“Lots of different bug bites, bites that a lot of times you don’t witness and so you want to get it checked out,” family nurse practitioner Annabelle Jordan said at Covenant’s southwest clinic they see it all, from ticks and spiders to even snake bites.
When it comes to spider bites she says it’s best to see if you can identify it.
“If it’s a poisonous spider specifically brown recluse, black widow, you want to get seen right away.”
She says before you get to the hospital you can wash the bite area with soap and water, apply an antibiotic ointment and a cool compress. As for snake bites she says get to the ER as quick as possible.
“On the way to the hospital, say it was an arm that got bit, keep it as still as possible you don’t want to elevate it or be moving a lot because that can cause the venom to spread through the circulation,” she said.
Tick bites are also common during the summer. Jordan says the longer a tick stays on you, the more risk you have of it passing on a disease.
“The best way to remove it is you can just take tweezers, grasp around the head, put a steady pressure pulling up that way it will release its grip.”
She says if you’re out camping or hiking it’s a good idea to do a quick “tick check” every four hours.
“One good thing is you can wear long protective clothing, long pants, long sleeves, you can apply the bug spray/bug repellant to the clothing.”
Jordan says it’s a good idea to check things out before diving in since snakes and spiders tend to like dark places.
