A woman has had a finger amputated after she contracted necrotising fasciitis from a spider bite.
Andrea Wallace, from Seaham in County Durham, was in a park in Sunderland when she was bitten by a false widow spider.
The spider, which is the UK’s most venomous, was carrying the bacteria which causes the flesh-eating disease ‘necrotising fasciitis’.
The mother-of-four quickly became unwell and was rushed to hospital. Within an hour of being admitted she went into surgery as doctors tried to stop the spread of infection.
Thankfully fatal complications were avoided, but her index finger could not be saved and it was eventually amputated.
Ms Wallace said: “The pain was like nothing I’ve been through in my life. By the time I got to hospital my finger was bursting open, there was pus, it was black. It was a right mess.”
“They told me if I had been two hours later I would have been dead. It was scary. It was like something out of a horror movie.”
“Losing my finger was a small price to pay. I could’ve lost my life.”
Timely treatment of necrotising fasciitis
Necrotising fasciitis must be treated promptly or the consequences could be fatal.
Fortunately in the case of Ms Wallace doctors acted quickly and her life was saved. Sadly this standard of care is not always achieved and a patient becomes critically unwell.
If you or your loved one has suffered harm because necrotising fasciitis was not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, please get in touch with us today. You could be entitled to take legal action against the medical practitioner or hospital responsible.
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