MY GOOD FRIEND MIKE SURVIVES A SNAKE BITE

Mike Lucksinger had worked all day on his ranch, removing brush and mending fences. The day’s work had been exhausting, but he wasn’t quite finished. Even though it was in May, the temperature had risen to a sweltering 90 degrees. Mike entered his house at dusk and removed his hat before going to the kitchen for more water. After doffing his boots and donning his loafers, Mike headed out the door to pick up a limb that had fallen from the big Oak tree in his well-manicured yard. As he stepped out, he thought about how he would soon be able to relax in his family room with the huge window and watch the birds swarming around the bird feeder hanging from his favorite tree.

Mike was reaching for a limb when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the upper part of his foot. Mike was horrified to see a rattlesnake slither away. Mike is an analytic type and has a quiet demeanor, but at this particular moment, he was panic-stricken and did a lot of self-talking to remain calm. As a founding member of Highland Lakes Title and Hutto and Lucksinger Law Firm and a practicing attorney, in addition to being a certified public accountant, he knows how to hold his cards close to his vest. Mike’s focus at that moment was to get to a hospital as soon as possible without letting panic overcome him. As Mike ran to his truck, he called 911 and headed down the road, where he was met by an ambulance that raced him to Ascension Seton Medical Center.

The ER physician was conservative in his treatment. His first course of treatment was to be alert for signs of shock, which Mike never displayed. The doctor explained they would wait to administer the antivenom because some poisonous snakes don’t release enough venom to warrant treatment. In Mike’s case, only one fang entered the skin at the top of his foot. As Mike watched his foot almost double in size, forty-five minutes passed in slow motion. At long last, antivenom was administered. The doctor explained that Mike was fortunate because he probably “only” received a quarter of the amount of poison a typical snakebite produces. When rattlesnakes inject a full dose of venom, entire legs or arms can swell and blacken. Treatment in those cases sometimes involves surgically opening the skin to release toxins and reduce the swelling. Extreme cases result in amputation.  

Sometimes antivenom causes an allergic reaction. Mike experienced chest pains and had to be monitored for heart issues for a few days after receiving the medical intervention. The chest pains were proven to be associated with the treatment for snakebite and not any underlying heart problems. Mike is in excellent physical shape with little or no body fat.

Rattlesnakes are common in Central Texas. Since some rattlesnakes do not rattle before striking (as in Mike’s case), we must be careful where we step, even when wearing boots. Snakes love to hide under rocks and leaves. Mike had a bird feeder hanging from his favorite tree. Birds drop seeds while eating. Later, mice scurry out as day turns into night to grab the seeds that have fallen on the ground. Snakes slither toward the mice for dinner, which happened under Mike’s tree. Mike has no intention of getting rid of the bird feeder, but he learned to be more careful when walking around the yard without wearing boots. Approximately 8000 people are bitten by poisonous snakes in the United States, with an average of 5 dying from snakebites. We are very fortunate that Mike survived to tell the tale. Mike did many things right when he was bitten. He didn’t make an incision to remove the venom. He immediately called 911 and concentrated on remaining calm in a volatile situation. Once he was released from the hospital, Mike was hyper-vigilant for any reaction to the venom or the antivenom. He did not take aspirin, as snake venom is an anticoagulant. In fact, pit viper venom has been used in experiments as a possible treatment to remove human blood clots but has yet to be approved by the FDA. If Mike has surgery in the next several weeks, he will need to disclose his encounter with a rattlesnake, as anticoagulant effects linger.

There’s no need to be overly concerned about all snakes, as only 400 of the 3000 species worldwide are venomous. Most snakes are beneficial to our environment by ridding us of vermin. Snakes are usually afraid of us and will only strike if surprised or handled, so our best recourse is to stay alert when outside.