WARNING: This post is not for the queasy or the arachnophobic.
Wednesday: I notice a large welt on Xander's arm that is bigger than a quarter. It is swollen and throbbing. I could literally see it blinking red then white. I asked him if he banged it on something, but he couldn't tell me anything. It had a perfectly round shape so I figured it was unlikely that he banged it on something perfectly round. So my next thought was that it was a spider bite.
Thursday: The spot on Xander's arm looked better. It wasn't swollen or throbbing anymore. Phew, I don't need to worry about it.
Friday: I got the stomach flu and wasn't all with it. But I noticed that Xander got another round spot on his leg, just like the first. And a smaller one on his upper thigh (or just under his butt). I thought, oh great, this is some kind of infection that is spreading. I considered taking him to the Doctor, but I was ill so I didn't leave the house.
Saturday: The spots on his legs didn't look better, actually they developed a white center. Yuck. So I'm thinking, perhaps this really is a spider bite, possibly a hobo. I start looking up hobo bites on the internet. They all look nasty and pussy -- google it, you'll be afraid. As I am doing this, Xander picks up a snoopy stuffed animal that we have and starts waving it around saying, "Mom look, a big ugly spider, a big ugly spider." He said this about 5 times before I finally looked. And just like he said, on the nose of snoopy was a BIG UGLY SPIDER! After screaming at him to put the snoopy down, I compared the spider with the hobo pictures I have pulled up on my computer. IDENTICAL MATCH!
(Depending on your computer screen size, this picture is a little smaller than the actual size. They look way more bad ass in person.)
If you are unfamiliar with this particular spider, here is some basic information:
The hobo spider is also known as the aggressive house spider. Hobo spiders are found generally in the northwest part of the United States, western Canada, and throughout Europe. The hobo spider usually prefers dry and warm climates and will sometimes live within houses. Hobo spiders are moderately large spiders. The male hobo spider is about twelve to eighteen millimeters.
About 50% of Hobo Spider bites are 'dry,' meaning that no venom is injected and nothing happens to the victim. In fact, often times the victim does not even realize that he has been bit. Typically, when venom is injected, the victim will experience an immediate redness which develops around the bite then begins to disappear within a few hours. Very often, for the first 24 hours, the bite appears to be no worse than that of a mosquito; then it begins to blister in the center. Within 24 to 36 hours the blister breaks open, leaving an open, oozing ulceration.
This ulceration 'scabs' over within three weeks from the initial bite, leaving a permanent scar. If the bite is delivered in fatty tissue, the lesion may be very deep and extensive, not healing for over two or three years. Systematic reactions to Hobo Spider poisoning include severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, soreness and flu-like symptoms.Ewww! So I think, I should catch the damn thing to take with me to the Doctor if I decide to take Xander in. I proceed to try coaxing it into various containers. My knees were literally shaking and I thought I was going to vomit right there. (Wouldn't be a stretch because I was sick the day before.) The spider ended up getting spooked and scurrying farther into the toy box, until he was completely hidden by toys. Just so you know, if you think spiders are silent, hobo spiders are so big that you can hear their legs scurry on the plastic toys. It made it even more dramatic for me. So I start pulling toys out of the box, one by one trying to find this stupid spider. I get about half of them out, when I decide I'm in way over my head, and maybe I should just call somebody. So I break down and call my in-laws, who are native to Idaho and have some experience with this sort of thing. They tell me they'll come right over, which is about 1.5 hours later. (Curtis was at annual training for the military and a can't even reach him on the phone -- a lot of good that does me.)
In the meantime, I cover the toy basket with aluminum foil and put a heavier box on top and take the whole thing outside. I take a shower and melt down -- this was way too much drama for one Saturday morning.
When the in-laws get here: They trapped the spider in a clear plastic "Tupperware" type box. And immediately started find spots to hide sticky traps. We stripped the sheets off of Xander's bed and washed them. After examining the bites, my in-laws thought we should take Xander to the doctor. We took him in to Urgent Care and brought that big ugly spider with us (alive). The Dr. said to watch for flu-like symptoms such as a fever. She said the bites will probably open up and scab. In which case I treat it like a cut -- Neosporin and a band aid. She continued to make me feel faint and nauseous, by telling me all the things I need to do to the house to prevent spiders and about how when a spider bites you it's venoum is used to break down and digest the food. So his bites are basically going to breakdown the flesh. I also let Xander hold the SEALED box -- it kept him busy and holding still. So he's shaking the spider. Then the doctor opens the box with the spider in it to try to count the bands on its legs. It was really nasty and I thought I was going to either have a panic attack or be sick. Oh and the Doctor said to keep Xander out of the basement for a while. I said, that's not going to happen, our whole apartment is in the basement. Yikes! I'm definitely going to walk around with my shoes on for a while and look before I stick my hand in dark corners. Uhh, I am totally freaked out!
These are two of his bites. The 1st one is on his arm and it looks like a dry bite -- no venoum. The other one is on his leg and it looks more pussy, like it could turn black and open up like a blister. Time will tell.
Xander insisted on opening presents BEFORE breakfast. Of course, I let him. He was very excited!
He got some sand toys for his birthday, so after breakfast he went and got his swimming suit and said we were going to the beach to play with his sand toys. I relented and took an unplanned trip to the beach. What's better than going to the beach on your birthday?!
The aftermath of the wet sand fight. This was the only time all day, I had to somewhat scold the birthday boy.
I was going to make a special cake for the birthday boy, but I wanted to do it on a day when other people would be with us to celebrate. So today we went to the store and let Xander pick out a pre-made cake. I was hoping for chocolate cupcakes, but he picked the white cake with funky strawberry goo in it because it was a FOOTBALL cake. No one really ate it but Tayla, but oh well.
