A man had to have his finger amputated after being bitten by a recluse SPIDER while he SLEPT.
Wilker de Paula Guimarães awoke to find his left hand swollen and throbbing.
He sought help at a local A&E, where he said the on-duty doctor told him it could have been a spider or scorpion bite.
Despite raising the possibility of a venomous bite, Wilker, 31, claims he wasn’t given anti-venom.
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Instead, the medic prescribed him allergy and pain medications and sent him home.
He returned to the facility in Praia Grande, near São Paulo, Brazil, later on after spotting recluse spiders in his building.
But he says he still wasn’t given antivenom.
It was only the next day when he went to a different A&E that he was administered the serum.
However, by then, it was too late to save the index finger which had by that point turned purple.
Wilker’s digit underwent necrosis and he had to have it amputated on Saturday (13 Jan).
He was discharged from hospital on Monday (15 Jan).
He told local media: “Now it’s about trying to get used to the new situation.
“It hurts a bit because, whether I like it or not, the finger’s gone.
“For now, I’m waiting for the doctor to schedule the follow-up.”
Wilker says he’s been experiencing phantom limb syndrome because his brain hasn’t yet processed the amputation.
He said: “I feel itching, even though the finger isn’t there anymore. It’s really strange.”
Wilker, who works as a waiter, is right-handed but uses his left hand to carry trays.
He said: “It’s going to hinder me a lot. Whether I like it or not, I’ll have to adapt.”
He said: “I don’t want anyone to go through what I’m experiencing.”
The São Paulo Public Health Department has said it will investigate the allegations.
Recluse spiders’ venom destroys the walls of blood vessels near the bite site, sometimes causing a large skin ulcer.
The wound may require several months to heal and is occasionally fatal.
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