Thanks Koala and mrsD.

Today is Tuesday and I'm feeling a lot better. Saturday and Sunday I felt weird (edgy) and it was very painful. Felt as if I had a 'flu type thing.

The knuckle is much larger than the corresponding knuckle on my other hand but way less painful than it was. It's still tender down the metacarpal to my wrist but not hot or red and I don't have a temperature anymore.

I can use my hand today much more easily but am going to rest it up as much as I can today.

The bite is tiny. Just a little red dot, more the way I respond to a mosquito bite, but there are no mosquitoes here yet. (lots of garden spiders and biting ants though). When I was bitten by the spider in January, the actual bite area became red and raised and then started to swell. It was very hot around the area and then my ankle and foot swelled up very badly. This is nothing like that.

When I saw my gnarly knuckle it looked like someone I know who has Rheumatoid Arthritis. Don't want to go there.

I get scared when I get sick out of the blue like this because I'm alone and there's really no-one around that I can rely on to help me out. I can deal with my regular health issues but not things that floor me suddenly. If that makes sense.

Thanks for caring. I'm on the mend today (I think lol).