I was bitten on the back of the left hand by a large Atrox (over 5') on July 31st. This happened outside my house as I was getting ready to leave for a fishing trip. My two outside dogs had been going nuts and I soon realized why, and my best guess is they agitated the snake more than usual causing me to get a large dose of venom. I live 45 miles from the nearest town in west Tx and felt the effects within a few minutes. Metallic taste and tingling of my face within a few minutes and in bad shape by the time I made it to the hospital.
It has been 6 weeks since the bite and still have considerable swelling in my left hand and two fingers, still the sharp pains on the two fingers as well. Started physical therapy today and tonight swelling is worse and pain is worse as well which really sucks. Anyone else bitten and can give me some advise on healing time frame? I have no medical problems and am healthy so confused on why the swelling is still present? Too early for aggressive physical therapy?
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Atrox bite questions
Replies (3)
The only person I know that has actually developed a rehab therapy regime is Jim Harrison with the Kentucky Reptile Zoo. I would suggest contacting him.
I received a bite in April this year and still have some swelling but no pain associated with it.
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Tim Cole
www.austinherpsociety.org
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
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Conservation through Education
We'd be happy to discuss this with you, but we are not Drs. We do have experience rehabbing our own bites.
Without seeing photos, I would say you waited too long to start therapy.
Our email is reptilezoo (at) bellsouth (dot) net.
Feel free to contact us.
Best,
Kristen
Kentucky Reptile Zoo
The main problem with bite recovery is most people do not want to move the body part and take to long for physical therapy.I have had a few atrox bites over the years and I can not express enough how important this is.I have been told by doctors that I would lose movement perminint yet I forced the fingers to move and now are near normal.It can take weeks months or even years to regain normal feeling and movement.Any thing you do to accelerate this helps.It will hurt and our minds think we should wait but the sooner the better.This is a proven fact I would advise to work what is not workeing every day and often.This is my experience.Six weeks is too long and can cause irreversible damage to wait that period of time.
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Archie Bottoms
