73-Year-Old's Leg Swells Like A 'Large Watermelon' After Spider Bite

Glenn Priestley, a 73-year-old man from Blackpool, England, experienced excruciating pain after a suspected spider bite led to a painful infection in his leg, BBC reported. According to the media outlet, Priestley was apparently bitten by a noble false widow spider, which is a distant relative of the Black Widow. It is called Britain's most venomous spider.

It all began when Priestley noticed a small bug under a blanket while looking after his mother in her loft. At the time, he felt only a minor pinprick. At that time, he assumed it was just a harmless house spider.

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However, by the following day, walking became difficult. His left leg began to swell, eventually expanding to about 15 inches in diameter. 

He recently appeared on the Good Morning Britain (GMB) show, where he revealed that the bite caused his leg to balloon to the size of a 'large watermelon'. He mentioned that he was admitted to hospital for 18 days.

"I got back to the house late that night and had a pain in the leg," he said, as quoted by People magazine. "Pulled up my trouser leg to find it had blown up in size and it was rosy, deep red."

"On the 16th, 17th, 18th, it was rosy red, then on the 25th it was gory," he added. "On the 28th it started to wither, but the pain was so excruciating that I couldn't put my leg down."

As per the media outlet, blood tests revealed dangerously high markers for infection. Doctors then performed a series of tests, including an MRI, a CT scan, and an X-ray. They concluded that the severe inflammation was the result of a false widow spider bite.

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As quoted by the BBC, he said that it was a "pretty alarming and unpleasant experience".

"The pain has been really intense," he added. "I'd advise anyone else who has a suspected spider bite and starts to feel serious pain to get it checked out right away."