A Victorian man may lose both of his arms after having his legs amputated, due to apparent complications from a white-tailed spider bite.
Terry Pareja, 65, was bitten on the leg in late February while visiting family in the town of Birchip. He didn’t realise he had been bitten for a full day, when his right leg began to swell.
Upon visiting a GP, he was rushed to a hospital in Horsham. It was there he had his leg amputated to stop a serious necrotising bacterial infection from spreading.
He was airlifted to Melbourne’s The Alfred hospital, where his other leg was amputated due to the infection. Now, Pareja’s sister Raquel Ogleby says it’s possible his arms will need to be amputated as well.
Ogleby told Fairfax “I am not sure how well his arms are doing,” and that “they didn’t look too good last time.” Pareja’s kidneys have also been seriously affected, and he remains in intensive care.
It’s thought it may take as long as 18 months for Pareja to recover in hospital. Community groups have raised thousands of dollars to support Pareja and his family.
While white-tailed spider bites are known to cause painful swelling, their link to consequent flesh-eating bacterial infections – known as necrotising arachnidism – has not been fully established.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald / The Daily Mail.
Photo: @true2lifephotography.nz / Instagram.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald / The Daily Mail.
Photo: @true2lifephotography.nz / Instagram.
