A Brit mum was so badly bruised after being bitten by a false widow spider that doctors thought she had been in a car crash.
Tracy Keeble, 43, from Gloucestershire, believes she was bitten by the critter while walking her dog Dottie on July 22, during the heatwave.
Due to the scorching conditions she opted for sandals rather than hiking boots and later noticed a mark on her ankle.
READ MORE: Mum's horror as 15-week-old son bitten by huge deadly false widow spider
At first she thought it was nothing, but as the days passed marks and dark bruising spread across her body.
A trip to the doctors confirmed she'd been bitten by a poisonous spider.
She told NeedToKnow.online: "I thought I was going to have to lose a leg or something, I was really panicking.
"When I turned up to the hospital, the bruising on my legs was so bad doctors kept asking me if I was a victim of trauma.
"I get why they asked and it's good that they did but I just can't believe I've had all this from a spider.
"It hurts to wear jeans, I have to turn up to the office in linen and loose fitting clothes.
"I can't have the duvet over me at night because it feels too heavy. It feels like having a dead weight on top of me."
False widow spiders have venom 230 times more powerful than native UK species and can see off small animals such as shrews and bats.
Although Tracy joked that she's "disappointed I can't climb ceilings and make my own webs like Spiderman", she also said the situation was "upsetting".
She saw her GP a few times before her diagnosis and was prescribed antibiotics. However, two weeks on from the dog walk, she was rushed to A&E with a fever and worsening bruising.
"They [doctors] were saying they hadn't seen anything like this before," she said.
"They can't say for certain but they think the bite has triggered something else and I'm having blood tests for rheumatoid and muscular infection."
Tracy is still dealing with the side effects of the bite over a month on from the dog walk, although the bruising has eased.
She added: "My legs are still quite tender but it is getting a bit better. It's starting to heal at least.
"It's just really difficult to sleep because of the aching. To be honest, I haven't had a good night's sleep in five weeks."
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Tracy continued: "I'm just petrified of spiders now.
"The other day my husband pointed one out and I just lost it and had to get my son to get rid of it ASAP.
"My heart was beating out of my chest. I'm absolutely petrified now."
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