hillarygayle | From Twitter 04-24-2010

01:42:21: Spider bite, followed by sudden onset nausea & swelling. Patient: ME.
01:43:12: If it had just been the bite I wouldn't go but the nausea+cramps are taking me to ED.
01:46:10: Daddy's taking me to ED bc Bryan has to get up in AM & take kids to math competition.
01:51:12: Waves of nausea & stomach cramps. I'm assessing myself! I bet they triage me at 2 or 3. Probably 3.
01:52:37: @PreppyDude you & I are having opposite probs. I'd love to be asleep. :(
01:52:58: @PreppyDude and I could but for the dumbass spider sending me to the ER
01:57:51: @PreppyDude yeah I'm all right. Of it hadn't been for the nausea I'd have taken some benadryl & treated it myself. :)
02:09:59: @knittybob I'm having a non-anaphylactic systemic reaction. Not a 1 bc not anaphylaxis, but systemic nature is worrying.
02:10:25: Oh nice now it's going numb with needlelike pains.
02:59:47: @knittybob oh, no that's fine. Hell, I'm making light of it btwn nausea waves. :D I was using the 1-5 scale: 1=emergent, 5=go home.
03:00:40: Oh great they're starting an IV. AWESOME. I'm a stupidly hard stick.
03:28:08: First stick http://post.ly/cnzo
03:59:38: The pain is beginning to get on my nerves. Also the itching.
04:31:12: It's really starting to hurt now. Freaking ouch. They're bringing me something for the damned itching, too.
04:33:09: @thejessone yeah this isn't how I want to be in the ER. no Conway OR little rock for me now. :(
04:40:20: Benadryl 25mg IV push. HOLY CRAP IM HIGH AS A KITE. I don't like this.
06:32:12: I'm home. IV benadryl makes me looooooopy
14:19:06: Arm hurts & I'm cranky. Bite is about 5 inches across & swollen tight & hard. -_- GREAT.
14:21:21: @jmarie1074 brown recluse.
14:23:39: For those asking, it was a brown recluse. My ER stay was to see if I reacted further; the nausea alarmed the ER doc.
15:18:51: This is a wonderful link. http://bit.ly/dfcGBM Lots of strong people acknowledging their awesomeness in foul language. :D
15:32:11: .@divagirlrn i'm interested to see what will happen with this. Did you get tissue sloughing?
15:58:13: @Brittanie my guess is that the tissue will slough; it's in a very fatty area. i'll be watching it closely.
16:25:57: @Brittanie holes in humans are pretty nasty. i'm not ruling a hole out; there's a puncture RIGHT at the bite site.
16:26:20: @Brittanie Dr. Lane gave me a steroid prescription & told me to keep assessing the hole. If it worsens, I fill the scrip.
18:58:27: I'm at Hobby Lobby in Jonesboro, AR http://gowal.la/c/EeNZ
19:19:51: Supper & yarn fun with Q, plus live music! OMG yay! — at The Edge http://gowal.la/c/EfbN
20:51:55: Fueling up! — at Kum & Go http://gowal.la/c/EgCF
22:43:00: Still having a reaction. Have a diffuse red rash all over the place. *sigh*
23:06:27: Arm is extremely painful, even with my pain threshold, & swelling alarmingly. Tomorrow I'm filling the prescription for steroids.
23:11:58: @ChiNurse I'm definitely watching. Not showing signs yet.
23:12:44: @knittybob I'm staying doped up on it. I think at this point I need anti-inflammatories.
23:13:08: @Darediva where I live. I don't want to go back in so late.
23:14:00: @Quiara it'll be fine tomorrow. Definitely gonna get them; this is too much swelling. I'd be alarmed if I was my patient.
23:22:34: You guys win. I can't go; took a benadryl & a vicodin. @creech42 is getting ready to go.
23:26:08: @grimalkinrn ok I'll send a pic. @creech42 is fetching the prednisone; you tell me if you'd go back to the ER for this swelling or dr in AM.
23:29:46: Swelling (for grimalkinrn & my peanut gallery) http://post.ly/czZs
23:34:45: Given swelling in previous pic, would you do the ER tonight or steroids tonight & dr in the AM? @grimalkinrn @chinurse
23:35:29: @Darediva I loves my peanut gallery like no other. :D
23:38:51: @grimalkinrn just have the one; shouldve said previous tweet. The inside dots mark the swelling this afternoon at 2pm.
23:48:10: Update: @creech42 went for the steroids. I'm going to take them & if it worsens I'll go to the ER.
23:50:35: @divagirlrn it's hot but not quite raised yet. More edema closer to bite. I'll watch out for what you said.
23:51:16: @jhazlewood they won't; it's a paper scrip.
23:52:25: @MariAdkins decided (with a bunch of my tweeting nurse crew) to do the steroids, wait 2 hrs, & if it worsens I'll go in.
23:59:10: Thx everyone. Thx to my tweetnurses for the professional advice! I'll update. I'm playing Lumines until @creech42 returns. :)