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FREE LANCE-STAR (Fredericksburg, Virginia) 28 June 08 Dangers Close To Home - Snakebites (Jim Kundreskas)
Wayne and Ellen McGough recently returned to their home on Lake Anna from a two-week vacation to Alaska. They had been to Denali National Park and Preserve. The couple had seen some magnificent mountains in a true wilderness setting, as well as bear, caribou, moose, great horned owls "and about 50 whales," Ellen told me.
Wayne had even gotten in a little fishing during their trip.
A journey like that would provide anyone some fond memories that will surely last a lifetime.
Just two days after they returned home, Wayne was walking around their house and saw some clover growing near a rhododendron bush in the front yard. He reached down to pull out those unwanted weeds.
That little act will also be recalled for many years to come; but it likely won't evoke happy feelings.
"In the instant it happened, it felt just like a bee sting," said Wayne. A split second later, he saw it was no bee that had caused the pain to his index finger.
"It was a copperhead, all right," he said. "About a 2-footer."
Later, Wayne discovered, the snake had been living under that rhododendron bush in a little hole, probably made by a mole or vole. "I think it ate the mole and then took up residence in its burrow," Wayne told me afterward.
Once he was bitten and knew what had attacked him, Wayne came inside, washed the wound and called 911.
That was a very smart thing to do.
"In only about five minutes, a medic arrived at the McGough house by car.
"He tried to calm me down and just got me to chat and relax," said Wayne, who had already been back outside looking for that copperhead and had then discovered the hidden hole under the bush.
Wayne had been instructed to keep the wound covered, and, if it needed a fresh dressing, to just add more and not expose his finger.
In about 15 minutes, the ambulance arrived.
The ambulance staff told him of his hospital choices but had recommended that he go to the University of Virginia facility in Charlottesville and had even called ahead there to make preparations.
"They're waiting for you," he was told.
Wayne told me there was a staff of three aboard the ambulance. "Those three combined ages didn't equal mine," Wayne said laughing, but quickly mentioned how "excellent" was the care.
Wayne has lived seven decades but truly has the mind and body of a very fit 50-year-old.
When they arrived at the U.Va. hospital, there was no waiting, no medical cards needed to be displayed or forms presented that first had to be filled out.
All that paperwork was taken care of later.
Wayne was immediately admitted.
During the ambulance ride, an IV was put into his other arm.
"There!" said the EMT lady who administered the IV.
"That hurt more than the snakebite," Wayne joked to her.
Once at the hospital, they gave him four antivenom doses through that IV, and the doctor asked if he'd like a shot of morphine to ease the pain.
"No, I'm OK," said Wayne.
"It's going to hurt a lot more real soon," answered the doctor.
"OK, give me a shot," said Wayne.
The snakebite occurred at about 2 in the afternoon. By 5 p.m., the pain had become pretty intense. "It hurt really badly," he said.
There was also some considerable swelling.
At first, only his finger was swollen and the ambulance staff had marked, with a black marker, a line by his hand's knuckle to indicate where the swelling ended.
By late afternoon, another line was added farther up his arm, closer to the wrist.
Wayne was kept overnight in the hospital, mostly to make sure he didn't compress his hand and to allow it to begin healing.
The hospital staff also kept a close eye on his overall condition.
"They were looking for nausea, headaches, heart palpitations and elevated blood pressure," explained Wayne.
"My blood pressure is usually pretty good," Wayne told me later. "But, it went up to something like 200 over 120 after that bite."
That evening, the pain increased. "It felt like it was going right up my arm," said Wayne. "It was pretty painful."
I asked him to describe it on a scale of 1 to 10. "Maybe a 6 or 7," Wayne answered. "He's got a real high threshold of pain," quickly added his wife.
Wayne received another morphine dose around midnight.
About 5 a.m. Wayne was feeling fairly nauseous and he also didn't feel much like eating breakfast a few hours later.
"It was just a bad experience, but you sometimes run into this stuff," he said.
"I wasn't too worried. Afterward, my daughter suggested that maybe we sell our house. 'Are you crazy?' I answered her," he laughed.
Wayne also told me that he completely understands about wildlife. "I don't usually bother with any of them unless I'm going to eat it or it's attacking my home," he said. "Snakes are beneficial in their own way, even poisonous ones."
Wayne, a retired mechanical engineer, spent many years living on Long Island. "There were no snakes around there. I'm mad at myself, letting this happen," he said. "I should have been more alert."
"No, those copperheads are pretty well camouflaged," I told him. "It surely wasn't your fault."
"Maybe we ought to take another trip up to Alaska," said his wife, laughing.
"There are no poisonous snakes up there," she quickly added.
In the end, the McGoughs had only good things to say about the care at the hospital or the Louisa Rescue Squad. "They were good," said Wayne. "Excellent and so very nice."
When they finally got back home from the hospital, Wayne went back outside to check that rhododendron bush looking for his little friend.
It was still there.
Not anymore.
Dangers Close To Home - Snakebites

"Afterward, my daughter suggested that maybe we sell our house."

LMAO!

Not a bad story, except that the snake was probably killed.

Sounds like the hospital was on the ball pretty much. I wouldnt be nervous if I was admitted there for a bite treatment.
-----
Tom

"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"