Man cured of spider fear…but now he hates music

Most people who suffer from arachnophobia would probably tell you that they would give anything to get over their crippling fear of the eight-legged creepy crawlies, but how much would you really be willing to sacrifice?

For one man, who remains anonymous, his desire to get rid of his spider fear was clearly very strong, as he had to give up his love of music for the cure, as strange as that may sound. 

The 44-year old went under the knife for a rather drastic piece of therapy that saw a part of his brain removed in order to nullify the fear. Reports say that the surgery was a real success, with the recipient not only ending up no longer afraid of spiders, but finding himself to actually be fascinated by them.

However, the part of the brain that was removed also seems to have been that which gave him his love of all things musical, after it was reported that he was repulsed by all music when his spider phobia disappeared. 

Luckily his hatred for music would eventually fade, but ever since the drastic surgery he has found that his fear of spiders remained a thing of the past. 

Dr Nick Medford, of the Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said it's likely that surgeons removed some of the neural pathways that send us signals for fear as a part of the operation on the left part of the amygdala.

When it comes to bathroom invaders, though, a little spider may seem like a drop in the ocean compared to what confronted one woman in Thailand. 

Rampeung Onlamai, 57, of Samkok, said she was getting out of the shower in her home when she was shocked to be bitten on the hand by a python. After the huge snake sank its fangs into her hand it refused to let go, apparently trying to pull her into the toilet from whence it came. 

Her screams alerted her daughter, who found her mother trying to fend off the snake with a broom. The pair were able to free the hand, before the snake slithered back down the toilet. The victim was later taken to hospital, where she had 20 stitches in her hand. 

Local police officers are apparently now trying to find the python before it decides to pop its head out of someone else's toilet.