Snake Bite!

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

@ Dalene

A nightmare that story

[Carl Wrbka]

Dalene, I'm glad it turned out well for your son in the end. I saw a program on National Geographic once where they say that the adder family of snakes has the most destructive venom of all snakes, and the puff-adder has the fastest strike.

Do any of you ex-Centaurus guys remember Walter Schmit? He ran a tuck shop from his room at the hostel. He used to keep a live puff-adder in his cupboard to prevent us hungry hostelbrakke from sampling the merchandise in his absence.

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

@Georgswa  -  it felt like a nightmare at that time.

@Carl  -  yes, the venom of the adder rots away the meat and usually it takes months to heal and most people have side affects for years afterwards, but like I told my son  -  he must be a "witbroodjie" of the Lord.  You will understand why I say it if you knew what has already happened to him, and still he is walking around - healthy and strong.  I will have to write a book if I had to start telling all his mishaps and accidents.

Most of all - I never even wish something like this to happen to my worst enemy!

[Michael Alexander]

Phew, that was quite a lesson on actually how dangerous snakes can be.... glad everything turned out for the better . Dalene......

THe Ovambo's here are incredibly scared of snakes...now we know why.....

[Claire Mc Cullagh]

Myles Davies is the only person I remeber getting bitten.
He lived in 13th Ave (I think) and had a sister called Kim.  He was about 15 at the time.  Don't think he came to any real harm but did have to visit the hospital.

[Delia]

Dalene - could be my dad you were referring to being bitten during the '74 floods except it was a Cobra that got him.  He was collecting weird & wonderful pieces of wood which had washed up during the floods for his fishtank when he picked up a "stunning" piece - except this "stunning" piece happened to be the tail of a Cobra - as he picked it up it flipped up and bit him on the hand. That day was full of "coincidences" ie. my sister had just run up to join him on his walk and she had to turn around and run all the way back to the hut to get my mom to bring the car to where my dad was. In the meantime, he tied a tornequet (sp?) around his arm and started walking slowly to meet my mom along the way. Also, luckily my mom had just that week got her drivers licence.

I'm surprised we were never bitten - I used to tag along behind Lance and his buddies when they used to go and catch snakes and scorpions in the desert.  It is amazing that there weren't more kids bitten considering the desert was literally our playground and the fact that we skrikked for niks..........

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

Delia, yes it must be.  The story went round at that time that the snake was on a piece of driftwood from the river that was washed up on the beach.  Damn - a cobra!  Their poison are neuro-toxic - affects the nervous system and breathing.  I think Barb is the person to ask to explain about the major diffirence between the sito and neuro toxic affects.  All I know is that it's poison and if not treated quickly or right  -  your name will appear in the obituary column of the papers!

[barb (Fry)]

I did look some of this up to assist in the explanation -

Cobras and Mambas inject Neurotoxic venom which will affect the nervous system
and cause initial muscle weakness, blurred vision, difficulty in swallowing and breathing and eventually paralysis.

Adders inject Cytotoxic venom which will cause
massive swelling and bruising to the area that was bitten, and could eventually burst the skin open.

Boomslange and Vine Snakes inject Haemotoxic venom which
destroys the platelets in the blood and causes major internal bleeding in the lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen etc., and blood will also leak out of all orifices in your body, including minor wounds and bruises.

Berg Adders are highly dangerous as they inject both Neurotoxic and Cytotoxic venom into you.

Anti venom is only kept in Cape Town and Pretoria, and seldom used as the identification of the snake is rarely known by the victim.
The wrong anti venom can be just as fatal. 
Bites are treated by symptoms usually.
Only 10% of SA snakes are poisonous and the younger the snake the more potent the poison.

[Dalene Steenkamp (Coetzee)]

Thanks, Barb.

This info might come in very handy.  Lots of snakes in our region, including adders, boomslange and cobras.  Will for sure print this and keep it with my first-aid kit.  I never know when I might need it again....... hopefully never!

[Bev Coates (Now Walker)]

ooow dalene ive still got shivers down my spine from your horrific story what a night mare for you all,  e154

[georg ruf jr.]

Thanks Barb. Very interesting.

[Claire Mc Cullagh]

And on that note - I would just like to say a big thankyou to St Patrick for bannishing all the snakes from Ireland.   

[Carl Wrbka]

None whatsoever? Not even teensy weensy little ones?

You guys sure are lucky. I wish St Patrick would pay a visit to SA. I have a long list of things he can banish here, and snakes are not on the top of the list... hee... hee

[Claire Mc Cullagh]

nope - no snakes here.
no ants, none of those scary wasps that you get over there.
no scorpians
no dung beatles

other than the mad Irish when the sun shines,  life is good.

plenty of rain. beach

[georg ruf jr.]

When does the sun shine in Ireland...  e180