What effects did you experience?
How long did the onset take?
What did you experience by having antivenine put into your system?
When did you feel that you were in recovery rather than decline? How long did it take?
What was your view of the medical practitioners and their knowledge and ability in dealing with your situation?
Geoff.
Hi Geoff,
I had considered sending the response via PM however, IMO, I believe the answers may be beneficial and knowledgeable to all....so here goes:
a. At the initial bite, I had a stinging sensation throughout my whole finger. That is what alerted me to the fact that I had in fact been "done" and was not a warning strike which most tigers give.
b. Onset was almost instantaneous. As stated in (a), the stinging was immediate. Bruising started to occur within 5 minutes of initial invenomation. Swelling started approx 10 minutes later (15 minutes after initial injection).
c. Prior to anti-venom being administered, a series of blood tests were conducted and constant ECG and other monitoring. An extra canula was also inserted in case of the requirement of adrenalin in case of reaction. 3000u were administered over a 30 minute period with bandages loosened from the fingers only after 15 minutes. At the completion of infusion, another 1 hour of waiting and testing, prior to removal of remaining bandages. No immediate effects were felt from the infusion of anti-venom.
d. Possibly due to low invenomation, I had no other symptons or side effects. I was conscious the whole time and continually conversed with the medical staff. However, the pain in my finger increased constantly for approx 6 hours. 2 different types of painkillers were given to make the finger more comfortable. Approx 76 hours after intial invenomation, swell of the knuckles was more visable as was a red line following the main artery of the forearm and continued to my elbow. The area surrounding the "red line" was also painful to the touch. This subsided approx 12 hours after.
e. The attending paramedics and the hospital staff were excellent. Continually monitoring, conversing and my comfort was A+++. The only problem I had was with one of the admissions doctors who asked idiotic questions such as, "when did you apply the tornique". He was very quickly briefed on snake bite treatment by another doctor (as she could see my frustrations building) and told to check the patients medical file as all the answers to his questions could be found there.
Hope these answer your questions and are of interest to others at the same time.
Cheers
Daz
