Snake Bite- What To Do Or Not To Do

Treatment: First Aid

If you’ve been bitten by a snake, get medical help right away. To help someone with a snakebite:

• Take off all jewelry and tight clothing to avoid problems with swelling.
• Keep the area of the bite below the heart to keep venom from spreading.
• Keep the person as still as possible to keep venom from spreading.
• Cover the bite loosely with a clean, dry bandage.
• Help the person stay calm to prevent shock.

What Not to Do

• Don’t try to pick up or kill the snake. Even dead snakes have been known to bite.
• Don’t tightly wrap the bite area. Use only a loose bandage.
• Don’t cut across the area of the bite or try to suck the venom out.
• Don’t drink alcohol or anything with caffeine. They make your body take in the venom faster.
• Don’t use any ointments, chemicals, heat, cold, or ice.
• Don’t take aspirin -- it can make bleeding worse.

Treatment: Antivenom

This is the only way to treat venomous snakebites. It’s best to get antivenom within 4 hours of the bite, but it can still help if you get it within 24 hours. You get it through an IV -- the medicine goes into a vein through a needle. It drips in slowly to make sure you don’t have a reaction. 

Which Are Most Dangerous?

Rattlesnakes are the kind most likely to bite you in the North America., and almost all the deaths reported are from them. There are a lot of rattlesnakes, and they have a strong venom. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake's venom is the most toxic. Copperheads cause the second most bites and have a weak venom. Cottonmouths are next as far as number of bites, and they have a medium-strong venom. Coral snake bites are rare, but their venom is deadly.

Pit Vipers

Rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths are in this family. They have:

• A pit between the eye and nose on each side of the head
• Long, hollow fangs that fold back into their mouths
• Narrow, oval-shaped pupils in their eyes, like cats
• Triangle-shaped heads

• Bite Symptoms

  These depend on your age and body size, as well as the type of snake, where you got bit, how many bites there were, and how much venom went in. Signs of pit viper bites include:
  
• Fang puncture marks -- typically two very clear marks, maybe along with scratches or marks from smaller teeth
• Bruising
• Serious pain
• Oozing from the bite mark
• Swelling within 5 minutes
• Throwing up
• Weakness

• Pit Viper Venom

  This isn’t deadly right away unless it happens to go directly into a vein. But it will start to break down tissue and blood vessels, and that can lead to fluid buildup, bleeding inside your body, and serious problems like kidney failure. 
  
  Rattlesnakes

  There are many different kinds of these across the mountains, prairies, deserts, and beaches of the U.S. They’re also found in Mexico and a few pockets of Canada. They can have different  colors and markings, which can include ovals, diamonds, or rings. Their most obvious feature is the rattle sound they make by shaking their tail -- a warning to other creatures to stay away.
  
  Cottonmouths
  Also called water moccasins, these snakes live in and around ponds, marshes, rivers, and other waterways in the southeastern U.S. They’re dark in color, from dark tan to almost totally black, and they have dark bands that may be hard to see. Their mouths have a white, cottony lining, which is how they got their name.

• Coral Snake Bite Symptoms

  These bites may not leave much of a mark or cause any swelling, and you may not feel any pain. You might not have any symptoms for many hours. When they do show up, they can include:
  
• Anxiety
• Blurred or double vision
• General feeling of sickness
• A lot more saliva than usual
• Nausea, throwing up, and stomach pain
• Sleepiness
• Slurred speech
• Sweating 
• Coral Snake Venom Venom from coral snakes attacks tissue in your nervous system. Your muscles may get weak, and eventually you may not be able to move them. It can also paralyze the muscles that control your heart and lungs. If it’s not treated in time, one of these bites can be deadly.
  
  Why Snakes Bite
  Usually, they only attack when it’s dinnertime or when they need to defend themselves. They’re typically more interested in getting away from people than attacking them. The danger is when the snake is startled or threatened. Venomous snakes can control how much venom they give you. Sometimes, they bite but don’t put out any venom at all.
  

• How to Prevent Snakebites

  You can do things to try to avoid them:
  
• Wear shoes outside.
• Don’t camp near swamps, streams, or other places snakes live.
• Don’t stick your hands into places you can’t see, like in between rocks.
• If you see a snake, slowly back away.
• Keep the grass around your house cut low.
• Never try to catch or pick up a snake.
• Keep piles of wood, rocks, or other debris away from your house -- snakes, and the animals they eat, can hide there.    
  

  THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                             PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  
  FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              
  

  FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

How to protect yourself from bug, snake, spider & other skin problems

JeJellyfish Stings

A jellyfish sting may cause intense pain, rash and welts, and may progress to vomiting and muscle spasms. Severe reactions can cause difficulty breathing, coma, and death. Box jellyfish stings require immediate medical care. Flood the area with vinegar and keep still until help arrives. For other jellyfish stings, soak the area in vinegar.

Stingray Sting

Sting symptoms can include sharp pain, bleeding from the wound, vomiting, chills, and paralysis. Death may even occur. Most stingray injuries require immediate medical care. If help isn’t readily available, immerse the injured area in hot water, remove the stingers, and scrub the wound with soap and fresh water. Apply pressure to stop the bleeding.

Mosquito Bites

Mosquitoes aren't just annoying; scratching a bite can cause a skin infection, too. Mosquitoes can also carry West Nile virus, dengue fever, and other diseases. To protect yourself from mosquitoes, apply insect repellent and cover up when you go outdoors, use door and window screens, and get rid of standing water in your yard, which is where mosquitoes lay their eggs.

Ticks

If you enjoy the outdoors, be careful of ticks -- they can attach to you as you brush past grass and plants. Ticks don't always carry diseases, and most bites aren’t serious. But they can carry diseases including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A bite can also trigger an allergic reaction. Be sure to remove a tick properly. To prevent tick bites, keep arms, legs, and head covered in grassy areas and use tick repellant.

Bee Stings

Most reactions to bee stings are mild, causing minor swelling, pain, and itching. Severe allergic reactions occur in some people, with symptoms including hives, swelling of the mouth or throat, and difficulty breathing. If you have a severe anaphylactic reaction, lie down and remove the stinger.  Give yourself an epinephrine injection, if you have access one, and get immediate medical care. If you don't have an allergic reaction, remove the stinger, clean the sting site, apply ice, and take an oral antihistamine for itching.

Chiggers

Chiggers are tiny mites found in tall grass or weeds. They attach to the skin by inserting tiny mouth parts to penetrate and liquefy the skin cells on which they feed. Their bites are painless. But after a few days of being attached to the skin, chiggers fall off – leaving very itchy red welts. Over-the-counter products can help relieve the itch, but see a doctor if your skin appears infected or the welts seem to be spreading.

Flip-Flop Hazards

They may be fun and fashionable, but flip-flops offer little protection against stubbed toes, glass cuts, puncture wounds, or having a heavy object smash your foot. Another danger: insect and snake bites. Emergency room physicians on both sides of the country report seeing adults and children with snake bites to the feet while wearing flip-flops or sandals. Consider wearing close-toed shoes that offer better protection this summer.

Poisonous Snake Bites

Bite symptoms may include severe burning pain at the bite site, swelling that spreads out from the bite, weakness, trouble breathing, and changes in heart rate. Bite severity depends on many factors, including the amount of venom injected, bite location, and a person’s age and health. Seek immediate medical care if you think you’ve been bitten by a poisonous snake.

Nonpoisonous Snake Bites

A bite may leave fang marks or other puncture wounds that can be treated at home to relieve symptoms and prevent infection. However, large nonpoisonous snake bites, such as those from pythons or boa constrictors, can cause injury to skin, joints, bones, and muscles because of the force of the bite. See a doctor for these bites.

Black Widow Spiders

Wood piles and tree stumps -- that's where poisonous female black widows hide. Her bite may cause sharp, shooting pain up the limb, but it may also be painless. Look for one or two red fang marks, redness, tenderness, and a nodule at the bite site. Muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, seizure, and rise in blood pressure may follow soon after a bite. Seek medical care if bitten.

Brown Recluse Spiders

Hiding in attics and closets – in Midwestern and South central states – that's where you'll find these spiders. They range in color from yellowish-tan to dark brown, with darker legs. Their venom is extremely poisonous, and their bite can cause serious wounds and infection. The bite itself is often painless -- then skin reddens, turns white, develops a red "bull's-eye," blisters, and becomes painful. Bites warrant immediate medical care.

Burns from Fireworks

An estimated 9,200 people were treated in emergency rooms in 2006 for injuries related to fireworks. Most injuries involved the hands, eyes, head, face, and ears. Burns were the most common injury. Minor burns smaller than a person's palm can often be treated at home. Run it under cool water, then cover with a clean, dry cloth. Larger burns, and ones to the hands, feet, face, genitals, and major joints usually require emergency care.

Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers in the U.S. An uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells, it results in tumors that are benign or malignant. There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Consult a doctor if a mole or spot changes in size, shape, or color, has irregular edges, is more than one color, is asymmetrical, or itches, oozes, or bleeds.

Heat Rash

The result of blocked sweat ducts, heat rash looks like small pinkish pimples and is usually found on body areas covered by clothing. Most common in children, it may also affect adults in hot, humid climates. Most rashes heal on their own. To alleviate symptoms, apply cold compresses or take a cool bath. Air dry and avoid lotions. If baby's skin is irritable to the touch, ask your doctor about using calamine or hydrocortisone cream.

Sunburn

Too much exposure to the sun's UV rays can result in the redness and pain of sunburn. Sunburn usually appears within hours after sun exposure and may take weeks to fade. Pain relievers, cold compresses, aloe, hydrocortisone, or moisturizing creams may ease discomfort. Second-degree sunburn -- characterized by redness, swelling, and blistering – is usually more painful and takes longer to heal. See a doctor if you have a blistered sunburn.ll

For more infor kindly read=

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/slideshow