What is Black Widow Spider Bite
A bite from a black widow spider can be serious or life-threatening. Black widow spiders have a black body with an orange-red hourglass shape on the belly. If you think that you were bitten by a black widow spider, get help right away.
Follow these instructions at home:
Wound care
- Follow
instructions from your doctor about how to take care of your bite wound.
Make sure you:
- Wash your hands with soap and water before you change your bandage (dressing). If you cannot use soap and water, use hand sanitizer.
- Change your bandage as told by your doctor.
- Keep the bite area clean and dry. Wash the bite area with soap and water as told by your doctor.
- Do notscratch the bite area.
General instructions
- Take or apply over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your doctor.
- If you were prescribed an antibiotic medicine, take or apply it as told by your doctor. Do notstop using the antibiotic even if your condition improves.
- If
directed, apply ice to the bite area.
- Put ice in a plastic bag.
- Place a towel between your skin and the bag.
- Leave the ice on for 20 minutes, 2–3 times per day.
- Raise (elevate) the bite area above the level of your heart while you are sitting or lying down.
- Keep all follow-up visits as told by your doctor. This is important.
Contact a doctor if:
- You have muscle cramps.
- You have pain or cramps in your belly (abdomen).
- You have more redness, swelling, or pain at the site of your bite.
- You start to be numb or weak in any part of your body.
- You feel generally sick (malaise).
Get help right away if:
- You start to breathe very quickly.
- Your heart starts to beat very quickly.
- You get very restless or confused.
- You have chest pain.
- You feel faint or light-headed.
- You have fluid or blood coming from the bite area.
- You have pus or a bad smell coming from your bite wound or bandage.
- You have a fever.
