A grandmother-of-ten's 'paranoid' hunt for spiders in her bedroom every night didn’t stop arachnid one sinking its fangs into her and leaving a gaping hole in her stomach as a result.
Karen Ashmore, 56, who suspects she was bitten by the spider while hanging out her washing, says she feels lucky to be alive after the bite developed into sepsis.
Ms Ashmorewho lives in Dukinfield, Manchester, initially dismissed the bite a heat rash or simple spot before the mark began feeling ‘sore and itchy’.
And when her skin started to flake around the edges, shedecided to visit her pharmacist who informed her she’d been bitten by an eight-legged creature— and to go to hospital if the bite didn’t improve.
Days later the wound took a dramatic turn for the worst with Ms Ashmore'sstomach swelling, prompting her to rush to A&E where doctors told herthe spider venom had caused an abscess in her stomach—and that she was currently fighting sepsis.
Karen Ashmore, 56, who suspects she was unknowingly bitten by a spider while hanging out her washing, says she feels lucky to be alive after the bite developed into sepsis
The abscess, a collection of pus, urgently needed removing with surgery leaving a hole the size of a £1 coin and about 2cm deep.
While Ms Ashmore has made a full recovery, she is now warningothers to beware Britain’s seemingly harmless arachnids.
'I was obsessed with spiders before all this happened. I was always shaking my bedding before I went to bed to make sure there wasn’t any in there,' she said.
'I’m not scared about them but I’m a bit paranoid of them in the house.'
On initially spotting the bite that turned out to be far more serious than expected she said: 'I had just had a shower and noticed I had a spot on my stomach.'
'It was only the size of a drawing pin. As the week went on, it just started getting sore and itchy so I put some cream on.
'But then my skin was coming off around the edges so I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t know what had happened, I just saw a red spot.
'I went to the chemist and they said it looks like a spider bite. They gave me antihistamine cream and tablets and said if it’s no different in three days, go to the hospital.
'But the circle around the bite was getting bigger and my stomach was swelling.'
Ms Ashmore's stomach began swelling, prompting her to rush to A&E where doctors told her the spider venom had caused an abscess in her stomach — and she was currently fighting sepsis.The abscess (left) urgently needed removing with surgery leaving a hole the size of a £1 coin and 2cm deep (right)
Ms Ashmore rushed to hospital and underwent urgent surgery to cut out a chunk of her stomach where the spider had sunk in its fangs.
She said: 'They said at the hospital that it’s turned into sepsis and turned into an abscess. They said it’s swollen that much, it needs cutting out.
'It was very painful. I didn’t know what to think. I went in at 8am the next day for emergency surgery. They wanted to cut the abscess out.
'It was as big as a £1 coin and the hole I was left with was about two centimetres deep.'
Ms Ashmore wasleft with an open wound after the operation and will have to wait for the skin to regrow over for the area to be fully healed.
Ms Ashmore was left with an open wound after the operation and will have to wait for the skin to grow over for the area to be fully healed
Ms Ashmore is now urging others to always seek medical help if they see a suspicious new spot on their body
She said: 'I was told my skin will always be very, very thin there. It’s left me scarred for life.
'I never found out what type of spider it was. You could see where it had put its fangs in.
'I don’t know where it’s come from. It could’ve been on the washing when I brought the washing in or I could’ve been bitten when I was in the garden cleaning.'
Ms Ashmore is now urging others to always seek medical help if they see a suspicious new spot on their body.
She said: 'I never thought a spider could cause this sort of damage. Sepsis is deadly. I could’ve easily lost my life. They said it was serious.
'I’m paranoid now [since the bite] about all creepy-crawlies. I’m checking all the nooks and crannies in the house now.
'I would encourage anyone else to go to the doctors as soon as they can if they see a new spot on them. I regret not going sooner.'
HOW TO CHECK FOR INSECT BITES AND STINGS?
Insect bites or stings are usually not serious and will get better within a few days.
But sometimes they can become infected or cause a serious allergic reaction.
Some insect bites can cause illnesses, such as Lyme disease from ticks, scabies from mites and malaria frommosquitoes in certain parts of the world.
The main symptoms of an insect bite or sting are:
- Pain where you have been bitten or stung
- A small, swollen lump on the skin
The lump may look red. It may be more difficult to see on black or brown skin, but you should be able to feel it.
The bite or sting should get better in a few days. There are some things you can do to ease your symptoms...
- Take painkillers, such as paracetamol
- Use antihistamines to relive the itching
- Use a hydrocortisone cream to reduce itching and swelling
- Use an ice-pack to control swelling
Source: NHS
