A few decades ago I was pruning a very prickly shrub and thought one of the thorns had stuck into me.
Not long after my elbow became swollen and very painful. A local GP prescribed an antibiotic and sent me home.
Not long after my breathing became laboured, my pulse became irregular and I felt very sick. Phoned an ambulance and ended up in intensive care where my heart kept missing beats. Diagnosed as a Red Back spider bite I was given the antidote, in itself a nasty experience.
Prior to this little drama finding a spider in the house I’d carefully put them in a jar and release them outside. Now I kill them on sight. I also kill scorpions and tiger snakes if they’re in or anywhere near my house. A tiger snake once chased me across a manicured lawn in suburban Melbourne.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redback_spider
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_snake
Not long after my elbow became swollen and very painful. A local GP prescribed an antibiotic and sent me home.
Not long after my breathing became laboured, my pulse became irregular and I felt very sick. Phoned an ambulance and ended up in intensive care where my heart kept missing beats. Diagnosed as a Red Back spider bite I was given the antidote, in itself a nasty experience.
Prior to this little drama finding a spider in the house I’d carefully put them in a jar and release them outside. Now I kill them on sight. I also kill scorpions and tiger snakes if they’re in or anywhere near my house. A tiger snake once chased me across a manicured lawn in suburban Melbourne.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redback_spider
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_snake