Dad’s health scare after bite from massive spider
A SPIDER bite left a Celtic fan needing urgent medical treatment with doctors fearing it could have developed into fatal blood poisoning.
Bank worker Tony Folan, 35, had been rummaging i n his garage in Dalkeith, Midlothian, when a giant spider leapt onto his arm and sunk its fangs into him.
The father-of-one, who said the spider was the “size of a fist” and scurried away after biting him, considered the incident was “bizarre” but thought little of it until the following days when workmates saw red streaks travelling up his forearm.
After taking advice, he attended his GP at New Byres Medical Practice in Gorebridge who told him the health implications could have been serious.
“I got sent home from my work – I’m a retirement specialist at Scottish Widows. I was sweating profusely and shivering as the infection took hold.
“When I got to the doctors they said that if I’d left it for two days it potentially could have turned into septicaemia and I could’ve been put on an IV drip,” he said.
There are over 650 different species of spiders in the UK – and all of them bite. However only 12 of these species have enough venom that can cause harm to a human.
Mr Folan was unable to trap the spider in his garage or identify the species.
He said: “It was so bizarre. I never expected to get bitten by a spider in Scotland, at this time of year as well. But it was big, it was massive, the size of my fist.
“It wasn’t like Arachnophobia where it jumped about 12ft. It was a good six inch leap onto my arm and I just flicked it off.
“I couldn’t get a hold of it so it is still running around the garage.
“I didn’t think anything of it and then at work somebody asked what was wrong with my arm.
“They said ‘you need to go to the doctor because it’s tracking’.”
He said: “My arm was all red and there was a big red line along it.
“So I went to the doctor and they put me on antibiotics and I’m still on them now.”