Spider bite leaves woman with gaping hole in armpit: 'It was absolute agony'

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for Sept. 20

Fox News Flash top headlines for Sept. 20 are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com

A woman in the U.K. was recently left with a gaping hole in her armpit after she was bitten by a venomous spider that had been hiding in a sofa. Louise Edwards, 49, said the sofa had been outside in a shed, and that when she went to move it, she saw a few spiders, but didn’t think anything of it and didn’t feel any bite.

Louise Edwards was moving furniture out of her shed when she saw several spiders scurry away. (Kennedy News and Media)

By the next day, however, she realized she had a raised red spot under her arm that “felt like a burn.” Two days later, she told Kennedy News and Media she saw two little holes and was suffering from “shooting pains" down her arm.

MEDICAL STUDENT WITH RARE DISEASE FINDS POSSIBLE CURE FROM STUDYING OWN BLOOD SAMPLES

She began taking pain medication but the lump kept growing and looked ready to pop, so she put a hot compress on it, which she said only aggravated it more.

After several days of agonizing pain, she said doctors scooped out her infection and put her on antibiotics. (Kennedy News and Media)

"I did the hot compress first thinking that would draw out the poison but it just made it feel increased the burning sensation so then I had to put ice on it because it was absolute agony,” she told Kennedy News and Media.

PREGNANT BRIDE DIES AFTER SUFFERING STROKE MOMENTS BEFORE WEDDING

She sought medical attention at a clinic which referred her to University Hospital of Wales, where doctors scooped out her infected skin.

"They removed the capsule of the abscess, which was the size of a golf ball, and I was left with a one-and-a-half-inch hole in my arm,” she told the outlet.

Edwards deduced that she had been bitten when she put a sofa cushion under her arm. The likely culprit was a false widow spider, which typically has a mild effect on humans.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPt

The woman was then placed on antibiotics to clear her infection and is urging others to seek medical attention quickly if they suspect a bite.

"My advice would be to keep an eye on it and if it becomes inflamed get it checked out straight away,” she warned.