1 Answer

This picture was taken just minutes after the bite, followed by nausia:

When bitten by a Black Widow spider many do not register the short stabbing pain as a spider bite. In most cases, if the affected area is not a highly sensitive location the bite might not be noticed until slight swelling and a red ring appear around two tiny puncture marks. Physical symptoms of the Black Widow spider bite may appear within the first two hours following a bite. While many have very little side effects, these are the common complaints listed among Black Widow bite victims:

• Intense muscular cramping which may cause cramping or tremor. Cramping usually originates in the abdomen and spreads to the back, shoulders, and thighs.

• Neurological side effects of the bite include headache and increased anxiety.

• The skin may become intensely itchy and sweating may occur, but in rare cases will there be any necrosis (dying and sloughing) of the skin.

• Weakness, labored breathing, fever, nausea and increased blood pressure are also indications of the venom moving though the body of the victim.

Most symptoms will disappear within the following day, leaving little to no long-term complications, but these symptoms will need to be addressed by a medical professional. While a Black Widow spider bite related death has not been reported in the United States in over ten years, the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and children are more likely to die as a result of a bite.