Jon Gosselin, 44, was hospitalized after being bit by a poisonous spider. The Jon & Kate Plus 8 star says he was in “excruciating pain” as his leg swelled up after the Brown Recluse arachnid got him while he was sleeping. “It was really weird because when I looked at my leg I realized it was twice the size and there’s a red-looking blister with a large red circle around it,” he said to The Sun.
“It kind of looked like a cigarette burn, but really raised,” Jon explained, forcing him to seek medical attention. At the hospital, a doctor deduced what kind of bite Jon was suffering from. “The doc immediately knew the pain was from a brown recluse, which is a deadly spider. My entire leg had swollen up from the cellulitis,” he added. The venom from the spider can lead to a number of complications as it destroys cell membranes, therefore leading to a breakdown of blood vessels and skin in the bite area. More serious side effects can include limb loss, joint pain, seizures and ulcers.
The 44-year-old was bitten at his home in Reading, PA but has been traveling for a DJ road tour alongside his daughter Hannah, 17 — which included a stop in Philadelphia. “It was my first real single weekend. I was totally ready to open up and meet new people and start fresh,” Jon explained. “But I woke after a night of music and fun and went to stand up only to fall back down on the bed. I was in excruciating pain.”
After a recent break-up from ex Colleen Conrad, and COVID-19, amongst other hardships, Jon has had a difficult year already. “My first thought was ‘What now?’ I have had a rough year, my breakup was hard, then I got Covid which was bad,” he said to the outlet. “The doctor told me that I was lucky to come in because if you don’t treat this you can lose limbs or die from a bacterial infection. I just wish I knew where the spider was so I can take my revenge.” The reality star added that he hired an exterminator to make sure the spider is gone for good.
“I went through days of severe pain and now the antibiotic is so strong it’s made me ill. I’m losing pounds again,” he added. “”It’s finally healing after a week and the swelling has improved and the pain is just where the bite is rather than my entire leg.”