A 31-year-old civil servant almost died after being bitten by a
normally-harmless house spider while in bed at her home in Britain. Natalie
Hemme, of Wallington, Surrey, suffered horrendous swelling to her arm that
blocked the blood flow and turned her limb septic. The astonishing bite
resulted in her developing Compartment Syndrome, a condition which saw muscle
and flesh on her arm begin to die.
Horrific pain: Mrs Hemme visited an NHS clinic and was told her injuries appeared to be a house spider (file picture) bite. She was then prescribed antibiotics
‘It was agony,’ Mrs Hemme, who has since recovered, told the Sun. ‘I was lucky to survive. You’d expect it in Australia - but not in Surrey.’ There was a possibility that her arm could have been amputated after it
turned life-threateningly septic - but it was saved after five operations.
Trouble began in February, when she woke up to see a red bite on her
left wrist, before her arm began to swell and throb over the next two days. Mrs
Hemme visited an NHS clinic and was told it appeared to be a spider bite. She
was prescribed antibiotics and told to take paracetamol. But things got worse
over the next two days and her husband Michael, 35, called 999 after she
started throwing up green pus and couldn't stand up.
Location: Mrs Hemme suffered the bite, which caused horrendous swelling to her arm, in bed at her home in Wallington, Surrey (file picture of area)
Her muscles and nerves were dying. Surgeons spent three days removing
infected tissue before they used flesh from her thigh to rebuild the arm. She
spent three weeks in hospital but is now back at work now after physiotherapy,
although her arm still bears the scars of what happened, reported the Sun. Experts
told the newspaper that house spiders have fangs big enough to penetrate human
skin - but are not known to attack people. Mrs Hemme told the Sun: ‘I know I
have been very lucky to survive and keep my arm. I can’t believe all this
happened over a spider bite. ‘I now sleep with my window shut and check the bed
before getting in.’
Source: Daily Mail UK
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