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ROM expert says bite likely from black widow spider 3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, August 12, 2009 Continued from page 1 even get there," she said. "I felt dizzy and I was retching as though I wanted to vomit, but I couldn't. My vision was blurred and I thought, `What's happening to me, this is ridiculous,' because it was just so sudden." Brunet moved to a nearby bathroom where she poured an entire bottle of rubbing alcohol over the bite. By this time, Brunet was struggling to stay conscious and had actually collapsed when she realized her cell phone was within reach. Brunet succeeded in calling her daughter who in turn called an ambulance. Shortly thereafter, Brunet lost all motor control and was unable to move any part of her body from her shoulders down. "I basically went to jelly," she said. "I didn't know whether I would survive this or not and I was beginning to get discouraged, I thought I was going to be left like this, crippled." Provided with medication at the hospital, Brunet has slowly regained the use of her body down to her knees. While Brunet did not get a very good look at the spider, as she tried to shake it off her hand, given what happened to her, the black widow spider is the most likely culprit, noted Antonia Guidotti, an entomology technician with the Royal Ontario Museum. "We have a species called the Northern Black Widow that is in Ontario," she said. "It sounds like she may have been bitten by one. That is the only one (in the area that would cause a reaction like that)." Guidotti said the spider's neurotoxin is most dangerous to young children and the elderly and, in extreme cases, can Let our designers and product selection take you to another place. A WORLD OF INSPIRATION We can transform any space! Elegance, Stylish, Sophisticated, or Sleek We specialize in importing and distributing unique Ceramics, Porcelain, Travertine, Marble, Glass, Custom Medallions and mosiacs from Around the World. Ask about our Custom Glass Shower Doors & Floor Heating cause the loss of limbs and even death. Healthy middle-aged individuals can expect pain, severe muscle cramps, abdominal pain, weakness and tremors if bitten with more serious cases also giving way to nausea, vomiting, fainting, dizziness, chest pain and respiratory difficulties. Anyone bitten by a black widow spider should place an ice pack on the bite and seek immediate medical attention. While the prospect of having a poisonous spider in the area may seem alarming, Guidotti points out that the odds of meeting one are not that great. "This is not something you are likely to find in your home," she said. "In all the reports that I've had bites have usually occurred because people have disturbed them in some way. They don't wander around, they stay in the one spot where they've made their web." Guidotti said the black widow prefers to make its home in a dry place -- with woodpiles being one particular place she urges caution around. Black widows have also been known to build their webs under logs, rocks and plants or in the darker areas of garages and outhouses. While recent media reports have stated the black widow is only now just arriving in the KEN HOFSTETTER / ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM Image of a black widow spider GTA, Guidotti says that is not necessarily true. "This spider has been in Ontario for a long time, but typically it has been in certain pockets of the province like around Huntsville and Barrie, those areas, and last year I had a couple reports from closer to the GTA. It doesn't mean they weren't there already it just means we know about them now," said Guidotti. "Because they're so shy, we really don't know what the distribution is like." To prevent bites, Guidotti recommends wearing work gloves when gardening or picking up logs from a woodpile. The adult female black widow spider, which is the only one who bites, is small with a body size of only about one centimetre and legs about five centimetres in length. The female spider is black in colouration with a line of red dots along the top of her abdomen with red markings almost in the shape of an hourglass on the underside of her abdomen. Back at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, Brunet is advising residents to be aware these spiders are around. "I was surprised it could happen to me," she said. Tile selection made enjoyable! 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