THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 24, 1997 TAG: 9701230119
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 77 lines
Brown recluse spiders do exist in Virginia Beach
An article in The Beacon Dec. 8 appeared to cast doubt about people being bitten by brown recluse spiders in this area.
Although it appears that nothing short of actually seeing a brown recluse bite a victim will convince some entomologists that it does occur in this area, there is no doubt in my mind that I was bitten by a brown recluse.
On a Tuesday in March 1996, while in a local food store in Virginia Beach searching for a box to hold my groceries, I felt something on my forehead and moved my hand across my forehead to brush it off. A couple of minutes later I again felt something on my forehead and again brushed my hand across my forehead to wipe it off. I did not see anything fall from my head nor did I feel any sort of bite.
After entering my vehicle I looked in the rearview mirror and noticed what looked like three mosquito bites on my forehead.
The following day a small blister appeared. During the next three days the area around the blister became red, swollen and felt like a knot. By Saturday, I had developed a headache and a white sticky fluid was coming out of the blister. By Sunday, I was very sick and went to a local clinic where I was given medication and instructed to keep hot compresses on the area.
I became more sick, there was tremendous swelling beneath my eyes and my vision became diminished. Eight days after the initial bite, a hospital emergency room doctor diagnosed the injury as a brown recluse spider bite and treated it accordingly.
A plastic surgeon subsequently also diagnosed the injury as resulting from a brown recluse spider bite.
In October, I underwent plastic surgery to correct the forehead scarring and the dark shadows beneath my eyes, which resulted from the poison that affected my sinus cavities.
Based on my family history and my activities preceding the injury, it is highly unlikely that it was any other type of insect bite and I have no reason to disbelieve the diagnosis of two doctors.
Sandra Campbell
Jan. 9
January 1997 weather having its ups and downs
The weather this month has really been strange
From the 70s down to the 20s range,
From shorts and Ts to long-legged woolies,
In like a lamb, and out like a bully.
Eileen Kay Hessek
Jan. 13
Increase in cable fee is seen as too much
Cox Cable has increased fees again. For some of us in Virginia Beach, it amounts to an increase of 7.4 percent.
My total monthly bill went from $28.53 to $30.63. My point of contention is the explanation that came with the bill.
The $2.10 monthly increase is broken down as follows: basic service increased by 50 cents from $8.31 to $8.81, due to an increase in programming costs and adjustment due to inflation. Overall increase 6 percent.
Expanded service increased $1.50 from $14.90 to $16.40 due to an increase in programming costs and adjustment due to inflation. Overall increase 10.1 percent.
The remaining 10 cents was an increase in the city franchise fee from $1.36 to $1.46, an increase of 7.3 percent.
My most recent Social Security check reflected an increase of 2.9 percent, and even the government folks indicate that was 1 percent higher than it should have been. Maybe I have missed something in the thinking somewhere, but it seems to me that a double whammy is taking place.
I do not begrudge their passing on to me a normal inflation rate passed on to them from whatever source, and likewise a normal inflation rate being passed on to me for their cost of doing business. I do object, however, that the doubling effect should reach a total 7.4 percent, which is more than double the paltry 2.9 percent increase that the government passed on to Social Security and military retired recipients Jan. 1.
And the city franchising fee increasing 7.4 percent is unconscionable. The 10 cents is insignificant. It's the principle.
R.D. Brendle
Jan. 10