'False widow spider bit me while I slept after crawling through open window at night'

Yahoo

a day ago

A desperate dad is warning Brits to be careful around false widows after being hospitalised by what he believes was a bite from a spider. Rob Bendelow was staying at his partner's house in Wigan when he was unwittingly bitten by what he believes to be a false widow spider during the night.
The 39-year-old believes the tiny terror crawled through the open bedroom window and scurried into his bed sheets in the early hours of May 18, 2025. It was only when the dad-of-five woke up the next day that he noticed a mark on the back of his right leg, which he mistook for a bee sting.
However over the following few days, Rob began feeling excruciating pain and intense pressure down his leg. The former handyman then began researching his mysterious mark and discovered he was bitten by what he believes is a false widow spider - whose bites produce necrosis of the flesh.
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Rob cut open the bite using a pair of scissors to relieve the pressure, causing 'unbelievable' brown and yellow pus to ooze out.
As his symptoms worsened, Rob rushed to Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, in Blackburn, Lancashire, while suffering from what he believes was the early stages of sepsis. Doctors pumped the dad with antibiotics to treat the infected 50p-sized wound and considered performing an operation if his condition did not improve.
Luckily, Rob made a full recovery but said the 'frightening' ordeal has made him much more vigilant of any other beasties lurking between the sheets. Rob, from Accrington, Lancashire, said: "I'd fallen asleep and woke up the next morning to what I thought was a bee sting on the back of my right leg.
"My partner loves to leave the bedroom windows open. I sweat a lot and was sleeping with just a pair of boxers on. I think it came in through the open window, felt the humidity from my body sweating and that's where it bit me. It didn't wake me up. Because the weather has been so hot, it's the perfect breeding ground for them.
"It was irritating and I kept feeling a pressure in it. It wasn't that painful, it was just irritating. After two days, I was in excruciating pain and just feeling loads of pressure in my leg. On the third day, I cut open the bite myself with a pair of scissors to try and relieve some of the pressure and get some of the gunk out. What was coming out was unbelievable - it was brown and yellow."
Rob sought help from his local pharmacy before rushing to hospital when the infection worsened. Horrified Rob, who believes he was in the early stages of sepsis, was admitted for three days while doctors desperately tried to treat the infection.
Rob said: "They didn't know what it was. They just noticed it was very infected and the infection went very deep. They said it was definitely an insect bite of some kind. They were thinking about cutting it out but ended up flushing me with fluids, antibiotics, and painkillers.
"I think sepsis was setting in when I got to hospital because it was so infected. I felt really fatigued, it really took it out of me. If I left it any longer, it could've been a lot more serious. It was a frightening week. I've still got a massive hole in my leg. It's about the size of a 50p coin.
"I think it'll be at least another six weeks or so before it scabs away. I definitely check the bed now. Every time I see a spider now I think 'get away!'. It's made me a lot more vigilant."