Student recovering after venomous spider bite
Ashley Earnest, a Jarvis resident, plans to return to school after being bitten by a brown recluse spider.
By Antoinette Vega
Staff Reporter

A student who was bitten by a venomous spider said Monday she expects to return to classes this week, but on crutches and with intravenous fluids pumping into her arm.

Sophomore business major Ashley Earnest said she was bitten on her left shin by a brown recluse spider somewhere on campus Sept. 19, but didn’t know exactly where. She has undergone two surgeries after contracting a severe skin infection, and was in a Houston hospital Monday night.

A brown recluse spider ranges in size from a dime to a quarter, and feeds on insects and other spiders. Its bite is rarely fatal for adults, but can usually take more than month to heal.

Earnest said she refused to go to the emergency room initially because she had an accounting test the next day. But as the pain became too much for her to handle, she was convinced to go to a Fort Worth emergency room on Sept. 22.

“The mark turned purple and grew the size of a golf ball,” Earnest said in a telephone interview. “My calf got as big as my thigh.”

Earnest obtained a staph infection from the bite and underwent two surgeries Sept. 23 at John Peter Smith Hospital. She was released Sept. 25 to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

A PICC Line, an I.V. inserted into her arm, was placed to fight off the infection. The line will be removed in two weeks, Earnest said, after which she will have to take antibiotics every eight hours. She will see a physical therapist and in-home nurse when she returns to campus.

“The antibiotics are an extra precaution because if the infection comes back it comes back with a vengeance,” Earnest said. “My leg will eventually heal and I will be able to do things as normal.”

Earnest said she does not plan to move out of the residence hall. An exterminator sprayed her room in Jarvis Hall and set insect traps.

“All precautions were taken just in case Earnest was bitten in the residence hall,” said Roger Fisher, director of residential services.

Residential Services sent out an e-mail to Jarvis residents Sept. 26 informing them of the incident and detailing information from health professionals about brown recluse spiders.

“We wanted to be sure students were aware of what happened,” Fisher said.

Some students were appreciative of the e-mail.

“It is good to know TCU is acknowledging what is going on,” said Kristen Green, a sophomore business and marketing major. “Now students can be aware of their surroundings.”

However, for some students extermination and e-mails were not enough.

“I am scared that something like this could happen again,” said sophomore pre-major Amanda Lewis, who plans to move to Wiggins Hall with her roommate. “Jarvis is an old building and the mold and moisture could lead to other things besi`des spiders.”

Fisher said he doesn’t think many more students will leave Jarvis, but Residential Services is accommodating to students’ needs, whatever the issue.

“As long as there is space available, moving is an option,” he said.