A man has told of how he was left '12 hours away from death' after hundreds of venomous spiders invaded his home.
Ivan Savage has warned Brits not to 'underestimate' the damage that noble false widows can do after he was bitten by one and left fighting for his life in hospital.
The 60-year-old says he is 'lucky' to have survived and to have not lost his arm in the process after one of the arachnids took a chunk out of him while he was watching TV at his home in Slough, Berkshire.
"Forget about XL Bullies, these little things are lethal," Ivan said. "I live in fear this could happen again."
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He explained that unbeknownst to him, his riverside pad was the 'perfect breeding ground' for the scary spiders, which have been casting their webs across the south of the country.
The property had been invaded by several different breeds of the dangerous species, resulting in a 500-strong spider army setting up camp inside his home.
Ivan only realised he had some unwanted guests in August last year, when a noble false widow emerged from its hiding spot and crawled up his arm while he was watching the telly.
He recalled how he felt a pinprick-like sensation in his right elbow, before watching the spider scurry down towards his hand where it then 'stuck its fangs' into him once more.
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The bemused Brit initially just swatted the eight-legged creature away, but he suddenly began to feel extremely unwell just minutes later and decided to contact 999.
Moments after calling the emergency services, he collapsed on his living room floor.
Ivan explained: "As I stood up, this large spider was on my arm with its legs fully extended. It was about the size of a penny piece. I was bitten twice - one in the elbow and one in the hand.
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"I just thought, 'Don't worry about it, it's a spider bite'. Then these little black boils start appearing in my hand within minutes. I started feeling unwell.
"I was boiling hot but my bones felt like they were ice cold. I was seeing things in my peripheral vision. I quite rapidly deteriorated. I called the paramedics who told me to unlock the door in case I passed out. Before I knew it the first responders were round and next thing I knew I woke up in hospital."
After being rushed to Wexham Park Hospital, doctors quickly realised how dire the situation was and informed Ivan that he had developed sepsis and that they may have to amputate his arm as the venom had begun 'spreading through his body'.
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The former PT was admitted into the intensive care unit, where he remained unconscious for three days.
He later underwent an operation where surgeons removed the dead flesh from his hand - which thankfully, somehow remained intact despite the state it was left in.
Terrifying images show how Ivan's hands were oozing with pus and appeared to be red raw, while he also had a gaping hole where doctors had removed the infected flesh.
Ivan continued: "When I woke up, they didn't actually tell me how bad it was. They increased the antibiotics and they operated and luckily they saved the hand and arm. They said I was about 12 hours away from death.
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"It was really touch and go for me. I didn't realise until the follow-up appointments how close to death I actually was."
During his two-week stint in hospital - which saw him lose three stone in weight - his property was given a thorough chemical deep-clean to get rid of any of the spiders which were still lurking around.
Pest control completed a 'biohazard detox' and reportedly found a nest of '500 false widows' secreted under a windowsill as well as false wolf spiders in the property.
Ivan now suffers from mobility issues in the hand which was bitten, which he says has been left 'completely numb', while he also has extensive scarring and a 'reduced capacity of grip'.
He added: "It's really awkward to use now. I've got no feeling in it so I really have to watch myself with hot water. If anyone else finds a false widow spider in their home, run away from them or kill it. Don't underestimate them."
While a bite from a noble false widow is not deadly - phew - it is painful, having been compared to a severe bee or wasp sting, some people who have sustained one can experience excruciating pain and rotting flesh.
Olivia Burke