WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. Paige Oldfield says it ‘was like something out of a horror film’ after a suspected bite from a spider in a pub left her with months of agony and a growing hole in her leg
A woman was left with a ‘gaping hole’ in her leg and months of pain after she was bitten by ‘Britain’s most dangerous spider’ in a pub.
Paige Oldfield says started to feel intensely itchy a few days after going for a few drinks with a friend, and was left “horrified” to discover a raised, crater-shaped mark on her right calf. She snapped a photo to send to her grandmother, who used to be a nurse, and she urged her to see a doctor – but Paige put it off, believing it to be a harmless mosquito bite. Things spiralled out of control however, and before long she was left unable to walk as the hole began to grow larger and more painful.
At one point, it was so deep that Paige could put part of her finger inside of it. Paige, a 30-year-old writer from Manchester, said: “I honestly thought I was going to lose my leg at one point.
“It was like something out of a horror film. The hole was weeping pus, and I could feel it dripping down my leg. I kept it as clean as possible and thought it would get better on its own.
“Then I started getting excruciating shooting pains down my leg. I can handle pain, but this was just something else.”
Paige says she initially brushed off the advice from her family to seek medical advice, but after a week, she noticed the hole getting bigger. During a routine smear test, which was booked during this same time, Paige decided to ask the nurse for some advice – and even they were left stunned.
Describing her reaction, she said: “They let out a huge gasp when they saw it. She took a swab and told me I needed to go to reception and be seen by a doctor that very same day.
“I was prescribed antibiotics, and my bite finally started showing some signs of healing. The swab results also came back and also showed it was heavily infected.
“But as I neared the end of the antibiotic course, I started to panic. The bite had definitely improved, but it still wasn’t fully healed.
“I had a feeling that once the scab fell off, I would be right back where I started, and unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened. The hole in my leg was now so deep I could literally put my finger in it if I wanted to.
“Sleeping became impossible, and I couldn’t wear trousers, so cycling shorts became the norm. It just felt like a never-ending nightmare.”
Though she never received an official diagnosis, Paige believes she was bitten by either a false black widow or a brown recluse spider. False widow spiders are the most venomous spiders in Britain, and can deliver a painful bite, with symptoms ranging from localised swelling and burning to infected wounds and nerve pain in rare cases.
They typically live in sheds, garages and homes, especially in southern England, but have been spreading further north due to warmer weather. Meanwhile, brown recluse spiders are native to the United States, and are rare in the UK.
Paige’s wound didn’t begin healing until March and has left a “gnarly” scar that she tries to improve with oil. The 30-year-old said that while the mark is unsightly and “will likely be there for life”, she is grateful to still have her limb – and admits her ordeal is ”definitely a conversation starter at the pub”.
“I always look around for spiders while sipping my drink!”, she added.