What bit me last night?

[Lioshenka]

Okay, this is probably not the thing people ask here often, but I thought I'd ask: so last night something bit me in my arm, and I can't figure out what it is. I'm in the UK, so it's unlikely to be a scorpion, I sleep with the window open, but it's got mesh so unlikely to be a bee or a wasp (I'd wake up if I heard them). It was raining anyway, so not even flies were out.

 

Too big to be a common gnat, tick or a fly - though who knows what's out there?

 

It's itchy (but less itchy than a gnat or a mosquito), I woke up with a large pink swelling around the prolong bite/scar thingy (though it looks like there was only one bite in the middle of it), which later developed a few small blisters, turned red and now has a white corona around it, and then a pink one. The swelling has come down a bit since yesterday.

 

Thinking that some of you may have had something similar, so would be curious to know what was there in my bedroom last night (oh, and whether I'll die).

 

If you want to see the relatively unpleasant pictures, here:
 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[Arrows to Athens]

Could it be bed bugs? Usually, you don't feel them biting you, but it's a possibility. 

[Lioshenka]

5 minutes ago, Arrows to Athens said:

Could it be bed bugs? Usually, you don't feel them biting you, but it's a possibility. 

Nah, it's well over two inches in diameter... It's also just a single bite in an arm, whereas bedbugs seems to be generally more than one in a leg. Also my room is fairly clean, so probably not.

 

I suspect a spider, but would like a second opinion. I think they only bite when in danger too, so why would it bite me at night?

Edited July 9, 2020 by Lioshenka

[Arrows to Athens]

21 minutes ago, Lioshenka said:

Nah, it's well over two inches in diameter... It's also just a single bite in an arm, whereas bedbugs seems to be generally more than one in a leg. Also my room is fairly clean, so probably not.

 

I suspect a spider, but would like a second opinion. I think they only bite when in danger too, so why would it bite me at night?

Actually, bed bugs can invade your home regardless of cleanliness and hygiene. They're not attracted to dirt or mess, only warmth, blood, and carbon dioxide. However, a cluttered house can offer more hiding spaces for bed bugs. 

[Detective Phelps]

I believe that it's either a tick or spider bite causing this. I won't go anymore specific than that (I don't tend to diagnose people over the internet); it's best for this to be seen to by your GP. 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Detective Phelps

[Tyler]

Bro go to the doctor that sh*t looks f*cked up

[K^2]

I've seen spider bites that do, indeed, look similar. And it's easy to move in the sleep in a way that pushes spider against something resulting in a bite. Not uncommon.

 

If it spreads, def see a doctor, though. Blistering like that could also be from one of several viral infections. Seems pretty unlikely, but unless you actually felt a bite, can't exclude it as possibility.

[Lioshenka]

6 hours ago, Tyler said:

Bro go to the doctor that sh*t looks f*cked up

Nah, it's the typical NHS guidelines, they'll only see you if you are dead. Apparently you have to wait a few days in case it gets worse.

 

4 hours ago, K^2 said:

I've seen spider bites that do, indeed, look similar. And it's easy to move in the sleep in a way that pushes spider against something resulting in a bite. Not uncommon.

 

If it spreads, def see a doctor, though. Blistering like that could also be from one of several viral infections. Seems pretty unlikely, but unless you actually felt a bite, can't exclude it as possibility.

Ah, cheers. I'll blame a spider then!

 

It has sort of went more purple and dried this morning, so looks like it's on the way to heal. Just it was the first time I had a bite that big, so obviously curious and slightly worried

Edited July 9, 2020 by Lioshenka

[Bob Loblaw_]

Should we assume that, in case you stop posting, it's 'cause you died due to the bite?

Edited July 9, 2020 by Ho Diver

[trip]

Catspider?

[sivispacem]

It could well be a spider but it's not dissimilar to my untrained eye to a tick bite. If you start to see a sort of ring effect around it as it progresses (especially a large roughly circular "bullseye" type marking) then I'd call your GP, Lyme Disease is a really unpleasant debilitating long-term illness and it's fairly common from tick bites in the UK. Though technically as ticks are arachnids, it's kind of a "spider bite" either way.

[kobeni]

Bedbug

[Cutter De Blanc]

you gonna die bro

[Lioshenka]

13 hours ago, Cutter De Blanc said:

you gonna die bro

Actually, there was a small chance that I could have if I had the underlying health issues.

 

So last night I found this monster sitting under my picture rail:

 

 

After a bit of research it turned out to be a mouse spider, one of the most venomous UK spiders. I guess I must have squeezed the bastard as I slept, causing his to lose 2 legs and bite me. It's completely black and about an inch in length including the legs.

 

The venom must mess up your nerve system, because my teeth were feeling funny and occasionally would have a mild sharp pain while eating across a few of them at the same time.

 

Anyway, I'm still alive. I can now proudly say that I am one of the few who were bitten by this spider, and possible even fewer in the UK, I might have a scar once the bite heals and that potentially there could be health effects later in life. Oh well. Let us all appreciate the beauty of the nature beasties (who now lives inside my hoover).

Edited July 11, 2020 by Lioshenka

[Big Molio]

Until I saw the picture of the spider, I would have said that you had perhaps had a horsefly bite you, as that is what they look like on me. I mountain bike a lot, so I get bitten by the little bastards on the arms and legs all the time. I react badly to them too.

 

Your wound is large and open you see, like a classic horsefly bite. They have little serrated scissors on their face making up their mouth that they use to snip open a nice wound. They then lap up the blood that pools in the bite. They are evil.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Big Molio

[Lioshenka]

15 hours ago, Big Molio said:

Until I saw the picture of the spider, I would have said that you had perhaps had a horsefly bite you, as that is what they look like on me. I mountain bike a lot, so I get bitten by the little bastards on the arms and legs all the time. I react badly to them too.

 

Your wound is large and open you see, like a classic horsefly bite. They have little serrated scissors on their face making up their mouth that they use to snip open a nice wound. They then lap up the blood that pools in the bite. They are evil.

It was definitely the closest. I was bitten by a horsefly a couple of years ago, the swelling was about 2 times smaller that that of this spider, but it itched like hell.