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Snake Bite

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According to an email I got from our club [Central Virginia Woodturners] one of our members, Barbara Dill was bitten by a copperhead snake yesterday and spent the night in the hospital. We wish her the best for a speedy recovery with no lasting issues. I have no further info on how it happened or where, just that Barbara was bitten according to a facebook posting.
 
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From the WoW forum: Marshall Gorrow: I just read an update on Facebook by Shelly Klinger (Barbara's wife). She wrote, "Update on Barbara‘s progress: she is at St. Mary’s until at least tonight. The local pain and swelling have thankfully not progressed to any systematic involvement, labs and vital signs stable, no need for anti-venom. Good news overall, but it’s painful thank you for your good thoughts and prayers."

Edit: Even more good news; Barbara has been released from the hospital and is going home.
1 hr ago Edited
 

john lucas

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Glad to hear Barbara. My best friend from years ago got bit on the ankle. only one fang actually went in because it hit the ankle bone. They decided not to give him any aniti venon becuase they said that would be worse than the bite he got. He was pretty miserable for 4 or 5 days.
 
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I was bitten by a cottonmouth snake when I was 6 years old. I can remember the severe pain in my foot. It was in the Summer and as kids we went bare footed all Summer. My mother rushed my to the hospital which was a long drive form our home in the country. My mother was driving our old 1946 Chevy coupe as fast as it would go! When I got to the hospital the doctor had a suction machine to get what venom out that he could from my foot. My foot was twice the size for a few days. Main thing we were concerned with was infection. Took a couple of weeks for my foot to totally heal and I wore shoes from the on. Glad Barbara is doing fine, I know first hand what she went through.
 
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The suction idea for snake bites was gone a long time ago. I used to carry a snake bite kit when I was a kid. Razor, bandages, and a rubber 'suction' thing. Thing is that by the time you get to a doctor, the venom is already absorbed..... Even if you cut in immediately, it is into the muscles, and you end up with a cut that needs to be treated...

robo hippy
 

john lucas

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Yes Reed is correct. They stopped.recommending the suction method quite a few years ago. And of course the stupid suck the poison out with your mouth that was always toughted in the westerns was a really dumb thing. Reminds me of a really bad joke that ended with " he says your gonna die kemosavi.
The recommended treatment now if you cant get to a doctor shortly is to put a light constricting band around the limb above the bite and then get to a doctor as soon as possible.
 
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You can ingest the venom and it won't hurt you because your system will digest it fine. If it gets into your muscles, that is a whole different thing...

robo hippy
 
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Some snakes are so venomous that a trip to the doctor is useless. Vietnam had the "two step" snake. Get bit and go two steps and you are dead (Chickenhawk by Robert Mason). Peter Hathaway Capstick's book, Death in the Long Grass, tells of a fellow who was found in his canoe. He was bitten by a black mamba, opened his antivenom kit and died before he could use it.
Statistics show that people who were bitten by a snake was close to it.
 
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