A spider bite left a man feeling like he was ‘being hit with a blowtorch’ with a gaping, oozing hole in his elbow.
Rich Pollitt woke one morning with tenderness in his arm but thought nothing of it until it began to swell.
Five days later, the 33-year-old went to A&E at Ysbyty (Hospital) Glan Clwyd and ended up being admitted for a week after having surgery.
Rich Pollitt woke one morning with tenderness in his arm but thought nothing of it until it began to swell
Doctors told the shocked kitchen maintenance engineer he’d been bitten by a spider.
Images he found on the internet showed the wound resembled that of Britain’s most venomous false widow spider.
Rich, from Rhyl, said: ‘Around two weeks ago, I was out with friends watching the Manchester United vs Liverpool game.
‘We started out in Rhuddlan and made our way to Prestatyn for more drinks, then I stayed over at my friend’s house on the couch.
Rich had to have surgery to drain the weeping hole in his elbow which had become infected. He described the pain as the worst he’s ever been through in his life
‘When I woke up the next day, my elbow was a little bit tender but I didn’t think much of it at all.
‘The following day, I was sent to Hull with work. My elbow started to get more swollen and discharge was coming out, but I thought I’d get it seen to once I got home in case I ended up having to be stuck in a hospital in Hull.
‘In the meantime, I kept the wound clean and covered and when I got home five days later, I went to A&E at Glan Clwyd. By this time my arm was more swollen and my hand had blown up.’
He added: ‘The doctors did blood tests and asked me what had happened and I told them I didn’t know. They then said they thought I’d been bitten by a spider.’
Rich had to have surgery to drain the weeping hole in his elbow which had become infected.
He described the pain as the worst he’s ever been through in his life.
‘They’ve left the wound open because it needs draining regularly so I have to go to the doctors every day to have it cleaned and the dressings changed.
‘Then I go back to Glan Clwyd next Tuesday so they can check on it so I’ll be off work for a good few weeks.
‘The pain is the worst I’ve ever been through, it felt like someone was using a blowtorch on my elbow.
‘During the week I was in hospital, I was kept on morphine for the pain and now I have to take antibiotics and painkillers.
‘I’ve no idea when or where the spider bit me. I know I should’ve gone to the doctor’s sooner, I’m lucky I didn’t end up with sepsis.’
Rich said: ‘They’ve left the wound open because it needs draining regularly so I have to go to the doctors every day to have it cleaned and the dressings changed’