A Kansas mother of four spent nearly a month in the hospital and was told she had only three days to live after a spider bite led to a severe infection and organ failure.
Britagne Miller was camping with her family at Cheney Lake on May 28 when multiple spiders crawled on her, leaving bites across her body. Four days later, a bite on her calf developed into a painful, swelling bruise. The pain intensified, described by Miller as feeling like being stabbed.
Admitted to the hospital on June 4, doctors discovered multiple blood clots in her leg attributed to the bite. Miller, who has two blood clotting disorders, underwent surgery to remove the clots. However, a drain placed in the wound became infected, leading to sepsis and a critical risk of liver failure.
"They gave me three days up to a month to live, so that was scary," Miller told KAKE News. Her condition deteriorated to end-stage liver failure, with doctors warning of the risks associated with organ failure and a compromised immune system.
While the exact species of spider remains unconfirmed, experts speculate it may have been a brown recluse, a spider known for venom that can cause skin cell death and necrosis. These spiders are common in the Midwest and tend to hide in dark, secluded areas like woodpiles and leaf litter.
Miller's wound became infected with staph and gram-negative bacteria, which can enter the bloodstream through open wounds. These bacteria can pose serious health risks, particularly in individuals with underlying conditions.
After two weeks in intensive care, Miller's husband, Jake, shared on a GoFundMe page established for medical expenses that doctors had discussed hospice care. Following multiple procedures to address necrotic tissue around her stitches, Miller was discharged in late July.
She is now awaiting a liver transplant to treat her end-stage organ failure, with her other conditions stabilizing. The average wait time for a liver transplant in the U.S. is typically three to eight months. During this period, treatments like dialysis are used to manage waste in the blood.
In preventative advice, horticultural entomologist Dr. Raymond Cloyd of Kansas State University recommends caution when handling items that may harbor spiders, such as boxes stored in cold environments. He advises wearing gloves and shaking out or washing shoes before wearing them, as these are common hiding places for spiders like the brown recluse and black widow.