 It started as a small prick on my leg while sitting at my desk at work. Nothing major. Kinda like a small bug bite or just even a random twitch in my skin. I really didn't think anything of it. The next day it started itching. And I thought it must be a bug bite. But by that evening my leg was sore and inflamed. The region around the small bite was hot, bright red, and very sensitive to the touch. A visit to the urgent care center confirmed what others were telling me. It was a poisonous insect bite -- probably a Brown Recluse.
My leg continued to get worse over the next couple of days and I found myself returning back to the urgent care facility just two days later. The urgent care physicians put me on a second course of anti-biotics in an attempt to stem the infection that was spreading rapidly through my leg.
The picture here shows both of the bites. The one lower on my leg was much larger than the upper one. This picture was taken after the drugs had started working and doesn't really show the bite at it's worst.
The second dose of anti-biotics seems to stop the spreading of the infection but didn't seem to be making things better. At least not as fast as the doctor was hoping for. So she prescribed two more anti-biotics and a shot in the hip. I was also ordered to stay in bed and keep the leg elevated above my heart as much as possible. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem but I was supposed to be moving my family the weekend this was happening. It's hard to stay bed ridden when your bed is riding in the back of a truck.
The final batch of anti-biotics did the job. Very soon the infection and swelling had gone down considerably and by Tuesday, one week after the bite, I was able to walk on my leg without excruciating pain and things looked promising.
I returned to work and gave everyone there a heart attack. For the next couple of days people were wary of sitting at their desk for fear of being bitten by the same spider or another. We never did find the spider. Maybe it's waiting for another victim.
This picture here shows the current status of my leg. It has now been almost two week since the bites. I am told that it could take several more weeks before it is completely healed. Even then I'll likely have a scar. I guess I can kiss my modeling career out the window.
This little spider bite sure did add a lot of excitement to my life. I have certainly learned to have a lot more respect for dangerous insects. Living in Arizona has introduced us to a whole new set of risks. Now that I've had my own personal experience I think I will take the risk a lot more seriously.
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