Spider bite leaves Iowa teen with kidney failure, unable to speak

A 16-year-old perfectly healthy boy was left fighting for his life after a spider bite in Iowa. The bite area got infected, and multiple visits to the doctor didn't help. Antibiotics didn't work, and he was finally hospitalised, after which his kidneys also went into failure. Noah Johnson of Slater, Iowa, was working at his brother’s fence-building company over the summer to save up for a new truck. On June 18, he felt something bite him. Noah told his mother, Brandy Johnson, that he felt something crawl on him and then a sting, People reported. The spider had bitten him on his lower left butt cheek. It started paining badly, after which Brandy told him to keep an eye on the bite and inform her if it gets worse. Over the next few days, the bite mark grew in size and had two black puncture marks. It was so painful that he couldn't even sit. Brandy took him to Urgent Care on June 23. The doctors noticed the "fang bites" and suspected it was a spider bite that had gotten infected. Brandy was assured that the spiders in Iowa could not kill anyone, although the risk of infection remains high. Also Read: Thailand: Man dies after consuming only beer without a morsel of food for a month

Antibiotics didn't heal the spider bite

Noah was prescribed antibiotics and tested for MRSA, a type of staph bacteria that is often resistant to antibiotics. The medicines did not help ease the condition, and the wound now started oozing, with excretions from two other areas. Brandy took him to the Emergency room, where he was given more antibiotics. Noah had developed a 103-degree fever but was sent home. She was told to wait 48 hours before returning to the hospital. But when things didn't improve, she rushed him to the Mary Greeley Medical Centre in Ames, Iowa. The doctors saw the infection and performed an emergency surgery to remove the infected areas. A day later, his kidneys started malfunctioning. Noah was rushed to the Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. A biopsy of the kidneys showed that he had a severe allergic reaction to the pain medication prescribed by the first doctors who treated him. He remained in the Pediatric ICU for two weeks.

A colonoscopy showed a small infection in his intestines. Chastity Schonhorst, his aunt, told People, "It was heartbreaking" to see him in this condition. "Every day they thought he might get a little better, he went back downhill." His mother says Noah is extremely strong, has played baseball for years, and could lift weights for three hours before the bite. However, he lost 15 kg at the hospital. On July 16, he talked to his mother and told her he was scared that he was dying. Brandy told him he was fine and asked everyone at the hospital to say only positive things around him. Brandy decided to take Noah outside for a change, and it worked. The next day, his vitals improved. He was moved out of the ICU in mid-July after his kidneys started working again. Noah’s friends' mothers started a GoFundMe page for him. He was finally released from the hospital on July 21 but will undergo physical therapy.