First Aid - When Disaster Strikes - page 114

ticed, or may feel like a small pinprick followed by tingling and numbing of the hands and feet.
Symptoms may progress into severe back and stomach cramps, sweating, vomiting, headaches,
and seizures. Ice at the wound site can ease the pain somewhat. Seek medical attention as soon
as possible; there is an antidote for severe cases. Most people recover within twelve hours
without treatment (Weiss 1997, 116).
The bite of the brown recluse spider can cause serious tissue damage if left untreated. The
body of the brown recluse is about ½ inch long and has a dark, violin-shaped marking on the
top of the upper section of its body. Initial mild stinging is followed by itching and burning,
and then blistering and ulceration at the bite area. Fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting may fol-
low within one to two days. Seek medical attention; there is an antivenin that can halt or pre-
vent tissue damage (Weiss 1997, 117).
Tarantulas are scarier looking than they are dangerous. Their bites can be painful and
should be treated for possible infection.
Tick Bites
“ Lyme disease is now the most common tick-transmitted infection, with an estimated 5,000 to 15,000
new cases in the United States each year. The majority of people with Lyme disease do not recall the
precipitating tick bite. ” —Eric A. Weiss, M.D., A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medi-
cine
Ticks typically hang around on blades of grass and other vegetation until a host rubs against
them. They crawl onto the host and wander around until they find a spot, then dig their head in-
to the skin for a blood feast (usually when the host is at rest). If you tear a tick off the host, typ-
ically, at least part of its head is left buried in the skin. Tick bites often lead to infection and
may require a quick surgical procedure if a cyst has formed around an imbedded tick head. The
preferred removal method is to grasp the tick body with a pair of tweezers, getting as far under
the head as possible without puncturing or rupturing the tick's body. Gently lift up and back un-
til the tick releases its grasp and pulls free from the host (this may take a few minutes of steady
pressure). Traditional methods, such as coating the tick with fingernail polish or petroleum jelly
or burning the tick with a hot object, can force the tick to release from the host—but these
methods increase infection risk from the tick regurgitating potentially infectious fluids into the
host's bloodstream. Tick bites can cause infection or introduce diseases such as Lyme disease
or Rocky Mountain spotted fever.