Husband got bit by Brown Recluse on the Breeze! True story!

[macfam76]

We were on the Breeze out of Galveston 7/24-7/31. We had an amazing time! We were cruising without our kids for our 15th anniversary.

 

However....

 

On Friday we were eating the Sea Day Brunch when my husband grabbed his leg under the table and said he had just been bit by something. We looked and saw a tiny bump. We didn't see anything and it didn't hurt terribly bad right away so we just dismissed it. I kept saying, "Surely, not! I haven't seen so much as a fly all week!"

 

By the end of the cruise it was big enough to put a band aid on and it hurt just a little bit. During our 11 hour drive home it really started bothering him. He took some ibuprofen and we called our doctor. He prescribed an antibiotic saying it sounding like an infected boil. We picked up the meds and he took them. By the next day it was huge and we knew something was wrong. He went to the dr and sure enough, it is a brown recluse bite. Thankfully my husband has a super high pain tolerance and was not in major pain till we were able to go to the doctor.

 

It has been 10 days and he is on a strong antibiotic because he developed cellulitis but he is feeling better!

 

Carnival gave us 20% a future cruise and I think that was fair. I emailed them just to let them know. I would hate for a baby or child to get bit!

There was no way to prove it because he did not report it right away. We just had no idea what it was.

 

This incident does not change our opinion about Carnival or cruising. In fact, we are going to use the 20% off to take our kids on a cruise next summer. The fact is that people get bit all the time. One of the coaches my husband works and teaches with got bit at our school.

 

Crazy things happen!

 

Edited to add: I could post a pic but I really doubt no one wants to see it!

Edited August 9, 2016 by macfam76
add info

[CocoCandy]

Macfam76, sorry your husband had this happen to him. I hope he makes a quick recovery!

[ABQrobin]

How did your doctor diagnose it without seeing the actual spider? I thought that all spider bites looked the same. Is there some other way to know?

[macfam76]

Well it was either that or the Hobo Spider. The hobo spiders symptoms are more mild. The brown recluse bite causes necrosis of the skin and that is definitely happening to my husbands leg.

[bury me at sea]

What a bang-up ending to your cruise!

 

Glad you enjoyed it. We board the Breeze on Sunday and are ready for a marvelous week.

 

Best wishes for your husband's recovery.

[KPfromCT]

One of the guys I work with was bitten by a brown recluse a couple of weeks ago, and when he went to the clinic/doctor, they were able to tell it was a brown recluse by the "fang marks":eek::eek:

 

If you google some of those brown recluse bites (images), it is scary stuff.

They leave huge, gaping flesh wounds. GROSS!!!!!:eek:

 

I am SHOCKED to hear that there was on a cruise ship. Just don't understand how that would happen, but I guess someone could have brought it on the ship, in their luggage, and he found his way to the dining room?:confused:

 

I would be so freaked out. Hate spiders to start with, but the poisonous ones are the WORST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[macfam76]

We felt kind of dumb not realizing what it was because it was so obvious! We just kept saying, "Surely not!" He just has a crazy high pain tolerance. He tore his bicep last year and barely flinched.

 

Hindsight it 20/20!!

[Micahs Grandad]

Wow new one on me glad he will be ok

[Zoey]

Yikes! I hate spiders! I wonder if it could have made it's way in (without it's Sign & Sail card being swiped) while docked somewhere? Hope he recovers quickly.

[KPfromCT]

We felt kind of dumb not realizing what it was because it was so obvious! We just kept saying, "Surely not!" He just has a crazy high pain tolerance. He tore his bicep last year and barely flinched.

 

Hindsight it 20/20!!

 

I am so glad to hear that he will be OK. What a relief.........

When he got bit, did he look under the table to see what was on his leg?

They are NOT small spiders........

Ugh. I would have freaked OUT!!!!!:D

[ABQrobin]

Well it was either that or the Hobo Spider. The hobo spiders symptoms are more mild. The brown recluse bite causes necrosis of the skin and that is definitely happening to my husbands leg.

 

thanks, good to know.

[macfam76]

We didn't look but he wishes he would have now! He is a biology teacher and love spiders. NOT ME, YUCK!

[crzndeb]

I wonder if it hitched a ride in your suitcase. I had a spider in a shoe many years ago, and to this day, I still tap shoes before I put them on.

 

Now I will be double checking my suitcases. LOL

 

Hope you husband feels better.

[ABQrobin]

I wonder if it hitched a ride in your suitcase. I had a spider in a shoe many years ago, and to this day, I still tap shoes before I put them on.

 

Now I will be double checking my suitcases. LOL

 

Hope you husband feels better.

 

haha... we were on a land-based trip to Cozumel many years ago. Our last day my DH took our luggage outside to shake out and left them sitting on patio for a few minutes. He brought them back in, layed them on for us to start packing... and a big scorpion was sitting in one. Scared the crap out of me! He obviously hopped in on the patio.

[KPfromCT]

haha... we were on a land-based trip to Cozumel many years ago. Our last day my DH took our luggage outside to shake out and left them sitting on patio for a few minutes. He brought them back in, layed them on for us to start packing... and a big scorpion was sitting in one. Scared the crap out of me! He obviously hopped in on the patio.

 

:eek::eek: I would have been out of that room SO fast....:D:D

 

I don't do spiders or snakes. Ewwww!!!! Deathly afraid of both.......

[PAPERBKWRITER]

You're my kind of people. You tried to help the next people instead of screaming for compensation.

[KPfromCT]

We were on the Breeze out of Galveston 7/24-7/31. We had an amazing time! We were cruising without our kids for our 15th anniversary.

 

However....

 

On Friday we were eating the Sea Day Brunch when my husband grabbed his leg under the table and said he had just been bit by something. We looked and saw a tiny bump. We didn't see anything and it didn't hurt terribly bad right away so we just dismissed it. I kept saying, "Surely, not! I haven't seen so much as a fly all week!"

 

By the end of the cruise it was big enough to put a band aid on and it hurt just a little bit. During our 11 hour drive home it really started bothering him. He took some ibuprofen and we called our doctor. He prescribed an antibiotic saying it sounding like an infected boil. We picked up the meds and he took them. By the next day it was huge and we knew something was wrong. He went to the dr and sure enough, it is a brown recluse bite. Thankfully my husband has a super high pain tolerance and was not in major pain till we were able to go to the doctor.

 

It has been 10 days and he is on a strong antibiotic because he developed cellulitis but he is feeling better!

 

Carnival gave us 20% a future cruise and I think that was fair. I emailed them just to let them know. I would hate for a baby or child to get bit!

There was no way to prove it because he did not report it right away. We just had no idea what it was.

 

This incident does not change our opinion about Carnival or cruising. In fact, we are going to use the 20% off to take our kids on a cruise next summer. The fact is that people get bit all the time. One of the coaches my husband works and teaches with got bit at our school.

 

Crazy things happen!

 

Edited to add: I could post a pic but I really doubt no one wants to see it!

 

I say post the picture!!! I would like to see it........

Not in a gross/creepy way, but more an interesting/learning way........:D:D

[ryano]

One of the guys I work with was bitten by a brown recluse a couple of weeks ago, and when he went to the clinic/doctor, they were able to tell it was a brown recluse by the "fang marks":eek::eek:

 

If you google some of those brown recluse bites (images), it is scary stuff.

They leave huge, gaping flesh wounds. GROSS!!!!!:eek:

 

I am SHOCKED to hear that there was on a cruise ship. Just don't understand how that would happen, but I guess someone could have brought it on the ship, in their luggage, and he found his way to the dining room?:confused:

 

I would be so freaked out. Hate spiders to start with, but the poisonous ones are the WORST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

They are no joke! My dad almost lost his leg to a brown recluse bite!

Edited August 9, 2016 by ryano

[NBlewett]

Good article on Wired.com about why what people think are brown recluse bites aren't.

 

It's an over hyped species.

[KPfromCT]

They are no joke! My dad almost lost his leg to a brown recluse bite!

 

I am glad he did NOT!!!

I know they're not.

Like I said, I have GOOGLED images of bites, and MAN, it's NO JOKE!!!!!

I feel like I am hearing about these more and more.......

I am in CT, and they guy I work with was at this cabin in New Hampshire...

Wish they weren't in New England.......

One more thing for me to worry about.........

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

They are too scary! A brown recluse bit my young cousin on his shoulder. It's rare to die from one, but he almost did. Was in the hospital for a couple of weeks.

[NBlewett]

I am glad he did NOT!!!

I know they're not.

Like I said, I have GOOGLED images of bites, and MAN, it's NO JOKE!!!!!

I feel like I am hearing about these more and more.......

I am in CT, and they guy I work with was at this cabin in New Hampshire...

Wish they weren't in New England.......

One more thing for me to worry about.........

 

They're not in New England.

 

They don't go much north of Missouri

[KPfromCT]

They're not in New England.

 

They don't go much north of Missouri

 

I am not going to argue with you, and I hope you are RIGHT!!!!

But again, guy I work with was bit by one at this cabin in New Hampshire...

At least the doctor told him that's what it was........

They said they could tell by the fang marks.........

Let's just hope he was wrong.......

[winddawn]

Best wishes to your DH for a speedy recovery.

 

I have a friend who got bit by one just by putting on clothes hanging in her closet. She now shakes all her clothes before putting them on. Who knows how that spider got there. It could have come on in his clothes in his luggage, or in someone else's luggage and clothes. It could have been left in your cabin unknowingly by the previous passengers in your cabin or dropped at Lido unknowingly by someone else who brought it in in their luggage/clothes.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Parents especially need a reminder to be cautious for their kids.

 

Keep us posted on how your DH is doing.

[TX Catty Cruiser]

I agree they are no joke! I was bitten by one at work. I went to my regular dr and he sent me to a specialist who specialized in bug bites. Brown Recluse spiders are as bad as a Black Widow spiders - black widow effects the nervous system - the brown recluse effects the skin. The specialist prescribed a medicine that Is usually used for lepersy. He had to call 4 pharmacies before he found one that has it available ASAP . The brown recluse spider likes dark woody areas so he most likely hitchhiked his way in on a pant leg of some one on a nature excursion.