severity grade: 3
Infection from spider bite at Hickory Run. Official diagnosis is cellulitis (sub-cutaneous soft tissue infection). Treatment = 10 days of antibiotics (500 mg cephalexin 4X daily). At its peak, my right calf was swollen to about three times its normal size and walking was very difficult.
In retrospect, the effects would have been a lot less severe if I had gone to the doctor a few days after the bite when it was apparent that it was infected. I guess I thought I could fight it off. The doctor confessed to me today during my follow-up visit that he was "very concerned" when he saw my leg. Now I know not to take spider bites lightly.