A sleeping postman "thought he was going to die" after he swallowed a spider - which bit his throat on the way down.
Chris Cowsley, 52, woke up choking at 3:30am after the spider bit his uvula - the dangly bit at the back of the mouth.
He was unable to breathe so phoned 999.
Chris, from Sandon in Hertfordshire, was rushed to Lister Hospital in Stevenage where he was given a saline drip, antibiotics and steroids.
He 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.
''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.''
After several hours in hospital, he also saw an ear, nose and throat specialist to make sure nothing else was wrong.
At 7:30am, Chris was discharged as his throat was no longer swollen.
He said: "They looked after me really well at the hospital. I was put on a saline drip and hooked up to antibiotics as well.
"After a few hours they got another doctor to put one of those endoscopic cameras up my nose and to the back of my throat just to make sure everything was okay.
"After I was discharged, I went straight to my parents’ house and then back home.
"I couldn't sleep until I vacuumed the whole house and put a spider repellent plug in the wall.
"We normally accommodate spiders in our home as we live in the countryside.
''We haven't had any problems with them since, but I did find it hard to get to sleep again.
"I just really wanted to thank the paramedics and all the team at Lister because I think they could well have saved my life.''
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