Mum left vomiting with bulging blisters after being bitten by spider in her own garden

A mum was left with bulging blisters and severe vomiting after a spider bit her in her own garden.

Gillian Dennis was hanging out washing when she was bitten - suffering horrific pain as the venom coursed through her veins.

The bite left the mum-of-three in hospital for two weeks after being admitted to A&E at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds.

Tests by the infectious diseases department identified the spider bite, while the NHS worker believes it was a false widow.

Gillian, 54, told the Metro : "I can only think it happened while I was in the garden hanging out the washing. It just felt like something you brush off and then forget about but my leg didn’t feel very well over the next couple of days and I could see two marks on my ankle that were starting to really, really itch.

Gillian's leg became inflamed (Gillian Dennis)

"I got a really high temperature, it was 40 degrees.

"I was vomiting and I had a blinding headache and my leg started to go red. I went to A&E who could see I was in a bad way. Even though the wait time was 10 hours they saw me in 30 minutes."

Gillian was put on IV drips to receive antibiotics and needed oral morphine for the pain.

The infection eventualy spreading to her groin and caused large blisters and swelling across her leg.

Since returning home, nurses and doctors have visited to check on her recovery, with her leg finally starting to heal since being treated as a burn.

After leaving hospital, Gillian needed another three weeks off work to recover.

Gillian said she started to feel unwell after hanging out washing (Gillian Dennis)

Gillian has said she is now a "nervous wreck" as she worries about getting another bite.

While it's not confirmed Gillian was bitten by a false widow, the symptoms are similar.

False widow spiders are venomous, but their venom is not as potent as the black widow, or other dangerous spiders.

However, some people can still experience nasty reactions to bites from false widow spiders.

Gillian's horror reaction to the spider bite (Gillian Dennis)

A false widow spider bite looks like most insect bites; you might notice these five features:

• A hole where the bite was (similar to a wasp sting)
• A red and swollen area
• The suspected bite area becomes filled with fluid
• You might feel unwell shortly afterwards
• But, the only way to be sure if you've been bitten is if you actually spot a false widow spider nearby