LEADER - NEWS (Uvalde, Texas) 30 November 05 Utopia man recounts ordeal after suffering rattlesnake bite (Logan Garnett)
Usually, going with one's gut instinct in an emergency is the best thing to do.
If your arm is on fire, douse it with water; if your foot is stuck in a bear trap, remove the device.
So if bitten by a snake - a major concern for an arid, sometimes rocky area like Texas - the logical course of action would seem to be applying a tourniquet to stop the venom from spreading and an ice pack to reduce swelling.
This, however, is not the case.
As Utopian Ryan Redden can attest, not tying the wound off and leaving the ice off can save your life.
Redden was recently bitten by a rattlesnake while working near Brackettville with his heavy construction company Sod-Busters
“We were out there on 4-wheelers looking at some land and had to get off to look at this canyon area,” Redden said. “I was walking down some rocks and then stepped on it. He rattled a little and then bit me just above the ankle.”
Redden's companion, the realtor showing the land, immediately tied Redden's leg off with a tourniquet to stop the venom from spreading.
“Then he called his ex-wife, who's a nurse, and she said don't tie the wound off and don't use ice on it,” Redden said.
While it seems completely counter-intuitional, by allowing the venom to disperse itself and become diluted in his body rather than tying the wound off, Redden acted exactly as he should have and may have saved his life in the process.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, allowing the venom injected during a bite to diffuse throughout the bloodstream is preferable to confining it to the bite area.
Shortly after removing the tourniquet, Redden said that the pain, which was negligible at first, became more intense.
“We called the Brackettville EMS and they picked me up and then drove me to Uvalde. Then I was airlifted to San Antonio,” Redden remembered, adding that one of the EMS technicians had never treated a snakebite victim in the two years that he had been with the service.
“They gave me eight vials of anti-venom over a 24-hour period. Also, my leg swelled up from the ankle all the way up to my thigh. It was huge and all purple and blue, like a big bruise.
“They almost had to cut some of my muscle tissue to allow for the swelling.”
It's been three weeks since the rattler sank its fangs into Redden and he said that the wound is still pretty sore, but that he was told to walk around as much as possible to help in the healing process.
Victims of a venomous snakebite should seek medical attention promptly.
Call either 911 or the Texas Poison Center Network toll free at 1-800-POISON-1 (1-800-764-7661) for information about which medical centers in your area have the appropriate anti-venom.
If possible call ahead to the medical center so the anti-venom can be ready when the victim arrives.
Identifying the kind of snake that bit the victim is also very important, and if possible, taking a dead snake with you to the medical center is advised if it can be done without further risk or injury.
However, use extreme caution when bringing in a snake because even though it may be dead, the snake's reflexes may still allow it to bite.
What to do for snakebite victims: Keep calm; suck or squeeze as much venom as possible directly from the wound. Venom is a protein and can be taken orally with no ill effects; wash the bite area with soap and water if possible; limit movement of the bitten limb (Do not apply a tourniquet or other restriction devices); keep the bitten limb below the heart; remove jewelry or constrictive clothing before any swelling begins; seek medical attention immediately; and get a tetanus shot.
According to the department, one to two people die in Texas each year from venomous snakebites and roughly half of all venomous snakebites are “dry.” That is, the snake does not inject venom into the victim.
Utopia man recounts ordeal after suffering rattlesnake bite