Copperhead viper bite

[petboy]

It had to happen sometime...
got tagged yesterday by one of my baby copperheads. I have heard many people say its not that bad etc etc, but I can state differently . Bearing in mind that I am not a small person (120kg) & that the snake is only 6-8 weeks old (20ish cm) and only got me fleetingly with one fang, the swelling & pain is quite something. Here's a quick rundown:
At about 2.30 - 3pm yesterday it tagged me. The bite felt a lot like a wasp sting - its burns like hell. The burning then decreased. About 5min later the venom must have reached the finger joint which became very painful. Throughout the rest of the afternoon it moved up the finger and into the hand finally stopping just after my wrist at about 5.30 to 6pm As it moves its swells like anything at gets painful - even to touch. The finger had gone a little purple as well as part of the back of the hand. By evening the gland under my armpit as wel as at the elbow were swollen & sore. By late evening I felt feverish & generally like cr@p.
During the afternoon I contacted BV for a rundown on what could happen & to confirm what to do. One of the things he advised is to elevate the bite if possible & in my case because it was in the hand he also suggested exercising it a bit - which has definitely helped - thx BV. ( in the pics u'll see my soon to be patented use of strapping to move the index finger which was not functioning at the time
By today everything has stabilised so one can asses the damage. The bite looks ok. The hand is still swollen to about twice the size it should be. The glands, back of the hand, wrist joint, virtually all the finger joints are still very painfull & u can see the bleeding into the tissue under the skin between most of the fingers, one the index finger and a bit on the back of the hand.

Don't let anyone fool u - even copperheads should be treated with utmost respect. I underestimated them and have now learnt a painful lesson. I shudder to think what a proper envenomation bite on a smaller person would be like.
Here are some pics i took - first is earliest & last were this evening.

[mania]

Hi

I would just like to know if you took anything for the bite and also did you need to wrap it in bandages with a splint. (Im new to the copperheads, only had mine for a week) so just need to know incase I ever get hit and any other useful information you could provide will be appreciated

Thanks
Wayne

[petboy]

Nope no meds - the only thing u could take would be painkillers. the bandage was just there so that my index finger could help move the middle finger - hadn't moved it after the bite and at that time it wouldn't bend. Moving the hand improves the bloodflow which speeds the recovery & seems to lessen the swelling. think there might be antivenom in the US but noone keeps it locally.

[Dead_puppy]

LMOA you wanted to get hots you monkey!!! Ha ha ha ha

[froot]

That post was unneccesary.

[gaboon]

agreed

[Bushviper]

I have just been informed that Petboy was admitted to hospital tonight with severe stomach cramps. Having suffered a heart attack recently it is better that he gets assessed by a doctor because he is complaining of continous thirst.

Dead puppy if you ever get bitten do not bother to phone me because I really do not care if you live or die.

[Snakes Incorporated]

Thanks Petboy for the update and post. Bushviper I don’t think you should take Dead_puppy`s comment to heart.
He has not been bit as yet and I am sure that his humour is a little uncalled for but I am sure no malice was intended.

So what is the prognosis thus far?

[Dead_puppy]

LOL guys, I know petboy personally, we have spoken about him getting tagged numerous times. So ah BV, can i still phone you if i get tagged LOL

[froot]

It's still unneccessary and unwelcome here.

Please keep us updated on Petboy's progress.

[petboy]

I'm back out of hospital - more precautionary than anything else. They pumped me fulll of anti spasm meds & pain killers - man those cramps were sore though! Everything else is good - heart etc strong.
Thanks for the concern

[Dead_puppy]

I dont see why you have to make this your problem. If petboy has problem he can confront me. Luckily I know he has a sense of humour. I would understand where you coming from if I had no relations with petboy. So whats unneccessary is the ganging up and moderators telling me they dont care if I live or die. Thats bull

[Deon]

Glad to hear you are doing okay petboy....

[Snakes Incorporated]

Glad to hear you are doing okay petboy....

Same here mate

[Bushviper]

Let me put this into perspective.

I am busy on the forum and my phone rings. Petboy tells me about the stomach cramps and dehydration. In the background I can hear the driver asking the security guard where the emergency room is.

Dehydration is a bad sign and the chances that the elctrolytes in his body have gone haywire are very high. Electrolytes are important in the transmission of electrical impulses in the heart node.

Stomach cramping can be caused by two different factors. One is that the muscles themselves are breaking down (myotoxicity) or over stimulation (neurotoxic triggers). Both of these are of serious concern to anyone who has suffered cardiac arrest or failure in the past.

With this in mind to read a comment like "LMOA you wanted to get hots you monkey!!! Ha ha ha ha" would make you see red.

I recently had simlar comments made about my bite on another forum and the copperhead that bit him is quite probably from my female. This touched a nerve and a comment like that does not contribute one little bit to the thread.

I asked and bugged petboy to post the pics and the experience of his bite on the forum so that others can learn from it. That comment has just gone and taken the focus away from the fact that Copperheads have a serious bite and deaths have been recorded from this species. Wyeth make an antivenom for copperheads although it is very expensive and risky to use.