Arachnophobia anyone?

[One Radical Dude]

I think they're great to look at, though I'm not very fond of the ones that carry the venom. Had a friend over the summer that got bitten by a black widow. When he went to the hospital, they said he didn't need any medication, and the he wasn't going to die. I guess he had a dry bite or something, but he did swell up pretty big.

[pitbulllady]

Originally Posted by One Radical Dude

I think they're great to look at, though I'm not very fond of the ones that carry the venom. Had a friend over the summer that got bitten by a black widow. When he went to the hospital, they said he didn't need any medication, and the he wasn't going to die. I guess he had a dry bite or something, but he did swell up pretty big.

Is he absolutely certain that it was a Black Widow? Black Widows have neurotoxic venom, like a Cobra's, which attacks the central nervous system but generally does not cause tissue damage and swelling. Black Widow venom molecules bind to pain receptors in the brain, while overactivating the nerves that control muscles, causing virtually every muscle in the body to cramp violently, while at the same time magnifying the sensation of pain THAT causes. Eventually, the heart muscle goes into spasm, along with the breathing muscles, which can result in death.

pitbulllady

[One Radical Dude]

Well, I wasn't there, when it happened. This was before seeing my friends in CA. It may not have been a Black Widow, but then again, I wasn't around for that.

[Bloofanatic]

I don't mind the small ones but the big ones......*shudders*