Snake Bite

[larryours]

I got coppersnake bit back in the early '80s, while I was Deputy Sheriff, looking for a stolen cash box along the Potomac River, along the bulworks(old time stone levie). Anyway, it wasn't what I had imagine a snake bite would feel like, it felt like someone had jabbed me in the leg with the blunt end of a broom, except when I checked my leg there was two fang marks with blood ozzing out. Went to the local hospital, an the E.R. doctor that was on duty had to be rallied up from his sleep. The nurse knew it was a snake bite, the doctor either didn't know what a snake bite was or just didn't give a d@*#%, said I think it's from briars, I told him Doc, I've been around briars all my life and I never had two fangs marks though my uniform pant leg, two fang marks, with blood oozing out and starting to turn black and blue around the marks, and I've been in briar patches hunting all my life. He asked me if I was working that night, I said I was. He said if you feel sick come back As I left the emergency room, I told the nurse, I better not receive a bill for this! Which I never did ! Anyway, I went home, and used a snake bite kit on my leg, I did feel sick that night but I didn't go back to the E.R., the next day I was serving some subpoena's for court, and one was for a Doctor that I knew, I asked him what those marks was and he said snake bite, he asked me if I had sought medical treatment, when I explained to him what had happen, he just shook his head and said you're out of danger now.
This is just one of the many experiences that have occured to me,
If you've been snake bit, tell everyone Your snake bite experence !

[Rocky Raab]

I've also been bitten by a copperhead. It was way back just after snakes first evolved, and I was a Boy Scout in southern Illinois.

We were climbing what we called cliffs but were just rock outcrops. I reached up for a handhold - and somebody stuck an icepick in my hand. A hot one. Burned like the devil. One of the other scouts saw the snake sliher away (probably to find some mouthwash) and identified it.

Not one of the Scout adult leaders would believe my story, even when the other Scout tried to confirm it. Well, that was late afternoon, and by nighttime, my hand had swollen up a bit and the bite mark (just one hole) was red and purple. I got sick to my stomach and lost my share of the tinfoil burger and potato hobo meal.

Didn't sleep too good, either. Next morning, the swelling was down, the leaders STILL wouldn't believe me, and I went my slightly less than merry way.

Years later, I got stung pretty bad by a nest of yellowjackets (another story) and my whole arm swole up. My fingers were the diameter of kielbasa. The doctor said, "You ever been bitten by anything poisonous?" I told him the Scout story, and he said I was now highly allergic to venom. The next one might do me in.

Well, even the wasp event is now three decades past. I am still REALLY careful around wasps, spiders and poisonous snakes. I don't fear any of them (even play with ordinary snakes) but I damn sure don't do anything that would tick one off!

In case anyone suggests it, I stopped carrying anti-venin kits. They are expensive, expire pretty quick and are just a royal pain to keep nearby ALL the time. And part time does no good.

[Valigator]

These stories are really good, not the bites, but the stories, I stepped on a nest of yellow jackets when I was real young, but dont remember it real well....I am always lookin for snakes, dont know why, just love to %%%with them... probably will come back to bite me literally one day...

[M.T. Pockets]

Snakes scare the begeezes out of me. Can't help it or do anything to help, I just cope with it.

No snake bite stories for me. Ended up in the ER once after a doberman greeted me, ended up in the same clinic for rabies shots after coming in contact with an infected animal too. I wouldn't trade both encounters for any of your snake bites.

[larryours]

When I was young and dump and full of sap, I use to catch non-poisioous snakes, but after the coppersnake bite, I got a phobia of any snakes, h*@%, now I'll even kill large nightcrawlers
Just the other day, I ended my turkey hunting a couple hours early, just because of a snake scaring the S*@% out of me, and I figure the roar of the .12 gauge shotgun would't improve the turkey hunting one bit!

[PJgunner]

My daughter once had a bull snake for a pet. Right docile critter he was too. Anyway, we went to the pet store to get a mouse or small rat to feed it and when we went intot he store, the girl working there was up on the counter all freaked out. Seems like a couple of punks had kicked out the glass on the enclosure for a six foot Boa Constrictor they were trying sell for somebody. My daughter and I went over and as the snake seemed pretty docile, I picked it up and asked where she wanted me to put it. We got it secured into a cage and that was the end of the problem.
My son from my first marriage had a 13 foot Reticulated Python for a pet, but it dies. I only saw the skin which he saved, and it was a full 13 feet. He has another now that is only 6 foot and growing.
One time, I had a date with a lovely young lady to take her to a function, and while she was getting ready, her pet Boa kind of wrapped around one of my legs with it's head coming up between my legs. Not expecting this, I kind of freaked out. Turned out this was her baby and it too was quite docile. From what I understand, Boas are less irritable than Pythons, especially the Reticulated variety.
For the most part, snakes don't freak me out. I used to catch Rattlesnakes and sell them to a medical facility back when I was a kid. They'e use them to extract the venom. IIRC, they paid $1.50 a foot.
Paul B.

[larryours]

PJgunner, I NOTICED you said (one time,) I had a date with a lovely lady, if it had been me, it would've been one time ONLY !
Just can't help myself Just don't like them darn snakes!!

[denton]

Trivia worth knowing:

If you step on a Stonefish, you are in for a miserable experience, and may die from the venom that you will get from their dorsal spines. However, some South Pacific islanders discovered that putting papaya on the wound neutralizes the venom. It contains a an enzyme that breaks down the venom.

In our family, we have experimentally determined that the treatment is effective against wasp, bee, and scorpion stings, if applied in the first few minutes. It also works on mosquito bites, but only if you are very fast in applying it... wound is small, and closes up quickly.

Getting the right enzyme used to be easier. Adolph's Meat Tenderizer was, but no longer is papaian enzyme. Then, for a while contact lens enzyme was the right stuff. Now, the best source I know of is papaya enzyme tablets from a health food store. Just grind one up, make a paste with water, and slap it on anytime in the first 3-5 minutes. In about 10 seconds, the sting is gone.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

got bit in pantleg just this fall stepping over a log...not sure what kind of snake it was..only hung onto pantleg...val, yellow jackets remind me of when kids and buddy sat on yellow jacket nest (hole in ground)...I can't remember if he was screaming from all the bites or from his mother swatting them off his back...I think one lead to the other..lol

[Leadbutt]

lary, your lucky,, that bite sounds like what we call a "dry" bite,, just enough venom on the fangs to react,, I used to buy the high dollar snake boots every two years, but have settled on the rubber ones sold now, I hunt the Dismal swap and take two to three hits a year between cotton mouths and coperheads,, most of the time its my fault,, paying more attention to tracking deer then looking where I place my feet..

[DaMadman]

I love playing with snakes. Very interesting creatures.

I have been tagged by a black rat snake a couple of times. Of Course they are not poisonous and the only thing it really did was make me bleed. Those jokers have lots of teeny tiny razor sharp teeth.

I was at work one day and went to our computer center which is a very larg Glass building. As i walked into the main corridor I notice a crowd gathered around the back of the corridor looking outside at some sort of comotion. As I went to investigate and it was two goofs trying to get a very large Black snake in a trash can with no lid. They got the porr snake trapped inside but it was long enough it could basically get out since there wasn't a lid. One of the clowns kept hitting the snake with a stick to knock it back down in the trash can, while the other guy went to find a lid.

Rather than stand there and watch the poor snake get tortured and the dumb guy eventually get bit because he was pissing off the snake I went out and told them if they would like I would take care of the snake and release it in the wooded area across the highway. They agreed and when I dumped th esnake out of the can and reached down to catch it behind the head those two guys hualed as so fast I never seen two grown men run that fast in my life. anyway they freaked out when I picked the snake up and carried it across the road they staye well away and justr kept saying something about me being crazy....LOL ahahaha