SPIDERS!!! I've just been bitten by one...

[sb34]

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that sounds awful. Sorry, I don't know much about poisonous spiders, but the one you have is probably not native to the UK (i don't know of any that will bite). You need to find out immediately what type of spider it is, there is a poisons hotline somewhere, try the NHS to start, and I'll see if i can find any more info on the web.

SB34, the number for the national poisons information center is 0870 600 6266.

sb34, never been bitten but just looked up poisonous uk spiders on google and came up with notes and queries from The Guardian. If these are true then it is highly unlikely to be poisonous. You could try calling NHS direct though if you're worried.

You'll have to cut and paste, it's here: www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-21253,00.html

sb34, whereabouts are you, are there any zoos near you where you could get it identified? I've just read www's Guardian piece and if it was me that had been bitten I would be panicking! (Well, actually I would have screamed at the time and still be quaking now, you are very brave.)

Hope it's OK anyway.

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I have been bitten by a spider - it wasn't in the UK but it might reassure you to know that I lived to tell the tale. I had a little pink bump where the actual bite was and the area around was quite swollen too. It was also pretty painful. In fact, I was asleep and the pain of it woke me up. But, the good news is that the pain, swelling and mark were all gone in a few hours. Hopefully this will be the same for and you'll be laughing about in a couple of hours.

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Have you bought any fruit recently? Weren't there cases of spiders travelling with fruit from foreign countries?

Personally, I doubt it was poisonous. I suspect you'd be feeling ill/more sore by now if it had been. The pinkness is probably a reaction like you get from insect bites.

And I feel all icky and squirmy now!! I HATE spiders!

Chessington?

probably an obvious suggestion but why don't you try and get an emergency appointment with your GP or the nurse there - at least then it will put your mind at rest.

Or isn't that a zoo any more?

Soupie, I am also feeling icky and squirmy BTW!

I was in South Africa. My DH's family live in a sleepy, dusty town that is semi-desert and there are all sorts of bugs and things there that I find quite hard to deal with. I went to clean my teeth one day and there was a scorpion in the basin - this is apparently very unusual but why did it have to show an appearance for me?!
As far as the spider goes, I was just so pleased it was me it bit and not my DD who was asleep next to me. I fully understand why you've bottled this bugger up to protect your children.
Let us know how you get on...

London Zoo phone no:

020-7722 3333

Please ring them and find out, I am very worried!

Ugh - I've found lots of horrible sites trying to find a spider identification thingy. Apparently they can be tricky to identify witout a microscope so you don't find may ID sites on the internet.

I'm all itch and shuddery now!! How can you sit with it net to you at work??

SB ... uhggg ... hate spiders! It is unlikely that it is a poisonous one BUT it is possible to be bitten by spiders in the UK if you upset it (like put on your dressing gown where he was having a nice cosy nap!!)
The thing to watch out for isn't poison but an infection ... sometimes their fangs can carry germs (I know this because in NZ we don't have 'poisonous' spiders but there is one that bites and people can get blood poisoning from the fangs) ...
Watch the wound and see if it gets any worse. Also ... watch for allergic reaction ... my mother is allergic to any insect .. wasps, bees, spiders (she has been bitten by all of those).
If your wound doesn't get better or gets hot and more sore ... go to the docs!!!

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i've been bitten by spiders in the uk, they do bite they just aren't poisonous. it comes up bigger, flatter and about as pink as a mosquito bite.
I wouldn't worry, but having said that if you think the spider looks unfamiliar (ie not like the usual things hanging around the bath) maybe it is something interesting which has come in from abroad and you should probably try and get yourself seen pronto!

Can you phone your doctor for telephone advice? My surgery has this option - you phone, leave a message for your GP and he calls back.

I'm loathe to put any symptoms here because you're bound to start feeling them! I'd say that if you're not fluey, nauseous and your bitten arm isn't doing anything major then you're fine.

I certainly feel nauseous now!!

sb34, sorry, just realised that wasn't a very reassuring link, sorry, sorry, sorry! OK, I've found some better ones to make up for it! There's this Spider Facts page, just for interest, look at the Muffet bit and, after quite a search, finally, a site that says There Are No Poisonous Spiders In Britain! Hurrah! Sorry about the first one, hope these are more reassuring Mr Muffett sounds like a nasty piece of work, you learn something new every day eh?

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Sounds like a normal british spider - I have been fascinated looking at websites this morning

Found this - thought it might help. Just copied a relevant paragraph.

Spiders are not dirty, but clean themselves regularly and have never been linked to the spread of disease. Most are loners, and the only reason they come indoors is for moisture and humidity, which is why you often find them in the bath but rarely in the bedroom, one of the driest places in the house.

Those we find in the bath are house spiders and among the UK's largest. They can nip if trapped so Dave recommends leaving some loo roll draped over the side of the bath, "then they can climb out and do all those useful jobs in the home. If you wash them away, they'll come straight back. Their hairs can trap air so they can breathe underwater."

Let them out of the bath to roam free? Are you mad?! I catch them using the opaque-bowl-and-card trick and let them out in the garden. I also tell them not to come back again

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