I tried to teach my children all the ‘life lessons’ I thought they would ever need. And, then some. Of course, some things have to be learned first hand and no amount of teaching will be enough. Sometimes those can be the hardest kind of lesson.
Yesterday, Adam, went out to clean up his yards. He has been so busy lately with school and other work that the yards have been neglected. ( This isn’t just a busy body Mother talking here. I’m just trying to set this story up for you. However, his Dad had mentioned it to him a time or two) Since Adam is on a few weeks break, he tackled the yards yesterday. One area had gotten particularly out of control. Adam, dressed in thick sox, heavy work boots and long jeans tackled the foliage. At some point in his ‘war on weeds’ he got a ‘mosquito bite’ on his leg. At the time he didn’t stop to think how difficult it would have been for a mosquito to get up his pants leg…but said he did think, “That must have been a whopper of a mosquito!” Later, when undressing, he noticed it was red and really itching. It bothered him through the night…itching and swelling and throbbing. Looking at his leg this morning…he noticed two marks,,,right in the middle…two marks that looked amazingly like puncture wounds …the kind snakes make!
He went to his doctor. The doctor sent him to Prime Care. Prime Care sent him to the ER. They said that it was indeed a snake bite, and did bloodwork to determine the type of snake. But all they know for sure is that it was an adult snake and it was poisonous, most likely a rattler or a copperhead. Fortunately, it wasn’t a mocassin, whose bite is the most venomous. The venom of these three snakes is a hemo-toxin. That means it causes all the blood vessels that come in contact with the venom to rupture. So, by observation they could tell that this snake did not inject a tremendous amount of venom. Also, the venom contains an enzyme which causes the muscles to cramp. The doctor told him that the snake did not see him as prey, but rather it was just defending it’s territory. Otherwise there would have been a greater amount of venom involved.
They started him on anti-venom and antibiotic, and sent him home to watch. Are these folks in the ER crazy or what!!! He should have had his leg put in traction and been attended by round the clock doctors and nurses until all signs of injury were past!!!!! Well, OK, maybe I’m over reacting just a tad, but this is my boy we’re talking about here!
And so, another adventure in the lives of the Owens’ family! This was our first snake bite and hopefully the last. Adam and his Dad and his Father in law are going to put out some sulphur to keep snakes away. I don’t know about all that…but they sure can’t let that sweet baby Levi out in the yard with out an armed bodyguard! This grandmother says so!
Oh, isn’t God good? He goes before his children and takes care of our needs, and we may never know it. There ‘so happened’ to be a doctor on duty in the ER who is a snakebite and venom expert. This ‘so happened’ to be a ‘laid back’ sorta snake whose motto was….“No Trespassing” instead of “Kill All Intruders!”. And, this ‘so happened’ to occur just when Adam has a break from school and has time to recuperate.
Oh, and that lesson I was talking about learning the hard way…….”always keep your yard cut and groomed…you never know who’s looking for a home!” I think he’s got it now!
Hello, my name is Everly. I am a blogger living in New York. This is my blog, where I post about interior design and decoration. Never miss out on new stuff.