I got bit by a BROWN RECLUSE!!!

*image courtesy of www.brownreclusespider.org





I went over to 2nd Cup who said something about her friends post on vinegar, and I just have to say that vinegar literally saved my thumb! Here's the story...

For Ivy's party in February, I went in my closet and grabbed out a blanket for my MIL to show my aunt. She had made it for my husband and they were comparing stitches. Well, I went to the kitchen and continued to prepare dips and everything else that goes into making a fantastic party for a bunch of 10 year olds. I kept noticing a bump that looked like a ant bite on my thumb. It was so sensitive that I couldn't even barely touch it. I tried popping it (because I just do things like that), but it wouldn't pop.

When I woke up the next morning, my hand was aching and I had red streaks moving along my arm. It was really painful and very weird! I remember my pastor always saying to use vinegar because it draws out the poison. So, I woke up my husband and told him to get me a bowl of vinegar because I had to do something about my hand. I was slightly panicking (and if you know me, you know that slightly is an understatement).

He got me a bowl of vinegar and I stuck my hand in it and sat there until my thumb was pretty raw. I sooo didn't care though. There weren't any long red streaks up my hand and the blister had gotten huge! The baby was spending the weekend and it was time for his nap. I went to lay on the couch and snuggle him to sleep and he grabbed my thumb and the blister exploded! I continued to soak it, but it seemed to not get any better. The blister was gone, but now there was a hole and it was red all around and still very painful.

I finally decided to go to the doctor. When I told him about it, he said I was bit by a brown recluse spider. Since I am already the slightly panicky type, I couldn't stop thinking about how I could so totally lose my thumb!! He gave me a cream and antibiotic, and said "now this will not be healed quickly. it'll take about 2 months for it to heal completely. It'll have to be healed from the inside out." I think he also said that the hole would get bigger.

I went home and started to take the antibiotics and used the cream. I also got prayer for it. And do you know what.. it didn't take 2 months to heal, it didn't get any worse, and it didn't leave a soft spot or scar. It healed in a week, and you can't even tell where it was..

If I wouldn't have known that vinegar would pull out poison, then I believe that it would have been way worse. I looked up information on spider bites and it says that once it gets to a vein then it just takes off from there. I seen pictures and I am so thankful that I didn't have to go through that! Take a look if you don't have a weak stomach.. My thumb looked nothing like that.. Well maybe the initial blister, but it didn't get any worse than that!