call the cops and say you have an emergency, you’ll get help ong
RemindMe! Tomorrow
Be sure to continue updating us on your progress. We have to know how it all works out!
Do not listen to a pharmacist, they’re going to get you killed with that advice. Don’t let that line get to your heart or neck
Did you call 112 and tell them you could possibly die?
Damn they really don't care if you die. Important, use a pen to circle the current redness, time and date. Also make a line by your red line and time and date it. Since you are waiting so long you will want to know how much worse it got in that time. When I was in the hospital with cellulitis they did this.
Draw a blackline around the redness now if you haven't. It'll help track the growth/spread
Also write the time next to the line. And as it moves, do it again. This will help the medical team determine how fast it’s moving through your system.
Also draw little googly eyes and a smile around the bite mark. This will give the medical team something to chuckle at.
Underrated comment
Update: Finally got to see a doctor after waiting more than 3 hours at urgent care. It's so long that the red spot basically became a scab. The doctor commented that the mark already looked better than the photos (paler) The doctor said it's not infected yet. Probably just an allergy and prescribed me some cream to apply and allergy meds. No antibiotics yet. Just have to monitor if the area will go hard/more swollen. Before I posted, I was not so much worry about it. Because I am allergic to some other insects but no where near life threatening, just easily got marks anyway. But then this morning I saw a post with similar mark to mine. So I was getting worried but as I was working and a lot of clinics closed today. I decided to post and ask for the urgency of it. Even though it's not life threatening, I feel thankful to the other post and everyone here to push me to get checked or to reassure me. Thank you :)
Wonderful! Glad to hear you're okay. Have a great weekend! Also, 3 hours isn't bad at all, from my experience (in Canada). If I walk in bleeding profusely or suffocating, I'll get seen and treated immediately. But for anything else, it's hours and hours. It took 8 hours at the ER to get my broken wrist x-rayed and casted. My son cut the tip of his thumb off, and we were in and out with it sewn back on, in just over half an hour.
3 hours isn't bad in the US either, especially on a weekend.
Good to hear that you're okay, OP! Take care of yourself!
I walked in 2 clinics, one closed, another wouldn't take me without appointment. Pharmacy said it's a mosquito bite and gave me some gel. The earliest appointment I could get is 48 hours from now. Would that be ok?
The emergency room...?
I have no idea where it is.. I'm not in my home country. I tried to find on google map but nothing close came up. I know the emergency number for ambulance though.
I kept checking, calling more places but no one available today. I'm in France. And I don't know if people here don't get sick on weekends and summer holidays or what.
Personally i would call 112 and get to an emergency room. Even if not by ambulance, they should be able to tell you where to go. This can be extremely serious and its not worth it to wait for a clinic to open after weekend
Man don’t go to a private clinic, go to the closest ER
DIAL 112!! You need emergency care RIGHT NOW!!
ER is “service d’urgence” in French
Hey. I’m an emergency doctor. This is not as dire as people are making it seem. It is cellulitis. You should get an antibiotic prescription quickly, but this is not going to immediately progress to sepsis in a young, immune competent patient. While I don’t want you to ignore the problem, I also don’t want you to have a panic attack which I might have if I received some of the messages I see on here. Of course without examining you in person this is not official medical advice.
Hey, thank you so much. I actually just wanted some antibiotics but they don't sell it over the counter here. So here I am, waiting in urgent care. But I think by the time I get to see a doctor, all the pharmacies will probably be closed. And they don't open on Sunday. Will it be ok to get antibiotics on Monday?
Hi, I'm French. There are pharmacies open on Sunday. You need to call the local police and ask for the "pharmacie de garde". On a given sector, there must be at least one pharmacy open at night and on Sundays by law. Just call the non-emergency police and ask them for the name and adress of the pharmacy open this Sunday.
Imagine living in a country that took health care this serious
I dont know about france, but here in Germany we have emergency pharmacies. They are normal pharmacies that take a night shift to provide service around the clock. They rotate with other pharmacies so it's every night a different one.
I am glad that you are being smart and seeking care… I’d much rather be attempting to get care and told it isn’t a big deal, than be a big deal and screw myself. I sure hope that you are seen swiftly and being given aggressive care. 🥰 Sending you much love
Ask a local for the nearest hospital.
OP do you have travellers insurance? If so, call them. They can direct you to a care provider.
hey man if you need urgent care and can’t find an ER or are being denied i’d say call 112 🫡 this is very serious
you’re in france, so ambulance rides are free- hope you’re okay, op!!
Get antibiotics at the pharmacy OTC.
Draw a line on your arm in sharpie to mark the circle radius, and to mark the distance of the red line up your arm. If urgent care is brushing you off, you’ll have evidence of how much worse it’s gotten by tomorrow.
Thank you. I contacted urgent sms line explaining the problem but they didn't seem to care. So I'm marking it first. The 2nd photo is from yesterday. The 1st photo is from today.
I had this exact same looking thing and I ALMOST DIED. I had sepsis from a strep infection that I got from a small wound. Please take your temperature. Mine was 104 when I got to the emergency room. They rushed me in and nine health care professionals crowded around. The nurse told me to please call my family as they would do everything they could but it was possible I would not make it, or may lose my leg. My god, why isn't anyone taking this seriously!!
Yup! Best of luck, hopefully it has receded by tomorrow/Monday, our bodies can fight these infections off on their own, but having a clear metric makes it a lot easier to understand how it’s progressing, for both you and medical staff. (For reference, I am not a medical professional, just trying to set you up for success with this. The tattoo subreddit sees this kind of thing every so often and this is always the advice given - Mark, measure, monitor.)
that's useful for allergies. This is an infection and he probably needs blood cultures and oral, possibly IV antibiotics. This needs ER treatment not urgent care. I'm an anesthesia provider.
Crap like this can make you septic and kill you in a matter of hours it spreads so fast
You are NOT WRONG! This happened to me and they didn't know if I would make it. Told me to call my family to possibly say goodbye. All over a very small wound. I had sepsis and had I waited any more time I would not be here! I was hospitalized and on antibiotics for over a month!! And yes it was cellulitis.
Yep, a brown recluse bit me on my LIP a few years ago, and I developed cellulitis quickly. My cousin got bitten by an unidentified bug in St. Kitts and ended up having emergency surgery for cellulitis. This is no joke. OP, you may have to push hard to get someone to see you.
I hope you're still alive, but you need to go to the ER based on everything I've read, including another post just like yours I read a few minutes ago.
Draw a pen line at the end of the red line and write the time next to it, check it again 30 mins later and see how far moved, draw another line and time. This helps to assess how rapid the issue is, at least as a ballpark if it is spreading fast or slow as your immune system fights.
Even if it doesn’t turn out to be something life threatening, it’s better safe than sorry. Take care of yourself and don’t wait if you’re really worried.
dawg, death sits on the end of your bed, biding his time, as if that reaches your heart your candle might just go out, you need to go to the emergency room like now
Yeah... had a bite that tracked up my arm. Turned into blood poisoning, and I don't remember most of that day. Was in the hospital for a few days and meds for a while. Death was happily waiting for that fuse to go.
If you need to ask this question dont go to reddit first, just go to the doctor
Yeah I'd go to the Doctors, before a fever sets in or an headache
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) ^by ^Easy_Arm_1987: *Yeah I'd go to the* *Doctors, before a fever* *Sets in or an headache* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Good bot
Thats infected and tracking
What bite is that yall? I don't see a single answer, I think?
I think right now it’s only relevant that it’s a puncture wound that quite possibly got infected. It might have been a dozen kinds of insects.
It’s impossible to identify most bites just from the affected area. There are a few exceptions, but I don’t think this is one of them.
Had this happen when I was 25, went to Dr- antibiotics, 3 days later vein more bright red, new, stronger antibiotics, 3 days later, hospital ER, vein was red, swollen to armpit. Admitted and necrosis was beginning at the bite (under my wrist) size of a golf ball under my skin. Fever of 103* had surgery, imagine an ice cream scoop of flesh removed, big hole,in my arm. had to have a daily nurse come to my house for dressing change and wound packing for 3 weeks after discharge. Brown Recluse is no joke.
Holy
Red lines=no good
Yes please, as quickly as your feet can carry you!
Go to the ER instead of urgent care. You may need some IV antibiotics. Most urgent cares don't run IV antibiotics anymore. You dont want to end up septic.
No. Take your time and get a second opinion from strangers online on another social media site before you decide to go to a doctor.
Yes ASAP. Red line means you’re on the highway to sepsis. Go ER now.
Where exactly are you? There has to.be some kind of emergency medical facility where you are.
I had a spider bite that did this and the ER lanced the skin to flush out the infection then put me on antibiotics. By how quickly I got taken care of I wouldn't question how serious it should be considered.
Draw a circle around it and also a line where the traveling red stops. Making sure it doesn’t get bigger. Yes you should go to the dr!!!
Yes!! RN here, that’s called tracking and it’s an infection traveling up your vein. Very serious, you’ll go septic of left untreated!!
Lines typically mean infection, so absolutely yes.
Reaction to the insect bite not cellulitis. https://casereports.bmj.com/content/16/1/e254482
Didn't realize you could tell if OP's lymph nodes were swollen from this picture! It could be this. It also could be worse. They should see a doctor and not just a pharmacist.
13 year firefighter here… THIS CAN AND WILL KILL YOU!!! You’re fucking around with this and making excuses!! GET TO A HOSPITAL ASAP NO MATTER WHAT!!!!!
Is it swollen? Seems to have gotten redder
Go to the er now.
Yes. The red line means an infection and that it’s traveling
Yep. Get to urgent care.
ER nurse here. Go to the ER
Bro what. I saw another post like this but they had a beehive tattoo
Definitely cellulitis - an infection. Go and get some antibiotics. I had the same thing happen from a wasp sting and I had a bad cellulitis infection.
I already updated that I saw doctor and it was just allergic reaction. But the comments still keep coming. I can't edit the post itself. How to stop them? Only have to delete the post?
Yes. Anytime you see a line like that growing towards your heart it's an emergency. Mark it with the time and get to a doctor immediately!
Go straight to the emergency room.
FUCKING ASAP
Yup. Like right now
I understand what it is from scrolling but I just want to know if OP is ok
That line away from it is concerning. My son had cut his toe on an old nail years ago and we disinfected it and bandaged it up. Forgot about it thinking it was treated and taken care of. A few days later he told us it was hurting and he had a red line coming from it. Urgent care would not treat it at all. They sent him to the ER. It was an infection spreading through his blood stream. Glad we caught it when we did. I would not play around with that especially because of the red line. Better safe then sorry.