Please shitpost somewhere else


I'll likely regret this post because they usually turn to crap, but...

I just got bit by a snake but couldn't see it to identify.

Have two small punctures in left forearm about 1/2 inch apart.  It burned for a few minutes then subsided.  Barely a trace of blood and very little swelling.

Tried researching but that is a bit of a quagmire.   I know we have some snake experts on here.

I'm kinda grasping at straws here, but hospital care is out.  I'm not going to be financially destroyed for a fourth time in my life.  

Hoping it is just a dry bite, or a snake with fangs but is non-venomous, if there are actually any of those types.

your INTELLIGENT post is greatly appreciated.   Thank you.



Update:

Arm didn’t swell up and burst.   Swelling is mostly gone, arm is stiff, the purple spot has gone away.  Still have two small bumps and two parallel lines between them, like an old surgical scar.  

Sorry for the delayed response.  I’ve been working in the mountains without internet or cell service for a few days.  

I haven’t read all the posts here, I’m sure many of them have nothing useful to offer.

THANK YOU to the posters that did provide helpful information.

Still don’t know what bit me.   I still think it was something crawling on the ground instead of flying.  The bite location was about 1.5 inches above the ground when bit.  Based on the info provided here by some helpful folks, here are my conclusions...

Snake? Probably not because no tiny teeth marks.

Centipede?  Maybe.  They are everywhere here.  I’ve never been bit and those that have say the bite is very painful for hours.  I didn’t have any serious pain except for the initial bite.

Tarantula? Possibly.  I haven’t seen one here but other people say they have seen plenty.

Black widow?  They are all over this property, but the 1/2” distance between dual punctures suggests no, and there wasn’t an open necrotic wound.

Wasp or Bee?   Maybe.  I’ve never heard of dual stings by the same insect until people posted here.  I only felt one hit not two.

Fire ants?  Possibly.  When I returned this evening there was a large fire ant colony next to the trailer.  But, I’ve been bit by them before and they leave welts that ooze a small amount of white pus, which didn’t happen here.

Ticks?   Doubtful, although I did find one next to me that was gray and about the size of a dime the day I was bit.

Other insect?  Possibly.  This place is full of creepy crawlers.  Today there was a large  all-black insect buzzing around me that wasn’t a wasp and it took several swats to make it leave me alone.

Thanks again to the helpful posters and to the guys that offered their medical and other expertise via IM and email.  



minor update #2

Sorry for no new pic.  I've tried many times, but my POS tracfone has a scuffed lens, scant megapixels, low contrast, gets the focus wrong most of the time, and cannot focus closer than 8 inches.  If I get a decent photo i"ll post it.  Its been over a week and the bite left small scars similar to years old surgery.   Two parallel lines with the punctures on the outer sides of the lines and these are still raised areas.  The punctures have tiny black bits in their centers but you need a magnifier to see them.  I've been stung by all kinds of wasps and bees and the skin returns to normal in 1-2 days.  Still don't know what bite me.  Still have to do more welding under the trailer.

I've read all the replies, and am pretty impressed this thread didn't immediately crash and burn like I was expecting.

update #3
Here are some crappy pics taken with a potato phone.  Its a scar that is slightly raised as described above.  Beats the hell outta me what bit me.  


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Please shitpost somewhere else

Say your goodbye's.

Two puncture wound's 1/2" apart and you are in NM.  Not many moccasins and copperheads there.  Probably a rattler.  Get to the nearest healthcare facility STAT.

You might be lucky - just got bit by a venomous snake ... but a dry bite. Saw it happen to a buddy of mine in Southern California in the Mohave.

Even if just a dry bite, clean the area well.

Infection waiting to happen.

Join the group below and mention that you just got bit. Post a photo and your location. You can also post a photo on here, tag me, and I will post for you.

National Snakebite Support

Do you have ANY sort of description of the snake? Color/pattern? Get a look at pupil shape? How did you get bit... reaching under a rock or a log? Have you tried a Google image search to see if you can ID it or something similar?

I got bit by a bull snake on the finger when I was a pre-teen and it left two small punctures. Some non-venomous constrictors have small fangs used to hang onto prey.

OP where were you bitten? Rocky area? Brush pile? Trash heap?

Subscribed.

Not an expert but I wouldn't think you'd just fall over and die. If venomous you should start to get sick and you'll figure it out. If you feel fine and stay that way probably not venomous or a dry bite ?

I'd still get antibiotics from urgent care though.

Subscribed.

Presumably you will keep posting until your arm bursts like a Brat on a grill.

Sounds like a dry bite, but best to not take chances. ER, right now.

Most North American snakes have hemotoxic venom (Mojave's have Nerotoxins as well), check yourself for swelling, discoloration, numbness, and watch your blood pressure.
One of the few NA snakes with neurotoxins is the Coral snake, but those puncture wounds are far apart for their small mouths.
I’d be checked at an Urgent Care or ER regardless and at the least, get a tetanus shot.

Don't give your real name if you go to the er. Be an illegal

You didn’t see a snake?

Why not a Tarantula?

If it's a rattler, he could very well be dead. Unless a dry bite. Which could happen.

Been seeing an increase in rattler bites this year.

Legit question. Hope OP is able to reply and let us know he's ok.

Post a pic and describe what happened

This!  Say you're homeless. They'll still have to treat you. Make sure you go to a trauma center. They get state & federal money & usually have a good supple of CroFab

How about some pics?


More than half the time the bites are dry.

Very rare for them to bite, but hognose snakes have small fangs, extremely mild venom to humans, and are in New Mexico.

No idea on snake type.  I was underneath a trailer doing some welding, with barely enough room to move my head and wearing a welding mask.  I welded with my right arm and had my left arm stretched out away from my body because there wasn't room to use it at the welding spot.  I felt the bite but thought it was a bee sting and continued welding.   There are large fuzzy bumble bees all over here.  There are western prairie and diamondbacks but I rarely see them on the driveway.  I didn't realize it was a snake bite until I saw the dual punctures.   There are  two short light colored parallel lines between the punctures and there is a quarter-size red area around those lines.  It has been 35 minutes and no increase in swelling.

Could an insect cause dual punctures?

Double post,  sorry

Attached File

Do you have copperheads out there?

Take a Sharpie & draw around the redness & mark the time next to it.

It will help with swelling assessment.

In.  Haven't heard from him in over 30 minutes, I hope he's ok!


ETA, sounds like he's ok!  If it was a dangerous one it seems or not a dry bite it seems like you would be in some pretty severe pain right now.

I'm no snake expert though.

Yes.

Tarantula. Wasps and hornets will double tap you for fun.

No, they don't have to treat you.  BTDT.  If you are not in immediate danger of dying, and don't have insurance, they will  give you a quick look, tell you to see your G.P., and then physically remove you from the hospital.   Their cops will bodily throw you out the door.   This is also the standard of care for cash paying patients.   They don't want them and they won't agree to some ridiculous repayment plan.   BTDT.  You get no actual treatment, but they will still bill you a couple grand and turn it over to collections in two weeks.

NM stopped storing crofab years ago because of the short shelf life and expense.  It comes from AZ if you have the money.

Normally, he wouldn't have fallen out by now.

The real danger is if he was bitten by a venomous young rattler that doesn't know how to dispense it's venom without overkill.

I don't know your travel time to an ER, but you could go hang around the waiting room for an hour or so on case something starts to happen.

Thanks for the ray of hope.

I have never seen a tarantula here but there are wasps, hornets, and hundreds of black widows all over here.

Done.

Thanks for the tip.

Swelling is minor now.

I know NM healthcare is abismal. I have a bunch of family in Albuquerque & surrounding areas. But each hospital will have a least 1 dose of CroFab. But more is needed so they will request a dose from another local hospital.

What you say is somewhat true. If you aren't dying they will tell you to see a Primary. But snake bite, they will have to treat you if there are S/Sx of a non-dry bite

Getting thrown out by security is interesting that you know that. Hahaha. I won't dig deep on that, though.

OP is a hard motherfucker.

Post a pic of the bite wound.  Seriously

Dude, just head to the ER.  We had a guy get a small bite at work.  It was fine at first but then his hand started swelling an hour or so in.  He stayed in the hospital for a few days.  We still aren’t sure if it was a Diamondback or a Mojave but he had a shitty time.

With any luck it was a coachwhip or a kingsnake.

Any pics of the bite marks OP?

I took pics, having trouble uploading them here.

Good luck OP

Bump. OP is still posting, so that's good news!

ETA: I see you added a pic to the first post... that doesn't look like a snake bite to me I would expect to see other lines or marks showing where the bottom of the jaw got your arm too. I mean it's plausible that it just hit with the top fangs I suppose, but that looks more like an insect/spider bite of some sort (in my non-medical-professional opinion).

ETA2: https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Spider-Bite

Hopefully just a dry bite...

I'm going with giant desert centipede as the culprit. I got bit in the back by one while sleeping. Didn't actually feel the bit but woke up and found the beast and killed it. Took about 20 hours before the pain and itch from hell set in. Hurt and itched like hell for at least a month, maybe more. Bit looked just like that though.

does it hurt?

Kinda looks like a wasp sting.

Attached File

OP, I think you just got stung twice.  

On any degree of a compass, 2 bites (stings) a half-inch apart look like a snake bite.

Thanks for the info.   I assumed it was a snake because of the dual punctures 1/2 inch apart.   Wouldn't it need to be a freakin HUGE spider for 1/2 inch spacing?  I only felt one sting but I knew it was something big.  The biggest black widow I've seen had a 1.5 inch spacing between its legs, but the head was still very small.

Big thanks to Azjeeper, who has provided his usual professional input via IM.

I felt a little nausea for maybe 10 minutes but that is all.  punctures are still raised and area still red but not as dark red as before.

I have lots of big centipedes here.  usually four to six inches, some all blood red, but the most common is tan with a blood red head.  I've had them crawl on me and the sensation is memorable.  I did not feel that sensation.  Never been bit but my research indicates the pain is severe.

Great advice on the sharpie marking the extent of swelling and time periodically.   That's exactly how we were instructed in the Army.

There are plenty of tarantulas in SE New Mexico (not sure where you are at) with certain times of the year they will be out in force on the asphalt roads later in the day and evening.

Couldn't hurt to take a dose of benadryl as well.  Our vet has recommended that for our ranch dogs that were bit by a rattler.

That looks more like a bite from a centipede.

Hopefully a centipede?