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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| False widow spider bite 'led to finger amputation' | False widow spider bite 'led to finger amputation' |
| (3 days later) | |
| A woman has had a finger amputated - and told she was within hours of death - after being bitten by a false widow spider. | A woman has had a finger amputated - and told she was within hours of death - after being bitten by a false widow spider. |
| Andrea Wallace, from Seaham, County Durham, was bitten in a Sunderland park and described the result as "like something out of a horror movie". | Andrea Wallace, from Seaham, County Durham, was bitten in a Sunderland park and described the result as "like something out of a horror movie". |
| The attack left her with flesh-eating bug necrotising fasciitis, which required 10 weeks in hospital. | The attack left her with flesh-eating bug necrotising fasciitis, which required 10 weeks in hospital. |
| False widows are the UK's most venomous spider but extreme reactions are rare. | False widows are the UK's most venomous spider but extreme reactions are rare. |
| There have been no reported deaths from its bites in the UK and it is understood the spider which bit Ms Wallace contained bacteria that caused the reaction. | |
| Within an hour of arrival at Sunderland Royal Hospital, Ms Wallace went into surgery as doctors tried to prevent the poison spreading through her body. | Within an hour of arrival at Sunderland Royal Hospital, Ms Wallace went into surgery as doctors tried to prevent the poison spreading through her body. |
| She was later transferred to the University Hospital of North Durham. | She was later transferred to the University Hospital of North Durham. |
| The hairdresser said: "The pain was like nothing I've been through in my life. | The hairdresser said: "The pain was like nothing I've been through in my life. |
| "By the time I got to hospital my finger was bursting open, there was pus, it was black. It was a right mess." | "By the time I got to hospital my finger was bursting open, there was pus, it was black. It was a right mess." |
| "They told me if I had been two hours later I would have been dead. It was scary. | "They told me if I had been two hours later I would have been dead. It was scary. |
| "It was like something out of a horror movie." | "It was like something out of a horror movie." |
| Doctors attempted to construct a "false finger" but eventually had to amputate. | Doctors attempted to construct a "false finger" but eventually had to amputate. |
| The mother-of-four has been left with a six-inch scar, but she said: "Losing my finger was a small price to pay. | The mother-of-four has been left with a six-inch scar, but she said: "Losing my finger was a small price to pay. |
| "I could've lost my life." | "I could've lost my life." |
| The false widow spider | The false widow spider |
| What makes a species venomous? | What makes a species venomous? |
| Source: Natural History Museum | Source: Natural History Museum |