Ok I know this is not directly related to electrical work, but wanted to share with you.
Yesterday morning I was working on my landscape lighting at my house in the back yard. Had a couple of up lights not working in the back yard in a raised bed along the back fence line, checked the bulbs and they were OK, so I knew it was the cable clamps on the distribution line.
The raised bed has a pretty deep pile of mulch on it so I was digging threw it by hand to get to the cable, and my dog Adolph, a German Shepard , as usual being my shadow while I am in the back yard. As I was digging I got distracted as Adolph growled and leaped toward my hands. At that point I felt a very sharp needle like sting. A Copperhead snake bit me on the forearm about halfway between my right wrist and elbow. I never seen or heard it as it was well camouflaged in the mulch.
Adolph grabbed the snake and tore it to shreds. Unknown to me at the time, Adolph was bitten twice around the muzzle. My Daughter who is visiting me from her Medical intern rotation break was sitting on the porch came running over to see what happened. Being a medical Trauma student doctor she went inside and grabbed a razor, opened the wound, and proceeded first aid on me.
In the mean time, Adolph started throwing up, and going into seizures. Daughter started freaking out a bit, it was too much to handle at the time with no immediate help as I insisted on taking Adolph to the vet first before taking me to the hospital.
As luck and God’s will a neighbor heard the commotion and offered help to take Adolph to the vet, while my Daughter took me to Baylor Medical Trauma Center in Dallas.
At the hospital I was surprised at my treatment. They first put an IV in me, oxygen, gave me a shot of a sedative and pain killer, and then used a modified stun-gun around the wound. Apparently pit viper venom has some metallic component that can be neutralized by current flow. It hurt like a SOB, but relieved the pain. After that they gave me anti-venom, kept me on oxygen for a few hours, and later released me that night.
Adolph had a bit more trouble than I. I almost lost my friend as he went into cardiac and respiratory arrest at the vet. They were able to revive and stabilize him. He is still in the vet hospital having problem breathing because his muzzle is so swollen and blocking his air way but expected to recover fully and come home in a day or two once the swelling has gone down and can breath normally.
Yesterday morning I was working on my landscape lighting at my house in the back yard. Had a couple of up lights not working in the back yard in a raised bed along the back fence line, checked the bulbs and they were OK, so I knew it was the cable clamps on the distribution line.
The raised bed has a pretty deep pile of mulch on it so I was digging threw it by hand to get to the cable, and my dog Adolph, a German Shepard , as usual being my shadow while I am in the back yard. As I was digging I got distracted as Adolph growled and leaped toward my hands. At that point I felt a very sharp needle like sting. A Copperhead snake bit me on the forearm about halfway between my right wrist and elbow. I never seen or heard it as it was well camouflaged in the mulch.
Adolph grabbed the snake and tore it to shreds. Unknown to me at the time, Adolph was bitten twice around the muzzle. My Daughter who is visiting me from her Medical intern rotation break was sitting on the porch came running over to see what happened. Being a medical Trauma student doctor she went inside and grabbed a razor, opened the wound, and proceeded first aid on me.
In the mean time, Adolph started throwing up, and going into seizures. Daughter started freaking out a bit, it was too much to handle at the time with no immediate help as I insisted on taking Adolph to the vet first before taking me to the hospital.
As luck and God’s will a neighbor heard the commotion and offered help to take Adolph to the vet, while my Daughter took me to Baylor Medical Trauma Center in Dallas.
At the hospital I was surprised at my treatment. They first put an IV in me, oxygen, gave me a shot of a sedative and pain killer, and then used a modified stun-gun around the wound. Apparently pit viper venom has some metallic component that can be neutralized by current flow. It hurt like a SOB, but relieved the pain. After that they gave me anti-venom, kept me on oxygen for a few hours, and later released me that night.
Adolph had a bit more trouble than I. I almost lost my friend as he went into cardiac and respiratory arrest at the vet. They were able to revive and stabilize him. He is still in the vet hospital having problem breathing because his muzzle is so swollen and blocking his air way but expected to recover fully and come home in a day or two once the swelling has gone down and can breath normally.
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