…since the season for bites and stings is upon us, i’m sharing a new antidote i found.
I’d been working in my friend’s basement installing a boiler, saw lots of spiders. The pic is my head from two days ago, 12 days after the initial swelling of what may have been a hobo spider bite. The site itself wasn’t tender although i’ve had persistent headaches from it, but the itching all over my forehead and eyelids was off-the-charts unbearable.
I’ve been snacking on Benadryl and using cortisone creams until i was warned by a nurse practioner friend that prolonged cortisone use can kill your skin bec it’s a vasoconstrictor. I switched to Benadryl gel, which wasn’t very effective.
Last night i came across a tube of “Queen Helene’s Mint Julep Masque” that i’d bought as a consequence of turning 50 last year, used once for its intended purpose, then forgotten. I slathered some on my forehead and the itch disapppeared like magic. I wore it through the night and by morning the lump was flat, the skin is much more healed, and i smell remarkably refreshing.
Replies
Ow ow owwwww... one more reason to hate biting insects of any kind.
PaulB
Hey, looks like natural color! DW was pretty much completely gray by 40.
Forrest - what's that fresh small?
"and i smell remarkably refreshing."
Bonus!
after my medical experiments I end up smelling like either PL Premium or Super Glue.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Vanilla-scented construction adhesive...be a hit, i bet. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
that's a freaking fantastic idea!
I am 100% serious! I'd pay extra.
mixed up thinset yesterday ... for some reason ... I love the smell of thinset ... can't put a finger on what it smells like ... but I like it. Moved to another bath today and mixed mortar for the mudbed ... nothing. No love there ....
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
PVC cement. At the hardware store, they've got my picture up at the cash register right next to the bounced checks and cut me off if i've had enough. Sometimes i have to drive to a neighboring county to buy more.
I love the smell of thinset ... can't put a finger on what it smells like
I agree. It has a very pleasant sweet smell. I think it's the latex additive."Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Yup .. was gonna mention the "modified" smells much gooder!
theinking I like the smell of "polymers" ...
will have to see if they have some polymer flavored perfume for the wife?
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
When I was a kid, one of my favorites was the smell of Hoppe's bore cleaner. Used some the other day and didn't notice the smell--guess my sense of smell is another thing that has gotten worse with old age.
One thing I still like is the smell of cigarettes BEFORE they are lit. I could run around all day with a couple cigs up my nose, but I think people might think I'm strange! (As it is, they only suspect it--until I say something!) (I keep a stocking cap on over my tinfoil hat so it's less apparent!)
I'll bet that real Mint Julips would help--wouldn't care if your whole body were numb (but the hangover would be a bummer!)
"I'll bet that real Mint Julips would help--wouldn't care if your whole body were numb (but the hangover would be a bummer!)"
quite possible what I miss most from making the Indy 500 every year ...
my sister and BIL live there ... BIL had a boss that had 2 old vans with roof platforms ... just for the race. Every year we'd park in the middle of Turn Four ... the Snake Pit .... and one of their other buddies would break out his jugs of Mint Julip.
he grew the mint in his back yard ... man ... that stuff was killer!
sis got divorced ... and they put stands in the in field ... no more snake pit.
I think I miss the Snake Pit more than their marriage ... but both events screwed up my yearly Mint Julip intake!
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Hoppe's Bore cleaner..WOW dude..that is the stuff to get the olfactory senses alive...kinda like WD40 and female pheromones in the same batch..I bet Ol' Hoppee did it on porpose...BTW, it is fish oil, hence the punny ness.Parolee # 40835
I love the smell of thinset ... can't put a finger on what it smells like ... but I like it. Moved to another bath today and mixed mortar for the mudbed ... nothing. No love there ....
You're wierd.
I love mortar and concrete, can't put a finger on what it smells like ... but I like it. Thinset, nothin'.SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
<I love the smell of thinset >
Me, I really love the smell of some electric cable insulation - that sweet smell of the inner black "rubber". Hilti power cords smell like that - another good advertisemet to me.
Reminds me of working for a small firm on little airfields around the country; putting in threshold bars.
Forrest - ahh, sunshine, fresh air, and THHN insulation . . .
there is a certain sweetness there.
<after my medical experiments I end up smelling like either PL Premium or Super Glue.>
LOL!
Done that!
Forrest - scared of the utility knife
Got a question about the package label.
What's "Mint Julip"?
Quality repairs for your home.
AaronR Construction
Vancouver, Canada
What's "Mint Julip"?
An advertising ploy.
Queen HELENES???
AH HA!!
Does Helene use that stuff to grease her WHEELS???
be letting your guard down...
I don't Know what I am doing
But
I am VERY good at it!!
The blonde wig didn't fool you for a second, did it?
So what are the list of ingredients in the miracle cure?
Ingredients: water, kaolin, bentonite, glygerin, zinc oxide, propylene glycol, sulfur, chromium oxide green, fragrance, phenoxyethanol, methyparaben.
Kaolin and bentonite are clays; drying action there, though the bite was not a 'wet' wound. Zinc oxide is used in calamine lotion, slightly anti-microbial. Glygerin and propylene glycol are lubricants, and the propylene glycol means you can get it out of the tube in sub-zero temps. the last two are preservatives, i think.
Thanks,
I am allergic to bee venom, spider venom etc. always looking for the emergency fix and long term relief..
As i told Luka, i'm not thinking the masque will cure the spider bite, only take away an extremely annoying symptom. I have to admit, though, my skin has returned almost normal tonight after two weeks of looking like a couple rugby teams had a ruck on my head.
I've been stung by bees and wasps w/o much reaction after the momentary sting, but never had anything even remotely approach this reaction. I read that spider bites do the most damage in fatty tissues, so i was lucky to be hit on the skull, i guess. Nevertheless, i was so alarmed by the initial rate of spread that i started on the antibiotic cephalexin (500 mg, 3x/day), which i always have on hand for vet use. I read later that that's a good idea - and the right kind of antibiotic - for a venomous spider bite. You might want to get some in advance, if you don't have it already.
Dovetail, My wife is also allergic to insect bites. We found some stuff called "Mitigator" in the local Sam's Club. Had to go on the internet to find more. Developed for the military, it really works. From personal experience, it also works on wasp stings. No pain, no itch, no swelling. (not cheap)
Looks interesting: http://www.mitigator.net/faq.htmlThey say it works on spider bites, too, but the action seems to be to rub the affected area, something the other info i read said not to do to hobo spider bites. I hope i don't get another chance to resolve that conflict.The online blurb says it's sold at CVS pharmacies, too. Drugstore.com says they're sold out for now...must be good stuff!
Just my personal opinion;
Kaolin absorbs poisons, rats eat after eating poisoned food.
Glycerin and zinc oxide are good for itches.
Sulfer destroys alkyloids, ie, some venoms.
Phenoxyethanol sounds like phenol and an alcohol, both antiseptics.
Methyparaben sounds like parafin in an alcohol. Parafin seals the skin from contaminants.
Another good item for the first aid kit is original formula Listerine. It was designed for surgical antiseptic use and still kills millions of germs on contact. The burn might be worse than the wound.
SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
Edited 3/31/2007 7:48 am by SamT
Listerine....
UGGG!!!I don't see how anyone can put that stuff in thier mouth the second time!!!BLEHH!!!If they put that shid in paint thinner it would be banned outright!!I don't Know what I am doing
But
I am VERY good at it!!
Whaddayawant? It's a surgical disinfectant. And a darn good one, too!
It just wasn't until the good doctor realised that young women were afraid of becoming a spinster that he thought of inventing "Bad Breath."
Then he went on that newfangled TV console and said, "Hey girls, you won't catch that good husband if you have 'Bad Breath'." Suddenly, Listerine was a household word.
SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
Phenoxyethanol sounds like phenol and an alcohol, both antiseptics.
Methyparaben sounds like parafin in an alcohol. Parafin seals the skin from contaminants
well, - not quite spot on with these - but they both bring active contibutions to the poltice -
Phenoxyethanol is an organic chemical compound, a glycol ether often used in dermatological products such as skin creams. It is a colorless oily liquid. It is a bactericide (usually used in conjunction with quaternary ammonium compounds), often used in place of sodium azide in biological buffers as 2-phenoxyethanol is less toxic and non-reactive with copper and lead. It is also used as a fixative for perfumes, an insect repellent, a topical antiseptic, a solvent for cellulose acetate, some dyes, inks, and resins, in preservatives, pharmaceuticals, and in organic synthesis. It is moderately soluble in water.
Methylparaben, also methyl paraben, one of the parabens, has formula CH3(C6H4(OH)COO). It is the methyl ester of p-hydroxybenzoic acid. It is a mold-inhibitor and a popular preservative for food and cosmetics.
Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bacteriocidal and fungicidal properties. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, cleansing gels, personal lubricants, topical pharmaceuticals and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives.
Their efficacy as preservatives, in combination with their low cost, their long history of safe use and the unproven efficacy of natural ingredients like grapefruit seed extract (GSE),[1] probably explains why parabens are so commonplace.
"there's enough for everyone"
Thank you.SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
What's with the x ? I don't 'member that.SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
I wasn't smart enough to use an 'underscore' to separate my name when making the change from WebX -
I'm stuck with it now....
"there's enough for everyone"
Are you certain it wasn't when "the change" happened? Not the Web X, just the next one...I seem to recall, you had a "space" at your avail, back then, and "space" was no longer allowed when they went to sign -up only.Parolee # 40835
Yabbut, mine was in English. <G> Thanky, darlin'!(I was thinking of you yesterday, as i began saving urine again for the fruit trees, which are just breaking bud. I was also thinking of Ian, since i have to drink twice as much tea to keep up with demand.)
<<Phenoxyethanol...is a bactericide (usually used in conjunction with quaternary ammonium compounds)>>
Wonder if rubbing pressure treated wood (or sawdust from it) on your skin would work? PT I buy these days id practically dripping wet. (BTW, I am kidding about rubbing it on your skin--probably work better to snort the sawdust (or put just a pinch between you cheek and gum).
Thanks for the further explanation of the ingredients. Listerine? I have iodine, alcholol, betadine, etc. Is Listerine preferable, in some way or for some reason to the common ones? I suppose the drying action of any of those would have been helpful, too. I once cleared up a severe case of wet dermatitis in a long-haired cat by simply swabbing with betadine when all else had failed.The odd thing was that the 'wound' itself on this was so dry that i don't think the Listerine would have hurt. The diffential diagnosis i worked on was shingles, but elimiated that bec of the lack of pain of the site itself and that the skin never made the typical blisters, just raised up in one large, hard lump. Those dark red areas on the image look like scabs, but they formed without the underlying skin ever being exposed.
Isn't the active ingredient in the old Liserine carbolic acid (phenol)? In old days, when Lister first discovered antispetic properties of carbolic acid, surgeons would have a constant spray of it going, wetting the wound as they worked. Some people were allergic to it and so latex gloves were invented. Now you know way more than you ever cared to about it!
Carbolic acid? I looked that up and got "phenol" in Wikipedia...fascinating reading. It was used for everything from antisepsis by Dr. Lister to discouraging masturbation to executions in Natsi Germany! I seem to have a foggy childhood memory of my dad using having a can of it, using it on a rag to clean something. Re allergies and latex: a nurse friend tells me that patients with latex allergies can't even get a shot from a sealed vial like a normal person, that even putting a needle through the rubber is enough to contaminate the needle so that it will give an allergic reaction. So, the nurse discards the rubber on the bottle seal, draws up the fluid, and tosses what's left over. The customer gets to pay a bottle's worth for every shot rec'd. I asked her why the liquid doesn't get contaminated by the rubber seal that was on the bottle, and she was at a loss to explain that one.I'm getting a TOTL latex mattress from a friend who convinced herself that her aches and pains are due to a blossoming allergy to latex. Until i get the mattress, i'm not going to tell her it has to do with blossoming age.
Yup, carbolic acid and phenol are the same thing. Phenol will cause "anesthesia" on contact, so it's used in things like Chloraseptic spray (to numb sore throats) and it is even used in room fresheners because it numbs your sense of smell.
Phenol will cause "anesthesia" on contact,
Hah! that's not what my nerve endings tell me. It takes a few seconds.SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
Speaking of numbing things....now that the headaches and itch are gone, i'm aware of a numbish feeling about the size of my palm around the bite area. Not completely numb like Novocaine, but the skin is much less sensitive to touch, as though i'd iced it. By coincidence, neighbors down my lane stopped in this afternoon and it turns out the husband had been bitten on the top of his foot by a hobo spider in 1998 in Coeur d'Alene, ID. He had opened the wound up - he called it a "volcano" for how raised-up it was - irritated it, so it got infected. He spent several days in hospital on IV drip! He said he couldn't even walk for the pain of it for a loooong time.I'm feeling happily hard-headed now. <G>
I don't think Listerine would be right for that spider bite. Unless you were planning on abradingthe whole bite zone off your forehead after application.
Ouch!SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
I gotta get me somma dat !!
(Already googling.) =0)
Hobo spiders are my biggest nemesis here. (Forget the bears and big cats...)
Along with wolf and jumping spiders. But those hobos like to bite !!!
Last bite I got, I had to keep slathering the bite area with triple antibiotic creme. Still took nearly two weeks to get rid of it.
Thank you.
I also treated this topically with triple-antibiotic on the wound itself, w/cortisone on the rest of my forehead. I wouldn't doubt a lot of bites get infected and go waaaaaay wrong from there, just from scratchng the itch. I read that lancing the wound is about the worst thing you can do to a spider bite, unlike other infections.
I don't know if my "Mint Julep" stuff will prevent infection from the bite itself, but it certainly took the itchiness away that could contribute to secondary infection. And the stuff was cheap, something like $3-4! Small price to pay for sanity...
I'm pretty sure that $3-4 will not buy me any sanity... <G>
You're thinking herbal full-body wrap, aren't you?
Not to drag the conversation way off course, but what ever happened with the house in Ashville? That was you, wasn't it?
Not to drag the conversation way off course
A little late for that aint it!
<<house in Ashville>>Not me, probably Theodora. She had her family home lined up in her remodeling sites, but i don't know how that turned out. I was in BT jail for a couple months, though, so maybe someone has that story...i'm curious now, too!
Sorry, I got mixed up.
Thanks! I just happen to have a tube of that stuff hanging around, from when I turned 60 - & I don't look a day over 64, now!
Be careful with that stuff! All the wrinkles are gone from my forehead, but they seem to have moved to my neck. I got up this morning and almost strangled myself when gravity came into play. If it weren't for my quick thinking, reaching for rubber band and hauling it all back uphill like my mother used to do when i went to school looking Chinese, i'd probably have had to call someone who owns a come-along and grease gun to get me sorted out again.
So glad you are back - missed you!
Thanks, Kate. I've got this bad feeling i'm going to be less productive than i was the last two months, though. <G>
maybe less productive in some ways, but one has to have friends - and where else does one get such great information, on so many subjects?
Thanks Doc!
blue
"...
keep looking for customers who want to hire YOU.. all the rest are looking for commodities.. are you a commodity ?... if you get sucked into "free estimates" and "soliciting bids"... then you are a commodity... if your operation is set up to compete as a commodity, then have at it..... but be prepared to keep your margins low and your overhead high...."
From the best of TauntonU.
Glad to help, Blue. The generalized itching is gone so major mudding operations have ended, but i continue to put a dab of the stuff on the site itself because it seems to be helping the skin recover so quickly. It'll be interesting to see how it works on mosquitos. I live near a wildlife refuge with lots of marsh; some years are so bad they have to apply for parade permits to go anywhere.
Hey...
(in my best Barny Fife-dom)
"I do the casualties around here...."
Veeeeeery big wink inserted here..
Parolee # 40835
LOL! I dunno...if you look at the photo i posted, to the right of the bite you can see the curved scar from where a lazy susan flew off the lathe as i was sanding the edge of it. The edge glanced off my skull and scrunched the skin up like an accordion a couple inches over. The ER doc was really, really good. He thought i'd need plastic surgery, but i just wore bangs for a few years until the scar faded.