Woman’s finger ‘almost explodes’ after ‘pimple’ turns out to be false widow spider bite
A woman was forced into having surgery on a seemingly harmless spot after discovering it was actually a potentially lethal false widow spider bite.
The dangerous arachnid had left its mark on Crystal Rudd, 28, who first noticed a pimple on her finger on March 25 – and even tried to pop the painful mark with a sterilised pin.
But after popping the supposed pimple, the mum-of-three was still in horrible pain – even after antibiotics and antihistamines were prescribed by doctors who believed it was a horsefly bite.
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Crystal was in agony by the start of April, saying it felt as though her finger was going to “explode”, and on April 3 she was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.
(Image: Crystal Rudd / SWNS)
The 28-year-old said: “The pain began to become excruciating. I had to ask my eldest – who is eight- to help me get dressed because I couldn’t move my hand.
“My finger where I was bit, it was angry red and very tight it felt like my finger was going to split open. It felt like my finger was going to explode.”
Her husband Stephen Rudd, 25, took Crystal to hospital where doctors sliced open the injured finger and began to clean an infection found around her knuckle.
Even after that, nurses told Crystal she could go home despite the mum feeling as though she “wanted to cut my finger off to help as it was so tight and swollen.”
(Image: Getty Images)
It was not until the intervention of another doctor that a false widow spider bite was deemed the cause, with Crystal saying she may need physio to improve her finger.
Recalling the encounter with a ward doctor, Crystal said: “On the ward I had a doctor speak to me and he said ‘that looks like a false widow spider bite’.
“He said I would have an operation, they wanted to cut from my knuckle to just past the bite to clean it and remove the infection and around the knuckle joint.”
(Image: Crystal Rudd / SWNS)
The mum still has no movement in the injured digit, but she has since spoken of the “relief” of receiving a correct diagnosis.
She added: “In recovery I woke for pain relief it felt horrible but when back on the ward I felt relief and I was glad it was done and the pain in arm, elbow had gone.
“The next day I had the doctor back in the morning he got a nurse to remove the bandage to have a look and change the dressing. I saw my finger I felt sick and was shocked how bad it looked.
“I wouldn’t want anyone to have to go through what I did being in that pain. Not being able to get dressed, cook, I wasn’t able to mother my children.”
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