A 51-year-old Georgia woman noticed lumps on her breast a week after Easter Sunday, 2010, but said she had no idea she had been bitten by a brown recluse spider. Victoria Franklin spoke with Patty Pan in a May 21st interview for MyFoxAtlanta. She said, "I've always joked and told people my house was built on a spider hill, because that's all I would find. In my kitchen, my downstairs, spiders in my guest bathroom, in my garage, everywhere it would be spiders."
A Brown Recluse Spider Bite Can Cause Necrosis and Gangrene, Accompanied by a Foul Odor
Over the next three days Franklin said she had some nausea and vomiting, but the pain and smell started to become unbearable. "It was like a stench, like I want to say, like rotten eggs or something like that, but it was stronger and I couldn't take it anymore," said Franklin, whose left breast had turned black by the time she went to the emergency room. Gangrene had set in and both the muscle and breast tissue had to be removed.
Vomiting, nausea, and fever are common symptoms associated with a severe brown recluse spider bite. If medical care is not sought at this critical time, necrosis (death) of the soft tissue begins to take place and a deep, severe infection can develop into gangrene. At this point the wound becomes difficult to heal and will require severe antibiotics and anti-venom. The risk of gangrene is that the infection will spread and enter the blood stream.
The tissue smells like rotten meat at this point because that is basically what it is. Once the tissue around the wound dies, it is no longer receiving blood flow or oxygen, so the flesh and muscle start rotting. The rotted tissue will begin to fall off in pieces, sometimes leaving huge scars. In the worst of cases, the wound may become larger than 10 inches in diameter and, in very severe situations, the brown recluse spider bite may cause necrosis straight to the bone.
Ignoring Even Mild Symptoms After a Dangerous Spider Bite Can Result in Serious Complications
The results of a brown recluse spider bite can be much more serious than the symptoms. According to the Center for Disease Control (a United States federal agency under the Department of health and Human Services based in Atlanta, GA) brown recluse spiders are usually found in closets, attics and inside shoes if they wander indoors. The spiders do not typically bite humans unless there is unintentional pressure when the insects are trapped against the skin.
After unknowingly suffering a brown recluse spider bite, Victoria Franklin developed an infection that led to gangrene and surgery to remove necrotic soft tissue. This extreme measure was necessary because the damage was done before Victoria got medical help to stop the infection in her breast. She said she hoped her story would be a lesson to others. "If they have spiders, and they know they have spiders like I knew I did, I want them to be very aware and get their houses exterminated," Franklin said.
Linda Sue Meagher - Linda Sue loves animals, writing & art and considers herself a student of Human Nature. She loves outdoor adventures like skiing and ...
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