A man was left with life threatening injuries after he was bitten by a spider whilst drinking at a local pub.
Colin Finch, 55, was enjoying a few beers with his friends when he felt a sharp sting on his left shin.
But after assuming it was a mosquito bite, Mr Finch dismissed the pain and carried on with his night out.
Colin Finch, pictured, was enjoying a few drinks with his friends when he was bitten by a spider while visiting a pub in Brighton which led to a massive infection in his leg
Mr Finch developed a major abscess in his leg which required hospital treatment
However just eight days later, Mr Finch left hospitalised after having his leg sliced and drained as the bite swelled to the size of an orange.
Mr Finch, from Bracknell, Berkshire, was told that’s had a lucky escape as his bite was infact from a spider and could have proved fatal.
Now, three weeks after his ordeal, he is still recovering and is taking four antibiotics per day.
Mr Finch, a driver for events company, Star Movement, said: ‘If it wasn’t treated as quickly as it was, it could have been very dangerous and even fatal.
‘I was so shocked when the doctor’s told me that it was a spider bite, I can’t imagine how it could’ve happened but I think it must have been in that pub on Friday night.
‘As the days went on I noticed a bit of redness and a small puncture wound, but by Wednesday evening my leg was badly swollen and painful to the touch.
‘The next morning I had minor surgery because the abscess had started pussing and it was cut open and drained immediately.
Doctors told Mr Finch that he could have possibly died if he had not sought medical treatment
He remained fully conscious during the procedure relying on a mixture of gas and swearing to cope with the discomfort caused by the doctor’s scalpel removing the fetid tissue
FOllowing his surgery, Mr Finch was prescribed strong antibiotics in order to kill any infection
‘I’m so thankful that I went to the doctor’s when I did or it might have been a different matter entirely.’
Mr Finch was visiting his friends in Brighton on December 15 when he believes he was bitten by a spider.
However, it wasn’t until a week later that Mr Finch had the spider bite operated on, due to him mistaking the lump as an insect bite.
He added: ‘I don’t remember the spider biting me. I just remember waking up the following morning and noticing a bit of redness and a small puncture wound.
‘I immediately thought it was a mosquito bite and brushed it off.
‘It wasn’t until Wednesday evening, when I returned from work, that I realised the bite had swollen to the size of an orange.
‘I went to the doctors the next morning and they told me that it looked like a spider bite and to just keep an eye on it.
‘I then returned to the doctors two days later and was rushed straight to urgent health care to have my bite operated on.
‘The used a scalpel to slit the abscess open and they used a lot of heavy squeezing to get rid of the blood and puss – it was agonising.
‘Because of the position on my leg, I wasn’t given any anaesthetic. Instead I just had gas and air and a lot of shouting and swearing to get me through.’
Mr Finch was then prescribed with strong antibiotics to speed up the healing of his wound.
It has now been three weeks since his operation and Mr Finch is still waiting for his abscess to fully heal.
Mr Finch said: ‘I’ve been keeping an eye on it and luckily the antibiotics have seemed to done the trick.
‘It’s now starting to scab over and close up, and I’m glad that it was treated so quickly as my scar is hardly noticeable now.
‘It still baffles me that it has happened – you don’t imagine it happening in England, let alone in a small local pub!
‘I will definitely be keeping an eye on bites in the future, but hopefully it never happens again.’