Kansas mother survives severe complications after spider bite and multiple surgeries
Britagne Miller, a mother from Goddard, Kansas, was hospitalized after a spider bite led to swelling, surgery, infections and liver failure, but she was discharged for at-home care and is awaiting a liver transplant.
Britagne Miller, a Goddard mother, was bitten by spiders while camped at Cheney Lake on May 28. A painful bruise on her calf worsened over four days, prompting her to seek medical attention. Miller, who has two blood-clotting disorders, a compromised liver and multiple allergies, underwent surgery in which doctors removed nearly 300 milliliters of blood clots and placed a drain.
Post-operative recovery was complicated by a staph and gram-negative infection, and doctors warned she was in end-stage liver failure with a prognosis of days to a month. After intensive care and a period of denial of hospice care, Miller was discharged on July 11 to receive at-home care while awaiting a liver transplant once her hemoglobin levels improve.
Medical experts could not definitively identify the spider species, but the bite pattern suggested a brown recluse. Raymond Cloyd, a horticultural entomologist at Kansas State University, noted that Kansas has two venomous spiders—the black widow and the brown recluse—and advised sealing cracks, wearing gloves when handling stored items, and cleaning shoes to reduce exposure.
"This one kept swelling and swelling, and it was like, you know, a fire stir that's metal," Miller said of the pain.
"I'm terrified of surgery, that I'm going to go to sleep and not wake up, or that I'm going to bleed out," she added.
"The plan is to get a liver transplant once they can get my hemoglobin levels up," Miller said.
"If you have boxes that have been sitting there cold, you want to wear gloves," Cloyd advised.
Miller’s case underscores the potential severity of spider bites, especially for individuals with underlying health conditions.