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Mum bitten by venomous spider and left with oozing 'golf ball-sized' hole in arm
www.dailystar.co.uk
A mum was hospitalised by a false widow spider bite as an oozing “golf ball-sized abscess” was pulled from a gaping hole in her armpit.
Louise Edwards, 49, was clearing out the summerhouse at the bottom of her garden when the spider sank its fangs into her from the cushion she was carrying under her left arm.
Within 48 hours the pain got more severe forcing her to take painkillers to tackle the burning sensation in her armpit and the shooting pains down her arm.
Days later though, the bite had ballooned to the size of a golf ball and mum-of-one Louise went to an out-of-hours doctor who sent her to hospital.
Louise Edwards was bitten by a false widow spider (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
The venomous false widow spider which can be dangerous to humans (Image: GETTY)
Doctors said Louise had been bitten perilously close to an artery by a false widow spider – whose bites produce necrosis of the flesh.
Louise had a grisly golf-ball sized abscess removed from the wound, leaving her with a gaping inch-and-a-half hole in her arm.
A month on from her ordeal, Louise, from Barry, South Wales, said: "It was horrible knowing all that infection was inside me – all from a spider bite.
"At the hospital there was talk of needing to deal with it under general anaesthetic.
My heart sank as it sounded really serious.
Louise was clearing out the summerhouse when the spider sank its fangs into her (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
"I remember saying to the doctors 'you are kidding me?'. They said because it was so close to the artery they've got to be careful with these things.
"I couldn't believe all this had happened because I put a cushion under my arm."
Louise, who lives with 11-year-old son Cadel Edwards-Davies, explained she was re-arranging furniture in her garden's summerhouse on August 19 when she was bitten.
Louise said: "As I moved the furniture I saw four thumbnail-sized spiders, swept them away and didn't think any more of it.
She was left with a hole in her arm (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
"I had an open-sleeved blouse on and put one of the cushions under my arm but didn't feel anything.
"It was only the following day when I was putting a wetsuit jacket on at an aquapark in Cardiff Bay that I realised my underarm looked red, was slightly raised and felt like a burn.
"I assumed it was a bite, I knew I'd been irritated by something, so I took some antihistamines and didn't think anything of it."
As the week went on fitness fanatic Louise, who attends bootcamp five times a week and regularly runs 10ks, said the bite became irritated as it rubbed against the seatbelt during her daily commute and began to burn.
The wound was oozing with pus and was infected (Image: Kennedy News and Media)
On Wednesday evening [August 21] Louise started getting shooting pains down her arm and when she examined the area she spotted two small puncture wounds from where the eight-legged terror had bitten her.
Louise said: "I drove up to north Wales on Wednesday with work and the bite was annoying me because it was rubbing whenever I drove so I started taking painkillers.
"I had a proper look at it that night and realised it was a bite as I could see two little holes.
The summer house in the garden was where Louise was bitten(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
"It felt like a burn and I also had shooting pains down my arm."
Due to the bite and its location, fitness fanatic Louise was unable to go into work or attend her weekly exercise classes for three weeks.
Louise said she knew the spiders were the culprit after recognising their distinctive markings when she spotted them in the summerhouse.
Louise said: "I wasn't a fan of spiders before this but clearly I can't stand them now. My fear's rubbed off on my son now, he's not a fan of them now either after what happened.”
www.dailystar.co.uk
Louise Edwards, 49, was clearing out the summerhouse at the bottom of her garden when the spider sank its fangs into her from the cushion she was carrying under her left arm.
Within 48 hours the pain got more severe forcing her to take painkillers to tackle the burning sensation in her armpit and the shooting pains down her arm.
Days later though, the bite had ballooned to the size of a golf ball and mum-of-one Louise went to an out-of-hours doctor who sent her to hospital.
Doctors said Louise had been bitten perilously close to an artery by a false widow spider – whose bites produce necrosis of the flesh.
Louise had a grisly golf-ball sized abscess removed from the wound, leaving her with a gaping inch-and-a-half hole in her arm.
A month on from her ordeal, Louise, from Barry, South Wales, said: "It was horrible knowing all that infection was inside me – all from a spider bite.
"At the hospital there was talk of needing to deal with it under general anaesthetic.
My heart sank as it sounded really serious.
"I remember saying to the doctors 'you are kidding me?'. They said because it was so close to the artery they've got to be careful with these things.
"I couldn't believe all this had happened because I put a cushion under my arm."
Louise, who lives with 11-year-old son Cadel Edwards-Davies, explained she was re-arranging furniture in her garden's summerhouse on August 19 when she was bitten.
Louise said: "As I moved the furniture I saw four thumbnail-sized spiders, swept them away and didn't think any more of it.
"I had an open-sleeved blouse on and put one of the cushions under my arm but didn't feel anything.
"It was only the following day when I was putting a wetsuit jacket on at an aquapark in Cardiff Bay that I realised my underarm looked red, was slightly raised and felt like a burn.
"I assumed it was a bite, I knew I'd been irritated by something, so I took some antihistamines and didn't think anything of it."
As the week went on fitness fanatic Louise, who attends bootcamp five times a week and regularly runs 10ks, said the bite became irritated as it rubbed against the seatbelt during her daily commute and began to burn.
On Wednesday evening [August 21] Louise started getting shooting pains down her arm and when she examined the area she spotted two small puncture wounds from where the eight-legged terror had bitten her.
Louise said: "I drove up to north Wales on Wednesday with work and the bite was annoying me because it was rubbing whenever I drove so I started taking painkillers.
"I had a proper look at it that night and realised it was a bite as I could see two little holes.
"It felt like a burn and I also had shooting pains down my arm."
Due to the bite and its location, fitness fanatic Louise was unable to go into work or attend her weekly exercise classes for three weeks.
Louise said she knew the spiders were the culprit after recognising their distinctive markings when she spotted them in the summerhouse.
Louise said: "I wasn't a fan of spiders before this but clearly I can't stand them now. My fear's rubbed off on my son now, he's not a fan of them now either after what happened.”
