With April in the near distant past, two things come to mind: rattlesnakes and taxes.
What’s the difference between a bite from a rattlesnake and an audit
from the IRS? The snake bite might kill you, but an audit goes on
forever. Since an audit is such an unpleasant ordeal much
beyond our control, let’s focus on something we can control: treatment
for a venomous snake bite.
Snake bites aren’t funny; several people die from them each year, especially children. There
are four types of venomous snakes in this great country of ours, but we
only have to worry about one in Copperopolis—the rattlesnake. Although a
bite from a rattler may not kill a healthy adult, it can cause
extensive tissue damage. Besides, why suffer any injuries at all when
help is just a phone call away.
Should
you find yourself snake bit, the first thing to do is get away from the
snake. That’s probably why he bit you in the first place. Don’t try to
catch it or kill it, and “Don’t drive to the fire station,” says Joe
Butler, a paramedic with the Copperopolis Fire Department. The best
thing you can do is call 911, stop moving and keep the bite below the
heart.
If you feel you must do something, you can “circle the bite with a pen and write the time of the bite,” said Butler.
This gives the medical personnel a reference point to judge how fast
the venom is traveling. While waiting for the paramedics, you may notice
a burning sensation in bite area. Not to worry. Once the
fire paramedic is on scene, you’ll most likely get hooked up to some
morphine, provided you’re not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Granted, this is a lousy way to get five milligrams of morphine, but
when used properly, this wonder drug really is what the doctor ordered.
With
professionals now on the scene and morphine easing the pain, the only
thing left to do is fulfill the Fire Department’s main priory of,
“getting the patient to an approved facility in a timely manner,”
according to Butler.
Depending
on the condition of the patient this may mean a ground trip via an
ambulance to a local hospital or zipping across the sky in a life flight
helicopter to as far away as Davis. Whether
it’s by land or air, you’re in competent hands and on your way to where
medical staff are waiting with the antivenin in hand.
Even
though the fire paramedic, flight nurse and, and emergency doctors are
in place to help you, there are many things you can do to improve your
situation.
The
information listed in the boxes is the latest dos and don’ts of first
aid for a venomous snake bite. Only Cleopatra VII, who committed suicide
by enticing a venomous snake to bite her on her left breast, would
ignore this information. But then again, who knows what kind of audit
she may have been facing.
Do these
· Do apply first aid if you cannot get the person to the hospital right away.
· Lay or sit the person down with the bite below the level of the heart.
· Tell him/her to stay calm and still.
· Cover the bite with a clean, dry dressing.
Don’t do these
Do NOT allow the person to become over-exerted. If necessary, carry the person to safety.
Do NOT apply a tourniquet
Do NOT apply cold compresses to a snake bit.
No NOT cut into a snake bite with a knife or razor.
Do NOT try to suck out the venom by mouth.
Do NOT give the person stimulants or pain medication unless a doctor tells you to do so.
Do NOT give the person anything by mouth.
Do NOT raise the site of the bite above the level of the person’s heart.
