Hi guys, thought i would share my bite experience with you. Eyelash urged me to do so, so here i am sharing.
On wednesday 3 May 2012, i got bitten by my Pseudoceraste fieldi. I glanced in the cage to check where she was, before i stuck my hand in with the tweezers, her body was underneath a rock in the cage, so i assumed her head was facing the other side of the tank. I opened the sliding door and put the pinkie in the cage with my tweezers. Her face was however facing the glass. As the pinkie went past her face she struck, and it happened to be on my middle finger of my right hand.
Doing my utmost to remain calm i closed the tank and rushed to the hospital. I arranged for the hospital to be notified of my arrival incase there were any necessary arrangements to be made, i also contacted Mike Perry who met me at the ER of the hospital.
It seemed to be a mild invenomnation through the bite. Mike and i told the medical staff to treat me sympotmatically as my hand began to swell. An hour passed and a new doctor came to treat me, she contacted Johan Marais to consult him on the procedure she should follow with regards to treatment.
As it goes with Pseudocerastes they are mainly heamotoxic, however the distinctive difference between fieldi and persicus is that the fieldi has neurotoxic properties to the heamotoxic venom where as the persicus is only heamotoxic.
it was this additional property that encouraged them to put me in ICU for more hands on observation.
i was discharged thursday 4 May 2012 morning, with blurred vision and localised swelling.
i went home slept and the blurred vision disipated.
the swelling got worse, and doctor's recommendation was to put my arm in a sling to help aleviate pressure in the limb.
only symptom that has not changed is the numbness at the bite area.
i would like to take this opportunity to give a special thanks to Mike Perry and Johan Marais.
here is a pic of my hand on friday, not gorey or anything but thought i would post it out of interest sake.