After being bitten by a spider in the middle of the night, a Texas woman has shocked internet viewers by revealing the unexpected side effect she developed.
While Sarah Neal, 28, was sleeping, she felt a slight pinch and realized she had been bitten by a spider on her left buttock. It was a surprise at the time, but she told Newsweek that it “wasn’t extremely painful,” so she plucked the spider between her fingers to remove it.
Of course, Neal, of Boerne, Texas, did what most people would do in that situation and “threw it across the room” before going back to sleep.
But, 24 hours later, she noticed a peculiar rash on her arms and legs, and she had developed a fever, too. Neal’s face felt bright red, and she just couldn’t cool her body temperature down.
“I’d been swimming in a moving pond on the Thursday, so I just thought maybe it was from that,” Neal said.
@sarahtneal / TikTok
Neal started taking Benadryl as it seemed like some sort of allergic reaction, but even that wasn’t working. As the days went by, the rash spread across her body and started to appear on her face, too.
Even worse, Neal later developed strange-looking face pustules, which were truly concerning.
“I went to the ER once my face got really bad, and they said it wasn’t from the bite at first,” Neal said. “But then I went and saw a dermatologist, and they said that this was a rare case of an AGEP [acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis] rash from a brown recluse spider bite.”
Neal said she never imagined that she could experience so many side effects from a spider bite, let alone a rash spreading across her face.
Although, given that she had received contrasting diagnoses, Neal went to see another dermatologist to be sure. By that point, the two bite marks appeared on her buttock, and it was confirmed as a bite from a brown recluse spider.
While brown recluse spiders are not aggressive, they will bite anyone if they feel threatened. Typically, their bites can cause redness, itchiness, pain, and bruising, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In more-severe cases, people may experience a rash, fever, dizziness, and vomiting.
The majority of brown recluse bites will heal after three weeks if not severe. However, the Cleveland Clinic recommends seeking treatment at the first sign of being bitten to ease the recovery. Left untreated, the bite may continue to grow, and the wound could become infected.
Neal was initially given steroids to treat her rash, before being given an antibiotic ointment to put on her face and a stronger dose of Benadryl.
Neal began documenting her experience on TikTok (@sarahtneal), partly to seek advice from other social-media users, but also to share the unusual turn of events. A video showing the severe rash on her face went viral with over 7.6 million views and almost 250,000 likes in just a matter of days.
Neal’s follow-up videos continued to generate hundreds of thousands of views too, as TikTok users became fascinated by the ordeal. “People have been super-supportive and kind by sharing their thoughts and their own stories as well,” Neal told Newsweek.
She said she is doing much better now and hopes to put the chaotic experience in the past.
Neal’s experience has horrified many social-media users, leading to hundreds of comments on her TikTok videos.
One comment reads: “Brown recluse bite was my biggest fear as a child.”
Another TikTok user wrote: “So glad you saw a doctor that knew.”
A third person replied: “I genuinely admire how calm you are through all this. Sending you healing energy and painless days!”
One commenter added: “Wow! What a rollercoaster. Your attitude is admirable!”
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