My husband has just woken up in agony with a bump on his temple. Next to the bed there was a large brown spider. He feels the pain in his entire face, especially his jaw. There is no rash, he has no problems breathing and has taken a pain killer but is still in a lot of pain. What should we do?
Hi Lady, Thanks for your query. Though you have not mentioned about the presence of bite marks, I presume that he had had a spider sting at the site of bump. Firstly, try to see if there is a sting (a hair-like minute object) in the bump. If present, or you can feel it, remove it with a needle. Thereafter, in view of the strong likelihood of spider venom been infected in the skin, immediately start with *  an anti-histaminic, such as, cetirizine 10mg thrice daily for 2-3 days (with the first dose immediately); *  Tablet Prednisolone (5mg) Two tablets straight away and thereafter, two tablets thrice daily for 2-3 days till the symptoms go away. *  An anti-inflammatory pain-killer, such as, a combination of ibuprofen + Paracetamol, a tablet thrice daily for 2-3 days. It will take 24-72 hours for the entire symptoms to go away. If you find my response helpful and informative, do not forget an “excellent” (5-star rating)  to my answer, to ENCOURAGE ALL doctors- engaged in social service- to render sound advice to the FREE queries. Take care Dr. Rakesh Karanwal