A man was frightened that he would lose his penis after it was bitten by a black widow spider as he slept.
Man left horrified after spider bites his penis
Fergus Farrelly, a construction worker from Ireland, revealed that he woke up one morning with a painful lump on his penis which continued to swell in size.
Farrelly left the bit for three days but decided to seek medical attention when it turned a dark purple colour and swelled to the size of a golf ball.
He was prescribed a cocktail of drugs after doctors realised that there was black widow venom in his blood.
The 26-year-old confessed that he was terrified of losing his penis completely but fortunately escaped with just a two-inch scar.
He told The Sun newspaper: "I couldn't believe it when they found the venom of a black widow spider in my blood - I'd never even heard of one before.
"I was in hospital for days on all kinds of drips after the giant lump burst. That was when I thought I would lose my penis altogether.
"I'm all healed now and I do find it a wee bit funny - but also scary, I had no idea what damage spiders could do."