Rattle snake bite? Has anyone ever been..

[nawlunz]

bitten by a rattlesnake or know someone who has? I am wondering if they were out hiking for a few days, how did they treat it?

I have been reading about a stretch along the High Sierra trail near Kern canyon that is rattlesnake heaven, and it is a route I am planning to take.

Just curious.

[bigmac_in]

My son-in-law has been bitten by a rattlesnake. If it happens to you - get off the trail and get medical attention right away. You can't treat it yourself - get to trained medical attention.

This has been debated many times on WB (treating the bite), and I'm sure we're about to hear it all again.

[sbhikes]

My friend was bitten. He walked out and sought help. The local hospital does not keep a full dose of antivenon on hand (it's expensive and they figure they can fly in more from a nearby hospital) so they gave him half a dose. They did not think he would keep his leg. It turned black and appeared to be dying. Miraculously he healed with only half a dose. You would not be able to tell today he had been bitten.

[10-K]

My friend was bitten. He walked out and sought help. The local hospital does not keep a full dose of antivenon on hand (it's expensive and they figure they can fly in more from a nearby hospital) so they gave him half a dose. They did not think he would keep his leg. It turned black and appeared to be dying. Miraculously he healed with only half a dose. You would not be able to tell today he had been bitten.

Yeah, that's the thing... A lot of emphasis is put on the low mortality rate of snakebites. But, you have to remember that just because it doesn't kill you doesn't mean that you can't be severely and permanently injured in ways that can really mess you up....

[emerald]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1029861&postcount=7

The recent post not titled for this thread provides pertinent linked information. The following quote comes from a linked page:

As with all medical emergencies, the goal is to support the patient until arrival at the emergency department. The dictum "primum no nocere" (first, do no harm) has significant meaning here because many poorly substantiated treatments may cause more harm than good, including making an incision over the bite, mouth suctioning, tourniquet use, ice packs, or electric shock.

[scope]

Do tall gaiters thwart snake bites? (assuming they don't bite in other areas)

[Cookerhiker]

Here's a previous thread on the subject:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=38179

[Hikerhead]

My son-in-law has been bitten by a rattlesnake. If it happens to you - get off the trail and get medical attention right away. You can't treat it yourself - get to trained medical attention.

This has been debated many times on WB (treating the bite), and I'm sure we're about to hear it all again.

Bigmac, Give us some more info, you left us hanging. How did he treat it when it first happened? Was he on a trail far away from his car? How was he treated at the hospital? How long was he in the hospital. What did he do right or wrong as to how he handled it? How much $$$ did this set him back?

[Appalachian Tater]

I have a cousin who lives on a lake with some marshy area and a lot of woods and high grass and he has been hospitalized for snakebites several times.

I was not living in the same town so I don't know all the details but the second time he was bitten by a rattlesnake it affected his cardiovascular system and he almost died from some sort of heart failure. They thought he would lose his leg but he didn't and is okay now. He was in intensive care for quite some time and then the hospital for several more weeks. The doctor prepared his family expecting him to die the first few days. Either they can't give the antivenom for the second bite or it isn't as effective or the body has a stronger response to the bite due to previous exposure, something like that, I don't know exactly, but that's why it was so hard to treat the second time, plus there was more venom.

He has also been in the hospital for cottonmouth bites but I don't think they ever thought he was going to die from that.

He is one tough SOB and I expect that the second rattlesnake bite that was so bad would have killed most people.

They have also lost several dogs and cats to snake bites, they don't seem to survive the snake encounters very well.

This is why I don't mess with rattlesnakes.

[Cookerhiker]

Not a rattler, not an AT snake but a timely and interesting article about coral snake antivenom running out:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/b...2236&GT1=32001

[emerald]

All the more reason to leave them alone and not get bit.

[sbhikes]

Oh, and the reason my friend didn't get a whole dose of antivenon is they didn't believe him when he said he was bitten by a rattlesnake. He had only one hole. Only one fang had punctured him.

[John Klein]

All the more reason to leave them alone and not get bit.

Well, whether they are on a rock you can't see 'til you're right on top of it, or on the trail, it's not always a matter of getting bitten because you didn't leave them alone and were activley messing with them. I saw one on the climb northbound from Bly Gap in NC. It looked like any other stick on the side of the trail. As hard as the climb was, I was zoning out and not persistently scanning for snakes on the trail.

[Cookerhiker]

Well, whether they are on a rock you can't see 'til you're right on top of it, or on the trail, it's not always a matter of getting bitten because you didn't leave them alone and were activley messing with them. ....

You're right - here's an instance in this WB photo that I still recall with chills just thinking about it - I wasn't even there.

[Wise Old Owl]

Do tall gaiters thwart snake bites? (assuming they don't bite in other areas)

http://www.amazon.com/SCALE-TECH-SNA...ref=pd_sbs_a_2

Apparently they don't cost a lot but if you are wearing running shoes why bother.....

Also many claim to be gaiters and snake proof boots.... and never get tested so the claim is far fetched. Few will actually demonstrate or proffer evidence that the product actually does work.

[Wise Old Owl]

[Appalachian Tater]

I want to apologize because everything I said above about my cousin's experiences with rattlesnake bites was actually about the cottonmouth bites and it was the rattlesnake bites that were (comparatively) not that big of a deal. Apparently the rattlesnakes will bite without really injecting much venom.

Also one of the rattlesnake bites was when he saved one of his disobedient dogs from getting bitten.

I don't think there are cottonmouths on the A.T. and rattlesnakes usually give plenty of warning. I do worry about deaf hikers stumbling on rattlesnakes, especially on those rocky ridges in PA. Also some hikers mess with them, which is taking unnecessary chances.

[Wise Old Owl]

AT - Rattlers do not give much warning.... if any lately.

[johnnybgood]

Saw a small rattler while hiking Old Rag Mountain ,where finding hand holds in rock crevices to pull oneself up and over boulders is inevitable.
Luckly he wasn't coiled and was tucked pretty far back in one of the crevices that I didn't feel threatened.
Still, it's a reminder to be conscientious when putting your hands in places where snakes like to hang out.
I like wearing mountaineering gloves on those rock scramble type hikes.

[Pedaling Fool]

I nearly stepped on one in 1999, didn't start rattling until I passed it. I stepped on one (in very tall grass) in 2006. He never rattled; I think he was shedding his skin, he looked sluggish and was black -- he looked as though he had been rolled around in charcoal ash.