VERY GRAPHIC... Rattlesnake Bite

[Teresa]

Please understand that these pictures are very graphic and if you are a bit squeamishly..you might be a bit sick if you look at them.. but I think that we need to be informed about these things. There is LOTS of them and I will try to get them posted without taking up all the server space on the forum.. LOL


These are some amazing pics in various stages of recovery post-ops by a 13yr old boy after being bitten by a rattlesnake.



On July 21 , I was bitten by a Northern Pacific rattlesnake (the snake was originally identified as a Western Diamondback rattlesnake, but that species is not found near Yosemite ).
It was located on a trail in a hiking area near Yosemite National Park, California . The bite occurred when I was sitting on a small boulder at a distance of 4.5 miles from the trailhead with my cabin group at camp.

I had my arms dangling at my side, and a 5 foot long rattlesnake bit me in the middle of my left palm. From this point, an amazing rescue took place. It took 4 hours to transport me the 4.5 miles to the trail head.


The camp director had previously called the hospital, and a helicopter was waiting at the trail head. During the 30 minute helicopter ride I was going in and out of consciousness, having trouble keeping my eyes open.


We arrived at the Modesto, CA hospital where the doctor in the emergency room decided that my case was too severe to treat at that medical center. That was the last thing I heard before going unconscious.


Although I was unconscious for approximately the next 24 hours, I have heard about the following events from my parents.


I was taken from the Modesto hospital to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, the trauma center for Northern California. My snake bite was determined to be too severe for Modesto to deal with. At the UC Davis hospital I underwent a fasciotomy, which involved the doctors cutting open my arm from the palm up to about the middle of my biceps.


This was to relieve the extreme pressure that had built up in my arm From the rattlesnake venom, making my arm as hard as a rock until the fasciotomy.


I spent the next 35 days in the UC Davis hospital, had 8 surgeries performed for cleaning out the dead tissue from my arm, and finally had a skin graft from my leg to close up my arm, which had remained open for 30 days after the fasciotomy until the skin graft surgery. That is 10 surgeries in total at UC Davis.


I was released from the hospital on August 24, had 4 months of intense physical therapy, and flew to Duke University Medical Centre in North Carolina for a follow-up surgery. This was a vascular flap surgery, during which they took a chunk of skin and muscle from my back, attached its blood vessels to the ones in my arm using microsurgery, and then stitched it to my arm. Although 2 emergency surgeries were required within 24 hours on account of blood loss, the vascular flap was a success, and after 6 more months of physical therapy, my hand had a significant improvement in mobility from when I left UC Davis. I could move each finger only 2-3 millimeters.


My hand now has fully mobility and is about 80% as strong as it was before, thanks to my Dad and I resuming our rock climbing after a 1 year break, due to the lack of strength in my left hand. I use it for about 90% of the things I used to do with my left hand (I am right handed).

13 surgeries, $700,000.00 worth of helicopter flights, surgeries, and hospital stays (paid by my insurance of course), and 20 months later, I am very happy with the outcome of this experience and my good fortune of getting through all this without any significant loss.

[sixdogsmom]

Isn't it amazing what they can do now. In another time, that lad would have lost that arm if not his life. We have some amazing medicine these days! Probably had some prayers working there also!

[Ole Granny]

My mother was bitten on the index finger by a baby rattler in the mid 70's.  Luckiily, she was transported to Winfield quickly.  Her hand was black and huge but did not have to go through all that.  Received the antivenom in the correct amount of time.  She did have a reaction to the antivenom resulting in hives all over her.  One experience like that is enough.

[frawin]

I can believe every bit of these pictures.  We had very very large "coontail" rattlers in West Texas.  One fellow Frank knew was playing golf at one of the country clubs there.  The ball went into the "rough" and he decided to go after the ball.  He was bitten and almost lost his leg. 

Another fellow came in from dove hunting, left his garage door up (this was in a settlement called Greenwood east of Midland) forgot that he had left something in his truck so went to the garage to get it barefooted.  He was bitten and spent several days in the hospital. 

We went to a rattlesnake roundup in Big Spring, TX once.  They gave demonstrations on milking the venom  and how to get out of a sleeping bag if one crawled in when you were camping, etc., they were also serving rattlesnake meat.  I can't tell you how bad the odor was, and the sound of so many confined rattlesnakes. I personally don't like even a little garter snake, but these things were unbelievable to me the first time I saw them.  They killed several of the rattlers on the lease Frank was on during dove season.

Myrna

[Judy Harder]

Boy, these pictures are as thought provoking as the boys recovery.

I know the boy went through hell to get where he is today, but I wonder
if his youth had a lot to do with his healing.

Isn't it wonderful what modern medicine can do......and I am so happy that they had the
insurance to get them through this, too.

God bless him.

[sixdogsmom]

Y'all are making me goosey! I hear rattlesnakes everywhere! LOL!! No kidding a couple of years ago, a fellow here in town killed one in the alley behind his house. Keep your eyes peeled, you just never know. C'mon kingsnake, make your home with me!

[Lookatmeknow!!]

We have Cooper Heads at our old place really bad.  And when Becca was about 2 she stepped right over the top of it.  Jeff just about died.  We can't believe it, but the snake just was coiled up and never moved.  We were very lucky.  But I have really talked to my girls about all the snakes in the area.  I try and remind them that they need to stay away from all of them.  But this little boy is very lucky!!!