Life Lesson

The Itsy Bitsy Spider Who Came to Visit During the Night

What is it about some people that attracts biting insects (and dogs)?

On what should have been a typical morning like any other, I woke up to what felt like a large pimple on my forehead. It felt tight, itchy, and slightly painful. When I looked in the mirror, it was obvious this was no pimple.

Centered between my eyes and up close to my hairline was what looked like a round hole in my skin, which was filled in with dried blood. Around the hole, the skin was red, swollen, and sensitive to touch. Even if it had been a pimple that was squeezed, it would not look like this.

It was a hole, and it was raw.

What’s growing on my head?

Within the next few hours as I was arriving at work, I became even more aware of the anomaly on my forehead and ducked into the ladies’ room for another look.

Whatever it was, it spread. The redness and swelling had traveled a few more inches closer to my eyebrows; my forehead was noticeably more swollen; it felt tighter than it did earlier; and the hole in my skin was starting to throb and ulcerate.

Fortunately, I always wore bangs, which hid my problem from anyone else’s eyes but mine.

Before the day was out, the swelling spread down to my eyebrows, and though still hidden by my hair, I got through the day despite the affliction I was constantly aware of.

After returning home, I tried several treatments on it — from washing with a very strong soap to dabbing on Neosporin to applying Calamine Lotion — before retiring for the night.

Spot, be gone!

When I woke up the next morning, the redness had spread over my eyes.

I hadn’t been too concerned up to this point, but this was a little unusual, even for a mosquito bite, which I’ve never had travel that far and cause so much agony.

Figuring the swelling would go down soon, I left for work as I thought my glasses would cover most of the swelling, but I didn’t get away with it. People were noticing and started asking questions for which I had no answers.

It was in my best interests to leave work, hoping whatever it was would diminish by the next day.

I was not going to give in to panic. After another treatment on the scab, which had now doubled in size from yesterday, I went to bed, hoping for the best again.

Time for medical treatment

The next morning, before I felt brave enough to look in the mirror, I knew from the pain being more intense than the night before that a trip to the emergency room was needed.

Whatever this was, it was not about to go away and may take over my whole body within a week. Maybe it was a flesh-eating bacteria of some sort, and I became truly worried that I may have a permanent affliction.

After my examination, which seemed eerily quick with the doctor acting a little too calm, he asked me a series of questions, like had I been in the woods lately or in an attic, or had I done something unusual?

I’m being eaten alive by the Blob — don’t you see I’m freaking out?

“I remembered taking a walk over the weekend on a bike trail,” I responded, feeling my patience wearing thin due to what I deemed to be a cavalier attitude on his part.

“Well,” he said, “you have a spider bite.” He named the type of spider he thought was the culprit, but the name escapes me now — I was too surprised at his diagnosis to hear anything besides “spider bite.”

“Is it poisonous?” I queried becoming very concerned.

“Yes, but not that harmful to humans. Consequently, there’s good news and bad news; which do you want first?”

Is he really starting to smile?

He must have thought this was a joke as I sat there with my fat, red, swollen face, thinking I was morphing into an alien creature of some sort.

“I’ll take the bad news first,” I choked out.

“The bad news is that it will get worse before it gets better, and there is no antidote for it. The good news is that it’s almost at the point where it will start to recede. Give it another day or two, and you’ll see it diminishing.”

That’s the good news?

The doctor nailed it.

He was right — it got worse the next day, and then finally the redness started disappearing one inch at a time as it left my poor, misshapen face.

However, that spider left a lasting impression, one the doctor neglected to mention.

It left a small hole, scar, dip, dent, pockmark, whatever it’s called, on my forehead and a story to tell, which I do when asked.

It’s a constant reminder of how a tiny creature, which must have taken a ride home with me, could wreak such havoc on human skin and how a fun day of hiking could turn into something uninvited and unexpected.

Insect repellent would have helped had I remembered to bring it.

Well, at least the spider only gouged out a little of my flesh. Imagine what its poison does to another insect!

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