A newlywed is lucky to be alive after she was bitten by a venomous spider on her honeymoon in Jamaica.
Victoria Ross, 32, was with her husband, company manager Brian, 33, when she was bit on the right leg by a 1cm-long brown recluse spider on July 4.
The account executive from Bingley, West Yorkshire, was left with an inflamed red raw leg covered in pus-filled boils and spent 13 days in hospital, where she was warned she might lose her leg.
Thankfully Ross, who could have died from the ordeal, is now in recovery but still faces further surgery on the grim injury.
Victoria Ross, of, West Yorkshire, was left with an inflamed leg covered in pus-filled boils and spent 13 days in hospital after being bit by a brown reclusive spider while on her honeymoon in Jamaica on July 4
Ross and her husband, Brian, flew to Lucea in Jamaica for their two-week stay at the luxury £250-a-night Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort & Spa. On the last day, Ross was bitten by a brown recluse spider, also known as a violin spider, while she and Brian lay in bed
Ross said the holiday was ‘absolutely amazing’ but from now on she’ll look into native spiders wherever she visits
She said: ‘I am genuinely lucky to be alive after that horrific bite on my honeymoon to Jamaica. I had no idea that a tiny spider could cause so much damage.’
Ross and husband Brian got married at All Saints church, in Bingley, on June 17 in front of 125 of their closest friends and family.
Two days later the pair flew out to Lucea in Jamaica for their two-week stay at the luxury £250-a-night Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort & Spa.
Ross said the holiday was ‘absolutely amazing’ and they went out on day trips and relaxed by the poolside or beach.
But on the last day, Ross was bitten by a brown recluse spider, also known as a violin spider, while she and Brian lay in bed.
She said: ‘I woke up on the last day of our amazing honeymoon and noticed that I had a small bite on my leg.
Upon her return to the UK, Ross went straight to the doctor and was put on a four-week dose of antibiotics – but her leg only got worse
A week later, Ross was at work when she came down with cold shivers, a headache and vomiting. She was rushed to Airedale hospital A&E, in Keighley, and was told she was suffering from sepsis
Doctors feared that they would have no choice but to amputate the ghastly leg. Thankfully, she recovered and was able to keep her leg
‘I thought nothing of it until I was on the plane back to the UK and was in searing agony.’
Ross went straight to the doctor and was put on a four-week dose of antibiotics.
She added: ‘The wound had scabbed over, and so I didn’t go back to the doctor because I thought it was healing.’
But a week later, Ross was at work when she came down with cold shivers, a headache and vomiting.
She was rushed to Airedale hospital A&E, in Keighley, and was told she was suffering from sepsis.
Ross was immediately admitted to the ward where she was treated with IV antibiotics and remained there for 13 days.
Doctors feared that they would have no choice but to amputate the ghastly leg.
Ross, who could have died from the ordeal, is now in recovery but still faces further surgery on the grim injury
When she was discharged from hospital, Ross was left wheelchair bound. It took a few more weeks before she could walk on crutches
Ross has been left unable to work while her leg heels, which is currently still red raw and bruised and may need surgery depending on how the tissue around the wound repairs
She said: ‘I couldn’t believe my honeymoon could have left me without a limb – or even killed me!
‘My leg was vile, I could see that little blisters were forming on the surface of the skin and filling with fluid.
‘One filled right up and then burst, it was absolutely disgusting. But ten hours later it filled with more puss. It looked like a zombie’s leg from the Walking Dead.
‘Doctors came around twice and said that they would need to amputate if I didn’t improve soon. Thankfully they didn’t have to and I still have my leg and my life.
‘I don’t know if it was more traumatic for me or Brian, but we certainly felt that our vows were being tested earlier than we expected.’
When she was discharged from hospital, Ross was left wheelchair bound. It took a few more weeks before she could walk on crutches.
Ross has been left unable to work while her leg heels, which is currently still red raw and bruised and may need surgery depending on how the tissue around the wound repairs.
Now, Ross says that if she ever travels again she’ll be Googling the native spiders before she goes away.
She added: ‘Next time I travel I’m not going anywhere there are poisonous spiders.’
THE DEADLY CREATURES THAT ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO EXTERMINATE
Also known as the fiddleback spider, the violin spider or the brown fiddler, the brown recluse spider has venomous and potentially fatal bite.
They are usually brown or gray in colour and between six to 20 millimeters in length.
They typically have markings on the dorsal side of their cephalothorax, including a black line coming from the dorsel side that looks like a violin, resulting in the nickname ‘fiddleback’.
Also known as the fiddleback spider, the violin spider or the brown fiddler, the brown recluse spider has venomous and potentially fatal bite
The spiders often build their webs in dry, generally undisturbed locations, including sheds, closets, garages, cellars and other similar places.
Brown recluse spiders have the ability to survive starvation and thirst, and the way in which they benefit from the regulated room temperatures of human habitations, make extermination of this species particularly challenging.
The spiders are one of only two spiders with medically significant venom in North America.
While often not painful at first, their bite contains a hemotoxic venom that can lead to necrosis of the skin.
Bites from the spiders often result in a pimple-like swelling, although the worst ones can led to large lesions where surrounding tissue dies.
Most deaths associated with brown recluse spiders involve young children.