Man rushed to hospital after spider he swallowed in his sleep bites him on the throat

"I thought I was going to die."

Of course, this is untrue. However one unfortunate postman from Hertfordshire has been left absolutely horrified after this nightmarish scenario came true.

Chris Cowsley, 52, woke up in the middle of the night unable to breath and frantically dialled 999. He was rushed to Lister Hospital by paramedics where he was given a saline drip, antibiotics, and steroids.

Medics believe Chris had swallowed a spider in his sleep which bit his uvula on the way down.

Speaking about the incident, Chris 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."

Chris continued: "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.''

Chris was eventually discharged from hospital and went to his parents house before returning home.

He explained that he couldn't sleep until he had vacuumed the entire house and even installed a spider repellent plug in the wall.

Ultimately, Chris is extremely thankful for the paramedics and the team at Lister for saving his life.

Horrific.