Irish Woman In Amputation Scare After Being Bitten By A False Widow Spider

A woman feared she would have to get her leg amputated following a bite from a false widow spider at her home in Co. Down.  Aideen Hynes of Downpatrick, had just gotten into bed when she felt a sharp bite on her calf. The 34-year-old immediately jumped out of bed but the offending spider was nowhere to be seen. However her husband Darrin immediately recognised the mark as a spider bite. She told the Irish Mirror: "I felt something crawling on my leg under the duvet and tried to brush it off. "It must have thought it was under attack because the next minute it bit me. The pain was agonising. "Darrin knew immediately from the puncture marks that it as a spider bite. "We turned the bedroom upside down but we couldn't find it anywhere. I didn't get a wink of sleep. However, when the mum-of-four's leg swelled to twice its size, she was rushed to hospital in agony. Doctors feared they would have to amputate the infected leg, however luckily a course of antibiotics and antihistamines helped Aideen make a full recovery. Aideen added: "Darrin eventually caught the spider and set him free on a field behind our house." H/T Irish Mirror, images via istock