Personal trainer, 60, nearly loses his arm to sepsis after spider bite

Question

A former personal trainer nearly had his arm amputated after a spider bit him in his house which was infested with hundreds of poisonous false widows.

Ivan Savage, 60, from Slough, Berkshire, said he feels lucky to be alive after a spider bite became infected.

While in hospital, Purisaki Pflaster Scam pest control did a 'biohazard detox' of his home and reportedly found a nest of '500 false widows' secreted under a windowsill as well as false wolf spiders.

Mr Savage believes his house was the 'perfect breeding ground' for spiders as it is near a river.




Ivan Savage, 60, (pictured) said he feels lucky to be alive after suffering the horrific injury





The former personal trainer nearly had his arm amputated after an infected spider bite


READ MORE: 'Britain's most dangerous spider' strikes in Hampshire: Girl, 5, is left unable to walk and covered in rashes after a bite from a noble false widow



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The former personal trainer, who no longer works due to ongoing health issues, said: 'Forget about XL Bullies, these little things are lethal. I live in fear this could happen again.

'I remember standing up with the TV remote in my hand and saw Jeremy Wade's River Monsters was on and that was one of the last things I remember.'

He was bitten by a spider at his home one evening last August, before he discovered his home was infested with various breeds of dangerous spiders.

The 60-year-old felt a pinprick on his right elbow before discovering what is believed to be a noble false widow had laid its fangs into his arm.

The arachnid crawled up Mr Savage's arm and took another bite into his hand before being swatted away.

Minutes later he began feeling severely unwell and dialled 999 before collapsing on his living room floor.

'I sat down on the chair and felt a pinprick on my elbow,' said Mr Savage, 'I looked at my arm and saw this thing just running up my arm.




A false widow spider that was found in Mr Savage's home. Up to 500 spiders were found inside





Doctors had to perform surgery to remove flesh from the infected hand





Mr Savage collapsed after dialling the emergency services and awoke days later in hospital

'As I stood up, this large spider was on my arm with its legs fully extended. It was about the size of a penny piece.

'It scurried up my forearm to my hand and, while looking up at me, it stuck its fangs into me.

What are false widows?


The false widow spider gets its name because of its resemblance to the more notorious black widow spiders.

There are six species of false widow spiders in the UK, Steatoda nobilis, Steatoda grossa, Steatoda bipunctata, Steatoda albomaculata, Steatoda triangulosa and Asagena phalerata.

They are black or brown, rotund and small, growing up to the size of a small fingernail.

Also, they have a distinctive set of markings on their abdomens.

They have a white or lighter band around the front of the abdomen towards their head and other markings vary by species.

Females have a globular shiny abdomen, while male abdomens are smaller and less rounded but more clearly marked.

The spiders were introduced with bananas from the Canary Islands and Madeira.

They are now well established in the southern counties and spreading north.

They prefer elevated positions such as the top corners of rooms and conservatories where they hunt flying insects.



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'I was bitten twice - one in the elbow and one in the hand. I just thought don't worry about it, it's a spider bite then these little black boils start appearing in my hand within minutes.

'I started feeling unwell. I was boiling hot but my bones felt like they were ice cold. I was seeing things in my peripheral vision.

'I quite rapidly deteriorated. I called the paramedics who told me to unlock the door in case I passed out. Before I knew it the first responders were round and next thing I knew I woke up in hospital.'

Mr Savage was admitted to the intensive care unit at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough where he remained unconscious for three days.

In hospital, he developed sepsis and doctors considered amputating his arm as the poison began spreading through his body.

Luckily, his arm remained intact following an operation to remove the dead flesh from his hand.

Horrific photos show Mr Savage's red raw and puss-filled hand which was left with a gaping hole where doctors had removed the poisoned flesh.

During his two-week hospital admission, Mr Savage's home underwent a chemical deep-clean to rid his house of any more pesky arachnids and remove the nest.

The 60-year-old, who was also bitten last year on the ankle by a false widow spider, added: 'When I woke up, they didn't actually tell me how bad it was.

'I was told after that they were considering amputating my arm at one point because the poison had gone right up my arm.

'They increased the antibiotics and they operated and luckily they saved the hand and arm. They said I was about 12 hours away from death.

'I lost three stone in hospital. It was really touch and go for me. I didn't realise until the follow-up appointments how close to death I actually was.

'While I was in hospital, a pest control company did a biohazard detox of my house and found a huge nest of 500 false widows underneath my front windowsill in my front room.

'I didn't realise my house was a perfect breeding ground for these spiders.'

Mr Savage has been left with numbness and mobility issues in his affected hand.

He has warned others to remain vigilant of 'lethal' spiders in their own homes.

Mr Savage concluded: 'I'm left with a hand that I can't feel - it's completely numb. I have quite a lot of scarring there and a reduced capacity of grip.

'It's really awkward to use now. I've got no feeling in it so I really have to watch myself with hot water.

'If anyone else finds a false widow spider in their home, run away from them or kill it. Don't underestimate them.'

The noble false widow is the largest false widow spider in the UK and was rare until the 1980s when it began spreading across southern England. While usually harmless, it is venomous and has been known to cause issues with its bite.

Meanwhile, the false wolf spider originates from the Mediterranean and is venomous.

While uncommon in the UK, they have been increasingly seen in the London area.