Posted by:
michaelb
at Sat May 8 23:17:02 2004 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by michaelb ]
I'd like to know what field guide would publish such horribly inaccurate, and potentially dangerous, misinformation. The only thing I might agree on is that the venom was designed to kill small prey. The rest of it is, essentially, bullcrap.
We had an envenomation case from a Broad-banded Copperhead here in the Oklahoma City area last summer. I was able to meet the victim, a woman of about 30, and discuss the incident in detail with her several months later. Her account of the ordeal was one of the most shocking, horrifying accounts I have heard in a long time. And she was most definitely sincere. The incident also received coverage on the local news.
She was bitten on the foot. By the time EMTs arrived, they had no choice but to medi-flight her to the OU Medical Center. Her description of the severe symptoms - excruciating pain from the very slightest touch or attempt to move virtually any part of her body, extreme nausea, terrible thirst, continuous vomiting, etc. - is hard to describe in terms of intensity. The swelling was so intense they were very close to performing surgery to keep her skin from literally bursting from the pressure. Medical staff opted to hold off on antivenin despite the severe symptoms, going with her age and fitness to fight for her life rather than risk an allergic reaction. (Probably saved her a bunch of money, too.) Months later she still walked with a limp, and still experienced occasional milder versions of the nausea, tenderness, etc.
She described it as a living hell, an ordeal so intensely horrific that it was far, far worse than anything she ever thought she could endure. I can not even put into words the emotions of pain and terror she expressed as she related her experience. And she received medical attention in less than an hour.
So if you get tagged by a copperhead, think twice about cleaning the bite with an antiseptic and waiting 12 hours or so for the small amount of swelling to go down. It probably won't, and you very likely WILL have to go to the hospital.
Nothing against you, SlipKorn, although you really should cite the source of such statements if they're not your own.
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MichaelB
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