If possible, try to find and catch the spider that bit you. Place it in a sealed container and take it with you to the emergency room. Do not touch it with your bare hands. However, do not delay seeking medical treatment to catch the spider if you start to show symptoms.

A few other spiders are considered "medically significant" but not considered overly dangerous, according to Children's Hospital Boston. They include the orb weaver, garden spider, trap door spider, gnaphosid spider (mouse spider), parson spider, huntsman spider, running spider, wolf spider, crab spider, orb weaver (barn spider), green lynx spider, jumping spider, false black widow spider and trap door spider.Children's Hospital Boston: Spider Bites These spiders can leave a painful bite and cause some illnesses, especially in children and older people, but are not as severe as the black widow and the brown recluse. In most cases, medical treatment is not necessary.

• Black Widow Spiders

The "black widow spider" is not one species but several species of spider found in the United States.

1. Black widow spiders are most commonly recognized by the red or orange hourglass shape on their abdomen. However, the marking does not always have a clearly defined hourglass shape; sometimes it appears only as a dot.Fumapest Group: USA Spider Identification Chart
2. Black widow spiders are not always black, either. Sometimes they are dark gray.
3. Black widows are small, about 1/2-inch long.
4. Their bite contains neurotoxic venom.eMedicine: Black Widow Spider Bite

• Brown Recluse Spiders

Brown recluse spiders are also known as the fiddleback spider, brown fiddler or violin spider.

1. Brown recluse spiders are found in the southern two-thirds and eastern three-fourths of the United States.Wikipedia: Australasian Funnel-Web Spider
2. They are approximately 1/2-inch long.
3. They usually, but not always, have a shape on their back that looks like a violin.
4. The symptoms of a brown recluse spider bite usually appear slower than that of a black widow, but usually appear within four hours.http://www.emedicinehealth.com/spider_bite_brown_recluse_spider_bite/article_em.htm
5. Symptoms of a brown recluse bite include: burning, pain, itching or redness around the bite, headaches, body aches, muscle pain, rash, fever, nausea, vomiting, blistering which may turn black, and a deep blue or purple color near the bite area.

1. Clean the wound.
2. Apply ice or a cold washcloth.
3. Apply calamine lotion, baking soda paste or over-the-counter hydrocortisone ointment.
4. Make sure your tetanus shot is current.

According to WebMD, one of the biggest risks of spider bites can be anaphylactic shock. Symptoms usually begin with breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Swelling of the lips, tongue, ears, eyelids, palms of the hands and soles of the feet may also occur.WebMD: Insect Bites and Stings and Spider Bites If any of these symptoms occur, call 911 immediately.

1. Wash the area with soap and water.
2. Apply ice or a cold washcloth to the area.
3. Apply an antibiotic lotion or cream.
4. Give acetaminophen, if necessary for pain.
5. For brown recluse bites, elevate the site of the bite if possible.
6. Seek immediate emergency treatment.

1. For black widow bites, antivenin may be administered.
2. For brown recluse bites, treatment can include corticosteroids or surgery of the bite area.University of Maryland Medical Center: First Aid
3. In both cases, hospitalization may be necessary.

• While a fear of spiders might seem irrational, a fear of spider bites is not. Properly treating the bite and seeking medical attention when necessary is essential to avoid permanent physical damage. Only in the movies will a spider bite do you any good. Luckily, spiders rarely bite unless threatened and are usually more afraid of you than you are of them.