pokie bite

[jimmyx36]

Assuming the worst happens, what should I do?

Here's my list (using common sense)
- try to squeeze as much venom as possible out of the wound
- stay calm
- make a "just in case" trip to the hospital

I'm not posting this to scare people but I don't think a pokie bite is something to which you should have the "oh I'll figure it out when it happens" mentality.

Comments? Suggestions?

Thanks,

- James

 

[mcy]

- try to squeeze as much venom as possible out of the wound

I've never been bit or want to be but i don't think it would even be possible to squeeze any venom out considering the penetration they would get with those fangs and the very little amount of venom in the wound would be instantly absorbed into your system.

 

[james41777]

Squeezing might help..(IMO!)

I would make a just in case trip to the hospital.

 

[Varden]

The only reason to go to the hospital, in my opinion, would be to pick up some vicodin to help you manage through the pain better. Then go home and sleep off the worst of the effects, if you can. It's going to hurt, but considering what I've read in the literature so far, unless you're health isn't the best to start with, I don't think it's something to panic over.

 

[Scolopendra]

ive heard that if you apply heat to the envenomation site it can reduce the effects of the venom.

 

[Becky]

All of this will help.. but do u know if u r allergic to venom or not? if u r.. the symptoms could be worse.. i read that, at worse, a bite from a P. ornata can put someone in a coma and cause digestive and respiratory problems... needless to say... i try to avoid getting bitten ! lol

 

[cricket54]

I've also heard that heat, like emmersing your hand in hot water, would help. Haven't tried it myself. It would be real unusal to get bit by one of the pokies though, unless it was loose and you tried to trap it with your hand. I think I was bit by a baby P rufilata. It was about an inch or two in size and ran out of its home onto my hand. I got it to run back inside. Didn't even know I was bit untill over an hr or more later when my hand was cramping up. I had two little red spots over the pinky knucle. I thought I got bit by something from the garden because it started when I was pulling weeds. The cramping kept up for over a week, but wasn't too severe. I had scaring at the spot for over a yr where I must have been bit. Had no other symptoms. I was bit by a full sz OBT (P. murinis) that had escaped and I captured though, and that was pretty severe. I took a couple of benedryl tabs. and went to sleep it off. I didn't know at the time to try hot water, I tried ice and it did not help for the pain. I just think that Pokies are real reluctant to bite and they just run. I've had 3 escape and were recaptured. My large P. rufilata was found in my son-in-laws shoe when he tried to put it on, and it didn't bite his foot. Scared the crap out of him though.

Sharon

 

[ancientscout]

Best just keep your fingers out of there in the first place and don't get bitten.

 

[Mr Short Radius]

Best just keep your fingers out of there in the first place and don't get bitten.

What about when you rehouse it? What if you happen to get bit in that event?

 

[Derek W.]

Basic Envenomation tips

Attempting to squeeze/suck out the venom isn't really gonna do much of anything according to most of what I've read. I think that running it under hot water will probably make things worse because it would increase bloodflow to the area causing the venom to go through you're system faster. Although, you do wanna wash it out to prevent infection, just not with hot water. Overall, I think the best thing you could do is immobilize whatever got bit and seek medical attention right away. Since there hasn't been a whole lot of research on T envenomation from what I have heard, and there is a possibility of an allergic reaction, you shouldn't take any chances by not going to the hospital right away. (By the way, I am not claiming to be an expert on any of this, it's just stuff that I have picked up by reading various articles and stuff.)

 

[mikeythefireman]

Don't do any interventions until you've done a whole lot more research than this. I've seen thousands of people resort to old school remedies and do more damage than good. I had a guy go in a coma from septicemia (systemic bacterial infection) after trying to bleed out a rattler bite. Every doctor's office in the neighborhood had antivenin on hand and he was no more than twenty minutes from 3 hospitals.

I don't know much about T venom, but warming the bite might just spread the venom quicker than your body can react to it and cause a more severe reaction.

Trying to squeeze or suck the venom out might do more damage to the surrounding tissue encouraging further localized envenomation resulting in a more sever localized reaction.

So, my advice is to follow 2 of your common sense responses.

Stay calm. Nothing will be gained from getting excited except an adrenalized reponse that will confuse your symptoms and excerbate your reaction.

Make a "just in case" trip to the hospital. If you experience any adverse symptoms beyond mild burning or itching, head to the docs. If all he does is give you some superficial symptomatic care, sweet you've got legal drugs.

Here's my disclaimer: I don't know squat about T venom. This is my opinion based off 11 years of Emergency Medicine. I've dealt with a grand total of maybe 20 venomous attacks and they were all black widow or rattlers. There is definitive prescribed care for these.

 

[Kazz]

When I was stung by a scorpion (a Centruroides exilicauda which was living in my apartment and sitting on my pants when I picked them up, before I started keeping them), the poison control people told me to put ice on it to help with the pain and not do much else, but I saw the director of some similar kind of agency on TV talking about the time he was stung by a lion fish, and he put the hottest water he could stand on his hand to help break down the venom.

I don't know which (if either) is similar to a tarantula bite, but the point is that different treatments are probably best for different types of venom, and unless someone can give you a definite answer, you should treat almost everyone's suggestions as just their best guesses and not rely on them if you don't have to. Of course it's possible that there hasn't been significant research on treatments for Pokie venom, in which case the guesses here may be as good as you'll get. I'm sure that there has been research on treatments for at least some tarantulas' venom though, so if you can find any of that then I'm sure it'll be more help than my talk about scorpions and lion fish.

If you can't find what you need online, you could always try contacting one or more Poison Control centers, or some place that's specifically dedicated to venom information, and hopefully they'll be able to help. I'm sure other people here would appreciate any information you do manage to find, so good luck!

 

[gumby]

The first thing you should do is go here: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/forumdisplay.php?f=16
and read all the bite report posts.
the second thing I would say is do not warm or squeeze the area as this will increase blood flow to the area and help the venom spread more
I would just take some benedryl and try not to think about it which may be hard.
scott

 

[Midnightrdr456]

pokie bites are very overrated. Nothing serious will happen most likely (most likely is the key). If you are in extreme pain or feel sick then maybe go to the hospital but they cant really do anything for you for a bit from a spider from india.

My tips:

take benydril (spelling?) - 2 or 3
take aleve (its the strongest of the pain medicines) - 1 or 2

that combo will aleviate some of the pain, and make you drowsy, then go to sleep and enjoy a nice little bruise in the morning, because most likely that about all there will be.

 

[Longbord1]

back to the heat thing. Im not sure what kind of venom pokies have but i know that most proteins will denature under hot and unfavorable conditions. If my memory serves me right then venom is a protein and thus heat will denature it cause it to stop working as well or working at all.

if you get bit give it a shot.

 

[gumby]

that would be awaesome if applying heat worked well. Do you think it makes a difference that T. venom is peptide based?:? its close to a protein but a little different its a chain.
scott

 

[Nerri1029]

pokie bites are very overrated. Nothing serious will happen most likely (most likely is the key). If you are in extreme pain or feel sick then maybe go to the hospital but they cant really do anything for you for a bit from a spider from india.

My tips:

take benydril (spelling?) - 2 or 3
take aleve (its the strongest of the pain medicines) - 1 or 2

that combo will aleviate some of the pain, and make you drowsy, then go to sleep and enjoy a nice little bruise in the morning, because most likely that about all there will be.

The recommended dose is 50mg per every 6-8 hours for Benadryl
DO NOT excede the 300mg max dose!

And Aleve ( naproxen ) is good but just be informed Naproxen on WebMD

I would see my doctor first for certain.
I do not see any logical reason to at least inform or visit your doctor.
Aside form the venom.. there are plenty of risks.. mostly infection --> septicemia

better safe with a few prescriptions right?

 

[Longbord1]

i am thinking that the venom can cause necrosis and maybe it eats away at organic tissue? if it does then it is an enzyme correct? if it is an enzyme then heat will destroy it.

 

[gumby]

i am thinking that the venom can cause necrosis and maybe it eats away at organic tissue? if it does then it is an enzyme correct? if it is an enzyme then heat will destroy it.

I have never been bite in three years but from what Ive read there is very little tissue damage only the puncture marks. also infection if not cared for properly. The more venomous tags Ive read about are here http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=5471 thats about as bad as it gets.
scott

 

[Longbord1]

ok thats good to know. Correct my information if i am wrong guys!