‘She felt something crawl out her leg’: Mum’s shock as daughter, 8, falls ill after spider bite

A Sleaford mum has spoken of her shock after her daughter said she felt “something crawl out of her leg” after being bitten by a spider on a dog walk.

Jodi Hinchcliffe was walking her dog with Scarlett, eight, on May 10, when unbeknown to her, her daughter was bitten by a spider.

The following day, Scarlett fell ill, suffering from sickness, breathing difficulties and a high temperature.

After going to see a GP, Jodi was told it could be the beginning of a virus and Scarlett was sent home.

Scarlett has said she felt a spider crawl out of her leg

However, after noticing a lump on the back of Scarlett’s leg, Jodi then took her to a walk in clinic – which advised her to call 111.

Scarlett was then taken to Boston Pilgrim Hospital where she was treated for an infection due to the bite.

Jodi told Lincolnshire Reporter: “She seemed absolutely fine when she went to bed on the Wednesday night but in the early hours of Thursday morning, Scarlett woke up and was complaining of everything hurting her, feeling sick, struggling to breathe and a high temperature.

“I took her to my own GP who said it was probably the start of a virus. The rest of the day she spent in bed feeling very poorly.

Scarlett suffered from a number of symptoms including feeling sick and a high temperature

“On the Thursday evening Scarlett noticed a strange lump on the back on her leg so I took her to the walk in clinic in Sleaford. The pharmacy there advised me to call 111.

“We then went over to Boston hospital and had a five hour wait. They saw her at 1am and said it was an infected bite, possibly a spider or insect but definitely not a tick.

“They didn’t realise anything was inside at this point and started her on antibiotics for the infection.

“On the Friday morning, after the antibiotics started, the lump burst. I took Scarlett to my mum and dad’s as I had work.

“My mum put her in a salt bath to try and clean up the bite, it was then that Scarlett felt something crawl out her leg and my mum saw what we believe to be a tiny spider floating on the water.

“It’s been a massive shock to us all, what we thought was just a virus turned out to be something like this. I still can’t get my head around it!

“The family are a bit freaked out by it all but Scarlett thinks it’s quite cool that she had something living in her leg! She’s still not feeling her usual self but she’s much better than she was last week.”