A Kansas mother of four was left fighting for her life after suspected spider bites at Cheney Lake developed into a medical emergency involving blood clots, infections and liver failure.
Britagne Miller, from Goddard, Kansas, said she was enjoying a family campfire at the lake on 28 May when multiple spiders crawled over her, leaving bites across her body. Four days later, a painful bruise appeared near one of the bites on her calf and continued to swell.
'This one kept swelling and swelling,' Miller told KAKE, describing the pain as shooting down her leg and feeling 'like it was being stabbed.'
Spider Bites Become Life-Threatening
Miller's existing health conditions made the situation more complicated. She said she had been diagnosed with two blood-clotting disorders during pregnancy and later developed liver problems, as well as allergies to certain foods and medicines.
Doctors eventually determined that she needed surgery, despite Miller's concerns about bleeding because of her medical history.
During the procedure, doctors removed almost 300 millilitres of blood clots and inserted a drain to help the wound heal. Five days later, Miller said the wound became infected with staph and a Gram-negative bacterial infection.
Her condition then deteriorated further, with doctors also believing she was experiencing end-stage liver failure.
'They [the doctors] gave me three days up to a month to live, so that was scary,' Miller said.
She spent weeks in the medical and cardiac intensive care units and said she remembers only fragments of the ordeal after refusing hospice care.
Miller was discharged from the hospital on 11 July and has since enrolled in at-home care. She continues to face a lengthy recovery and hopes eventually to qualify for a liver transplant.
'The plan is to get a liver transplant once they can get my haemoglobin levels up,' she said.
What Spider Bit the Kansas Mother?
Doctors were unable to definitively identify the spider responsible for Miller's injuries. She said the appearance of the affected area led them to suspect a brown recluse spider.
Dr Raymond Cloyd, a horticultural entomologist at Kansas State University, told the news outlet that Kansas is home to numerous spider species, although only two are considered medically significant: the black widow and the brown recluse.
Neither species has been confirmed as the spider that bit Miller, and the medical complications cannot be attributed to any particular species without medical confirmation.
Cloyd advised people to reduce the risk of spider bites by sealing cracks and crevices and taking precautions around stored boxes and shoes where spiders may hide.
Miller's Family Faces Financial Strain
Miller's recovery has also placed financial pressure on her family. Her husband, Jake, reportedly lost his job because he could not maintain normal working hours while caring for his wife and their children.
The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover Miller's hospital and ongoing medical expenses, home healthcare and everyday living costs.
Despite the severity of her ordeal, Miller said her children gave her the motivation to keep fighting. She now faces a long recovery as she works towards becoming eligible for a liver transplant and returning home to her four children.
