thanks...one other thing I remember, when I was bitten I was stalking quietly and did not hear the 'typical' warning hiss or puff of a puff adder, and am pretty sure I did not step on the snake (unless it was the tip of its tail), though i'm sure it could have been as surprised also due to me stalking.



I recently dug out my medical report from the joburg H to review, it is very similar to what you describe, here is a summary if interested: snake bite dec 27/93, admitted jan 2/94 with septicemia, haemolysis and early DIC, ARDS with PO2=57%, sever swelling and early compartment syndrom of lower rt leg, liver enzym abnormalities, Blood: PI=100%, INR=1.02%, patient ptt=24.9 sec, control ptt=30.3 sec, fibrin monomera=abnormal,D-dimer less than 0.5 mg/l, fibrinogen 2.62 g/l normal?

had 3 'debridement' surgeries on the 3rd,5th,10th, and skin graft on 14th.



cheers



>>After all that was written, I have to say I see no reasn to discount a gaboon bite.

>>

>>To those critical of the guy and his action with spitting cobras, all I will say is that when you are living in the rural tropics, where snakes are a common and omnipresent danger, one's feelings about them and interactions with them tend to look just a shade different from our rose-tinted spectacles view from the comfort of our first world living rooms.

>>

>>Cheers,

>>

>>Wolfgang

>>

>>

>>>>Either snake could have produced the problems you experienced so, obviously, there is no way to know for sure which it was. However, from scanning the handful of case reports in the medical literature, it seems to me that severe coagulation problems are less common following envenomation by puff adders vs. gaboon vipers. There was one gaboon case in which clotting problems developed 3 days post, similar to what you described if I’m reading your history correctly. The rapid hypotension you experienced also seems to be more associated with gaboon bites, as is the lung edema / effusion.

>>>>

>>>>As people more knowledgeable than I have said here, puffs are more commonly the culprit in bites occurring in areas inhabited by both species, but I can see no compelling reason for you to change your moniker to “Puff Survivor”.

>>>>

>>>>Best of luck,

>>>>WK

>>>>

>>-----

>> WW Home

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