Dad 'Bitten By False Widow Spider' Ends Up In A&E With Horrific Wound

A dad had to be rushed to hospital after he was bitten by what is believed to be a false widow spider while he was doing a spot of gardening.

Ian Hamer, from Birkenhead, Wirral, said he thought something was wrong when he noticed a blister on his leg.

Over time, the wound started the fill with puss and the 48-year-old was stricken down with a high temperature.

Ian was then taken to Arrowe Park Hospital, where he was admitted with cellulitis - an infection that's caused when bacteria gets caught under a deep layer of skin.

The contract manager said he suffered the nasty bite after his family holiday was cancelled.

He was out pottering about in his garden and went to remove a tray from their retained wall when he felt a sharp pain in his leg.

Reach

Speaking to the Liverpool ECHO, Ian's wife Helen said over the following days the blister grew and grew.

The nurse said: "He thought he had been nicked from a branch, but on Saturday evening he said he had a pain in his groin.

"He also had a small blister appearing on his right lower leg. I thought he might have given himself a hernia".

Adding: "Like a typical male, he only phoned his GP on Monday. He was prescribed antibiotics, but at teatime the blister looked worse; bigger, redder, angrier.

"I was worried he was going to get really poorly with this."

Reach

Despite his temperature, Ian was told to continue with his antibiotics for a full two days, but he was later admitted to hospital.

Helen said: "His leg was starting to balloon and his knee and ankle was so swollen.

"He spent two nights having various intravenous antibiotics until they found the right one for his infection.

"They couldn't let him home in case it became septic."

Fortunately, Ian's temperature fell and he was allowed to leave hospital.

"He had a further IV antibiotic this morning and has been put on nine days worth," Helen said.

"He will have to go back to the doctors next week for a check-up.

"It's uncomfortable for him and he is in pain but the swelling is going down."

But while they don't know for certain that it was a false widow that caused the injury, Ian and Helen have their suspicions.

Helen said: "We believe it to be the false widow spider that bit him, after looking at other bites and wounds online, they look the same."

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom