Snakebit in Rabun Co. - Page 3

JOHNKIES · 07-19-12, 07:41 AM

My BSA handbook is of far more recent vintage and it says much the same thing about snake bite treatment beginning with a knife and a poison cup. Current versions are more accurate. But medicine has made a few advances since then. I would not want to be treated for ANY condition using techniques from the 1940s or even the 1990s! Should I be snake bit and you see Swampy headed my way with a pocket knife, kindly shoot him and leave the snake alone! 8- )

djblankenship · 07-19-12, 08:15 AM

cutting a big chunk out of your leg doesn't really seem that rediculous to me; if you are removing venom how could this not be a good thing?

i'm assuming this guy would have made it no matter what he did since it appears he received medical attention in a timely manner.

i do need to have a plan of action in case something happens like this.

tvveedie · 07-19-12, 10:22 AM

I wish Okefenokee Joe would weigh-in on this. I trust his wisdom.

fontinalis · 07-19-12, 12:09 PM

The following fact sheet from Savannah River Ecology Lab has some good info. including statistics on deaths related to snake bites, etc.:

http://www.srel.edu/outreach/factsheet/SnakebiteFS.pdf

The bottom line is that the more "treatment" you do in the field (cutting, constriction bands etc.), the more risk you are introducing of something going wrong.

A couple good notes from the sheet:

"All physicians agree that first aid should follow these measures: Do not drink or eat anything including alcohol, stimulants or medicine. Do not run, but stay still and calm. Get to a hospital as quickly as possible."

"The best first aid is to wash the wound and immobilize the area, keeping it lower than the heart if possible. Keep the victim calm and seek medical
attention immediately."

Swamp Angel · 07-19-12, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHNKIES

Should I be snake bit and you see Swampy headed my way with a pocket knife, kindly shoot him and leave the snake alone! 8- )

No need to sweat it, John. I git purty squeamish at the sight of somebody else's blood. I can handle mah own, but I mus' confess that I tend to git a bit faint at the sight of another person's injuries.

F.A.R.R. · 07-19-12, 07:47 PM

My old boy scout training on snake bites also included the "cut and suction" method. Seems as though most of the info provided in this post advises against doing this.

The only thing I can say for certain is I'm glad to hear this man survived. Given his age, the fact he was alone, and the fact that he needed someone to find him to get to professional treatment I would say that outcome is very good.

Windknot · 07-20-12, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fontinalis

A couple good notes from the sheet:

"All physicians agree that first aid should follow these measures: Do not drink or eat anything including alcohol, stimulants or medicine. Do not run, but stay still and calm."

I'm ok with the Not Run part, but otherwise it's obvious I'm a dead man if bitten.

Stay calm. Yeah, good luck with that.

JOHNKIES · 07-20-12, 10:28 AM

On not running after your snake bite ................ No you do not run, you sit quietly and wait for the end to come. After all, you don't want to be next in line for "final judgement" and be all hot, sweaty and out of breath from running, do you? The decision might be made along the lines of "well, he's already hot and sweaty, might as well let him continue ..........." 8- )

I think the idea is that if you are alone and no way to summon help that you try to stay as calm as you can and walk to a point of rescue. But I agree with that whole "stay calm" business! Right, might be dead in an hour, but I'm cool!

By the way, that whole "final judgement" thing ............... is there a pre-sentence hearing or something?

Trout8myfly · 07-20-12, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHNKIES

By the way, that whole "final judgement" thing ............... is there a pre-sentence hearing or something?

Rodney Dangerfield arrives at the Pearly Gates, and St. Peter says to him, "Tell me what you did in life that makes you worthy of coming in."

Rodney says, "That's easy. I made people laugh."

St. Peter responds, "God gave you your looks, I want to know what YOU did!"

07-19-12, 07:41 AM	#21
JOHNKIES Hall of Fame Member Join Date: Nov 1998 Location: Laurel Park, NC USA Posts: 3,802	Handbook My BSA handbook is of far more recent vintage and it says much the same thing about snake bite treatment beginning with a knife and a poison cup. Current versions are more accurate. But medicine has made a few advances since then. I would not want to be treated for ANY condition using techniques from the 1940s or even the 1990s! Should I be snake bit and you see Swampy headed my way with a pocket knife, kindly shoot him and leave the snake alone! 8- )

07-19-12, 08:15 AM	#22
djblankenship Native Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 222	cutting a big chunk out of your leg doesn't really seem that rediculous to me; if you are removing venom how could this not be a good thing? i'm assuming this guy would have made it no matter what he did since it appears he received medical attention in a timely manner. i do need to have a plan of action in case something happens like this. __________________ Wading lunker creek

07-19-12, 10:22 AM	#23
tvveedie Native Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Martinez, Ga Posts: 532	I wish Okefenokee Joe would weigh-in on this. I trust his wisdom. __________________ What is a soul? It's like electricity - we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room.

07-19-12, 12:09 PM	#24
fontinalis Native Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 474	Snake bite guidelines The following fact sheet from Savannah River Ecology Lab has some good info. including statistics on deaths related to snake bites, etc.: http://www.srel.edu/outreach/factsheet/SnakebiteFS.pdf The bottom line is that the more "treatment" you do in the field (cutting, constriction bands etc.), the more risk you are introducing of something going wrong. A couple good notes from the sheet: "All physicians agree that first aid should follow these measures: Do not drink or eat anything including alcohol, stimulants or medicine. Do not run, but stay still and calm. Get to a hospital as quickly as possible." "The best first aid is to wash the wound and immobilize the area, keeping it lower than the heart if possible. Keep the victim calm and seek medical attention immediately."

07-20-12, 10:28 AM	#28
JOHNKIES Hall of Fame Member Join Date: Nov 1998 Location: Laurel Park, NC USA Posts: 3,802	For Windknot On not running after your snake bite ................ No you do not run, you sit quietly and wait for the end to come. After all, you don't want to be next in line for "final judgement" and be all hot, sweaty and out of breath from running, do you? The decision might be made along the lines of "well, he's already hot and sweaty, might as well let him continue ..........." 8- ) I think the idea is that if you are alone and no way to summon help that you try to stay as calm as you can and walk to a point of rescue. But I agree with that whole "stay calm" business! Right, might be dead in an hour, but I'm cool! By the way, that whole "final judgement" thing ............... is there a pre-sentence hearing or something?

07-19-12, 07:47 PM	#26
F.A.R.R. Native Join Date: May 2008 Location: Canton Posts: 159	My old boy scout training on snake bites also included the "cut and suction" method. Seems as though most of the info provided in this post advises against doing this. The only thing I can say for certain is I'm glad to hear this man survived. Given his age, the fact he was alone, and the fact that he needed someone to find him to get to professional treatment I would say that outcome is very good.

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