|
Post by 12540dumont on May 5, 2012 16:22:18 GMT -5
Folks, This is the time of year when everyone gets really busy and you get tempted to cut corners, especially with safety issues like gloves, glasses, hearing protection. Don't do it.
Two weeks ago the temperature began to climb into the 90's. As it is early spring, we didn't have the shade cloth up yet. In a hurry, I didn't put on gloves and drug out the shade cloth. Rolled up in the dark barn, it's a perfect habitat and I know this, but hurry makes fools of many of us. And then I saw the black widows.
Too late, I was bitten. Turns out I am very very allergic. I've been down 2 weeks, trembling, feverish, blood pressure through the roof, headache and intense muscle spasms. The most lingering thing has been the aphasia. I can't do math in my head, and I keep losing the words for things. The Black widow has a neurotoxin, not particularly good for brain synapse.
I'm finally up and am mostly myself again. Except that I'm verra tired.
I did not get any Superpowers, and boy am I disappointed about that. However, every afternoon my spider senses start tingling. In other words, I start to tremble again and am sent to the hammock on time out. So I think the Spider got the better of the deal.
So please, be careful. Farming can be a dangerous business, requiring constant vigilance. Wear your gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection, etc. And keep your eyes open. Leo reminded me that more than anything else, farming is the art of noticing.
Not noticing leads to a cart load of trouble.
|
|
|
Post by castanea on May 5, 2012 16:54:35 GMT -5
So sorry to hear that. Hope you are better soon. We fight a never ending battle against black widows. They are everywhere around here.
I hear that calcium and magnesium supplements can help with some of the tremors.
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on May 5, 2012 19:44:00 GMT -5
oweeee. I am SO glad that you are getting back to normal! We have to be vigilant of black widows in these parts as well. How about the corn snake we found in the Buff Orps coop eating all the eggs? Robby was collecting eggs and nearly put his hand in...
|
|
|
Post by Walk on May 6, 2012 9:07:07 GMT -5
Sounds really awful. Hope there are no lingering effects. We don't have black widows here (yet), but do have ticks with their assorted diseases. Also brown recluse spiders have been making their way north into our area. I did get a bite from one of those a few years ago. The latest pest making its way north due to warmer climates is the lone star tick, which carries a new infection on top of the ones we already have in our area. I was talking to our local veterinarian who got his degree in Oklahoma and he is seeing tick-borne diseases now in our area that he used to see years ago down south. So even if you think there's nothing around your area, be careful anyway as things are changing.
|
|
|
Post by wolfcub on May 6, 2012 9:19:18 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about this Holly don't over do it, try to get some down time and let your body heal. Cheers Marj
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on May 6, 2012 9:20:10 GMT -5
We have TONS of ticks. That's part of the reason we got the guinea fowl. They have helped.
|
|
|
Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on May 6, 2012 11:11:38 GMT -5
We have black widows here. I've never been bitten though. They are scary when they get big. We have plenty of ticks here as well, but they are mostly up in the pine forests in the mountains. I watched an interesting documentary lately about ticks called "under our skin". Based on the information in the documentary it looks like ticks are everywhere in the U.S. now, and spreading all over Europe as well. The scary thing about ticks is that they might be carrying multiple types of infectious bacteria, and you could potentially get several infections from just one bite. www.underourskin.com/EDIT: well, the map might have been showing the spread of lyme disease, not necessarily tick territory, but i guess the two are correlated somewhat.
|
|
|
Post by steev on May 6, 2012 23:16:03 GMT -5
Aside from fright, a corn snake is little danger, non-venomous and mostly timid. Nice pets.
|
|
|
Post by flowerpower on May 7, 2012 5:44:09 GMT -5
Holly, Just take it easy for a while. I am allergic to spider bites. And they seem to find me quite tasty too. So I'm glad we don't have black widow here. lol Jo, corn snakes are pretty harmless. Next time, just toss him into the corn patch. He'd rather eat a tasty little rodent than eggs.
|
|
|
Post by mnjrutherford on May 7, 2012 7:36:55 GMT -5
Yea, the snake was really pretty cool We have several of them on our property and even have video of them mating from a couple years back. Truly amazing process that!
Thanks for the idea to put it in the corn field next time! This one we sent back to the forest, but the corn field would be great!
|
|
|
Post by johninfla on May 7, 2012 8:12:58 GMT -5
WOW Holly!!!!
I'm glad you're getting better.....those guys are scary. I just said a prayer for you!
John
|
|
|
Post by bunkie on May 7, 2012 10:23:08 GMT -5
glad you're feelimg better holly. what an experience. thanks for the reminders of hats, gloves, etc...
|
|
|
Post by blueadzuki on May 7, 2012 11:07:59 GMT -5
I don't think we have any widows in my immediate vicinity. I have, however been convinced I have seen 1-2 recluses in the odd shrub. Not that I am sure (If I see a large skinny brown spider in a bush, I am not about to go poking it to check if it is a recluse.) We have a few snakes around here, but they are pretty much all northern black racers (non venemous, non threatening) There was however an incident I remember. One day a few summers ago , I was out checking on my garden when a few of the negibor kids came and said they had caught a snake and would I please come over and tell them what to do with it. Expecting to see a racer, I looked into the container they had it in, and was shocked to see something that was pale tan with some VERY vivid chesnut markings on it. This got me worried for a while, as I though it was possible it was a very young copperhead (Ive never seen one in person, but there are supposedly a few in the woods here and there). Not wanting them to go fiddling with it (and equally not wanting them to try and release it back into thier back yard) I told them to keep the container sealed and take it to the local pet store (whose owner happens to actually be a herpetologist). Turns out, false alarm, it was not a copperhead (It was an unusually colorful oak snake) They said that someone else adopted the snake which I supposed is the best outcome (Oak snakes are not native to this area, so it had to be an escaped or abandoned pet) there was also the time when I was eight or so that a (fortunately dead) coral or king snake (one of the yellow and black ones at least. And no my memory isn't good enough to remember the order so I can't tell you which) showed up in our back garden. I actually skinned that one, but tossed the skin out when it started to smell (I was eight, and had never learned the intricacies of tanning).
|
|
|
Post by johno on May 7, 2012 12:18:27 GMT -5
Sorry you were bitten. I saw a documentary about it years ago, and it was described as the worst pain imaginable. To be allergic on top of that... how horrible. Wishing you a full and speedy recovery.
I killed one about a week ago. In the past three days I've also killed a copperhead (on the way to the garden) and a rattlesnake (in the garden). Black widows aren't really commonly seen here, but partly because they hide well. Brown recluses are ubiquitous here. Growing up, I was taught to check just about everything I pick up. It pays to be aware. <knock on wood...>
|
|
|
Post by RpR on May 7, 2012 22:54:38 GMT -5
God speed to you on that spider bite. I have never had a fear of spiders but I am guessing I may be slightly allergic as when one does get me I get a goose egg of a bump. It has been probably thirty years since one got me, but that time I was lying in bed and suddenly I saw a bright flash like when one hit you on the head with a bat. It slapped my head where it hurt and squashed him. It did not hurt that bad but I had what amounted to a slowly dying constant headache and a bump probably closer to half ping-pong ball than what my elders always called a goose egg.
I am in Minn. and where I am we do not seem to have too many spiders, at least no abnormal amount although just two days ago a spider apprx. one-half inch or so in size seemed infatuated with my computer screen.
I would blow him off of it and ten minutes later he would be back walking across it. I finally said to heck with it and turned the laptop off and went to sleep but was a bit uneasy when I felt something seeming to be walking on my skin.
|
|