It was a bright warm morning on the Monday after Thanksgiving, but the forecast was for cold weather.  There on our side porch was a large delightful ruby-red begonia.  What a beautiful plant and just right to set in the window beside my desk during the winter.  I knew that if I did not bring it in the frost would bring the beautiful plant to a woeful end.  On my way to work I put the begonia in my car and took it into the office.  It really looked great in the window beside my desk except for the spider webs and dead leaves.

A few minutes of work with my bare hands in and around the base of the plant and the plant was ready to show.  In thirty minutes, the side of my little finger on my left hand where it joins the palm began to burn and string.  Two other places just up the forearm were also turning red and stinging like crazy.  I could not imagine what the problem was unless I was allergic to the plant.  It then hit me that maybe where there are spider webs there is also the possibility of spiders.  I have been bitten by spiders before but nothing with this kind of stinging.  It was apparent after twenty-four hours that the spider was most likely of the widow family, either the black widow or the newly established brown widow that both inject neurotoxin with their bite.

The ulna nerve was a bright red pathway that was traced perfectly on my arm almost to my arm pit.  I had treated the bites with topical antibiotic.  Since my heart had not stopped from the neurotoxin, I figured that was the end of it.  After forty-eight hours the left hand was fifty percent bigger than the right hand so to the doctor for a round of doxycycline.  The doctor thought that it would be good if I did not exert to keep the toxin and bacterial infection localized.  This past Saturday was three weeks since the bite and I went back to the gym for the first time.  The next morning my feet were cramping so that I could hardly walk.  It was obvious that the neurotoxin was still active in my body.  I did not think this was possible because of the length of time, but I never have this type of cramping where both feet were cramped closed into balls.

After several days at the gym and the cramping and pain is finally starting to go away.  I know that I would have been in much worse shape if not for the better nutrition, but the last three weeks have been truly miserable.  I guess the moral of this story is where there are webs there are spiders.

Up next for post are sleep apnea (all sleep apnea is central) and Alzheimer disease treated with sulfur.   Merry Christmas! – Pandemic Survivor