let’s get this linkbait straight, yes, I got bitten by one of britains most venemous spiders, yes it hurt, but that’s as far as the side effects went.
The tabloid coverage is very over the top and only show you the rarest of the rare
The story
(Basically, one of the wee buggers was inside my skinny jeans as I put them on in the morning, and bit me on the back of the knee about three times. Although I squished it, I managed to salavage what was left of the body and took it to the natural history museum in London to get identified. All cleared, and told I definitely didn’t need medical attention).
Tips
If you’re unlucky enough to get bitten by one of these, here are the things that helped me get through it (I’m not a doctor, obvs but if you feel like it’s way more severe, call 999 immediately):
- Get ice on it and keep it elevated
- Take paracetamol and antihistamines to help with swelling and pain
- Drink lots of water to flush out the poison
- Take time out from work or school (I went to work but then left after 3 hours).
- Take a photo and call/visit the Natural History Museum or email the photo so it can be identified. Spider bits have to be logged.
- Look after yourself, keep the bite area clean
I was very lucky and had no swelling, just a lot of annoying pain for about 3 days – it felt like bad sunburn – sort of like needles. So not horrible, just annoying!
Additionally, having an Australian partner meant he had way more inside knowledge for treating it than I did.
These bits are the rarest of the rare, and whilst they’ve been in the UK for over 150 years, leave the tabloids to their linkbait.
Have any of you experienced anything like this?
(The picture is the cat – no scary photos here!).
