A sleeping postman "thought he was going to die" after he swallowed a spider - which bit his throat on the way down.
Chris Cowsley, 52, woke up choking at 3:30am after the spider bit his uvula - the dangly bit at the back of the mouth.
He was unable to breathe so phoned 999.
Chris, from Sandon in Hertfordshire, was rushed to Lister Hospital in Stevenage where he was given a saline drip, antibiotics and steroids.
He said: "It had been a perfectly normal night but then I woke up choking and couldn't breathe.
"I had to stick a finger down my throat to get some air in but as soon as I took it out I couldn't breathe again.
"I thought I was going to die. I don't know how the poor lady who took the 999 call understood what I was saying because I couldn't speak.
"When the ambulance got here the paramedics had a look at my throat.
''One of them said they thought I'd inhaled a spider in my sleep and it must've bitten my uvula on the way down.
"They hooked me up to machines - and the first thing he said was, 'I think you've swallowed a spider'. I was shocked. I couldn't believe it.''
After several hours in hospital, he also saw an ear, nose and throat specialist to make sure nothing else was wrong.
At 7:30am, Chris was discharged as his throat was no longer swollen.
He said: "They looked after me really well at the hospital. I was put on a saline drip and hooked up to antibiotics as well.
"After a few hours they got another doctor to put one of those endoscopic cameras up my nose and to the back of my throat just to make sure everything was okay.
"After I was discharged, I went straight to my parents’ house and then back home.
"I couldn't sleep until I vacuumed the whole house and put a spider repellent plug in the wall.
"We normally accommodate spiders in our home as we live in the countryside.
''We haven't had any problems with them since, but I did find it hard to get to sleep again.
"I just really wanted to thank the paramedics and all the team at Lister because I think they could well have saved my life.''
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel