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Post by sherwino on Dec 8, 2012 15:51:34 GMT 8
Last week, a co-worker was bitten by a snake and here's what happened and what he did:
While he was clearing his parcel of land, a venomous snake suddenly bit him. Four bite marks were on his hands. He knew he's gonna die. Outraged, he dug the snake out of its hiding place and killed it. After that he put a torniquet on the upper arm and rub a papaya fruit on the bite marks to keep them bleeding(they say papaya sap is an anti-coagulant). He was taken to a local tagasipsip(sucker). He was made to drink gin. He consumed half of the bottle. The tagasipsip ask for another bottle to be used as his gargle. After the tagasipsip did his job, my co-worker did not take any chances. He went immediately to a "high-end" hospital here in Bataan only to be turned down coz they got no anti-venom. They were instructed to go San Lazaro Hospital in Manila. There are available anti-venoms in that hospital. Luckily, he survived.
Some points to remember on a situation like that(and I'm hoping nobody here gets bitten by a snake): 1. Presence of mind. 2. Relax. The more you're worried, the harder you're heart pumps which may hasten the spread of the venom. 3. Know first-aid. 4. There's no anti-venom in Bataan hospitals. Go to San Lazaro Hospital in Manila.
Always take precautionary measures on trips.
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Post by fots2 on Dec 8, 2012 21:58:13 GMT 8
Good post sherwino. The subject is depressing but relevant for sure. I hate the damn things with a passion however we cannot ignore the fact that snakes are an occupational hazard for our type of exploring. I did some research a couple years ago about snakes on Corregidor and what to do if bitten. The results were somewhere between disappointing and scary. The Philippines has 30 species of venomous snakes and the Philippine Cobra (which is on Corregidor) is the 3rd most venomous snake on the planet. To make it worse, that snake is a ‘spitter’ in that it can spit its venom up to three metres. You don’t even need to get bitten to get venom in your eyes, mouth or open wounds. Sun Cruises and CFI people tell me that if anyone is bitten on the island then they will most likely die. You are doing well to find band-aids on the island, forget about any stocks of anti-venom for the different types of snakes slithering around. (Anti-venom is specific to the type of snake that caused the bite). Also, transportation off the island to Manila is always an issue. For some reason, I have seen more snakes in the past two years on Corregidor than in the previous fourteen years total. This past August, Sun Cruises cautioned me about staff seeing quite a few cobras around Bottomside which has happened before but used to be unusual. If I get bitten on Corregidor it might take place in a remote area not close to present day roads. Web articles say I would be suffering symptoms such headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. Although you are not supposed to exert yourself in any way, that would be impossible when trying to get back to civilization. Assuming I made it to Bottomside, the Corregidor Inn could only offer watermelon or bananas…no papaya on the island. Will ‘Emperador Light’ brandy do? Off duty personnel drink that like water at night. End result…I’m screwed. Seriously though, the chances of getting bitten by a snake on Corregidor may be slim but it is certainly a possibility. I have never heard of anyone getting bitten there but I have not specifically asked about it either. I did read that in some cases venomous snakes do not inject venom during a bite. i.e. that particular bite has little or no venom in it and it is only painful. In this case, the victim lives. Getting a bite such as that must be like winning the lottery. Did your friend actually require any anti-venom when he got to Manila? It would have been hours from the time he was bitten to the time he got there. What did the doctors think of his initial treatment in Bataan? Sherwino, since you grew up in this country, do you have any suggestions for us on how to avoid snake bites when we are wandering around? FYI, my last snake sighting was on Fort Frank about two weeks ago. We were leaving the area of the searchlights heading back to one of the batteries. I was the last one taking photos so was bringing up the rear. Karl yelled back to tell me that the guide had seen a snake near our path. By the time I got there a minute later, I saw the snake now between me and Karl who was further ahead. I snapped a quick shot and made a wide detour around it. Back home I searched on the internet for a Philippine snake that looks the same as the photo. Only one appeared to be a close match. It is a Banded Sea Snake which as common throughout Asia. This snake is also an amphibian which explains why it was on dry land high above the beach. Information from the internet describes it as highly venomous but docile. I did not stick around to verify either claim. Snake seen on Fort Frank Banded Sea Snake
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Post by pdh54 on Dec 8, 2012 23:40:15 GMT 8
OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!
I may have to rethink a visit to Corregidor....LOL
Chad was telling me this morning that 25 years ago when he was doing his visits to Corregidor, he was told there were NO snakes on the island.
In the 80's ('85-'88) when we lived at Subic, I only saw two snakes in the housing area in which we lived. We were at 8B Mango. Across the street from us was "jungle". We were on the outer rim of housing.
One day our yard man came running into the house. There was some sort of viper in one of our bushes. It was a beautiful brown with green belly. Romy said it was venomous, so we called the Fire Department and they came and took it away.
The second instance was a cobra. It had fallen into one of the utility trenches just a few houses up the hill from ours. The Fire Department came again and took it away. Whew!!!! Thank God for those men!
I remember we were told not to keep potted plants and such around our doors because they could harbor snakes. To this day I look down when leaving the house. We have snakes in our yard at times here...UGH! They do keep the mice population down and out of the house at least.
I guess all you can do is make a lot of vibrational noise as you explore and carry a stick to insert into crevices and holes first.
Patty
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Post by okla on Dec 9, 2012 0:21:14 GMT 8
Hey All.....I hate the sight of snakes. It's almost a phobia with me. Living most of my life in the Southwest (Oklahoma mainly, and seven years in Texas) Rattlers were the most common. Water Moccasins and Copperheads to some degree in Missouri, but what ever, I hate 'em all. One little tidbit....a few years back wife shrieked from the bathroom for me to come quickly (if not sooner). What a sight to behold. She was sitting in the tub staring at a small, garden size snake that was crawling into the tub from the drain (she had not turned the faucet on as yet). I immediately closed the drain, snapping the little intruder in half. I gathered up the head portion and pitched it into the commode with the remaining part slipping back down the drain with the onrush of hot water. It was a sight to behold, wife buck naked in the empty tub, screaming bloody murder. In retrospect I suppose it would be a shock to anybody in the same position to suddenly espy a snake, no matter how small, appearing in your bathtub. My plumber said that this happens at times when a snake enters a cracked sewer pipe. Whatever, wife and I always sneak a peek at the drain these days. I still don't know what type snake it was. Small and dark brown. Who cares??? He wasn't welcome, whatever his ilk. Cheers.
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Post by pdh54 on Dec 9, 2012 0:44:41 GMT 8
Oh boy!!! Now I've got to watch the bathtub drain too!!! ? What about the commode?
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Post by okla on Dec 9, 2012 1:33:10 GMT 8
Hey Patty.....I, personally, have used the other bathroom, always perusing the commode bowl, without fail, from that day forward. After rescuing Wife, I told her that she was on her own and must perform her own "snake patrol" in the future. Cheers.
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Post by fots2 on Dec 9, 2012 10:39:46 GMT 8
Patty, you have a couple very good suggestions. Even okla can keep a big stick outside the bathroom door.
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Post by darthdract on Dec 9, 2012 19:09:20 GMT 8
Geez Sherwin, That some scary stuff right there. and whats with the Taga sipsipi? how will that work isn't it that Venom is poisonous enough that it could kill the "Sucker" by just his lips getting in contact with the Venom? At fots2 I don't know if I could function normally if I was in your position, I may be over come by fear beyond rational thinking.
This is the reason that I am always worried whenever there is wide spread flooding in Manila just like last August its so horrible, my Grand mother before told me during a flood in the 70s they saw a snake swimming in the streets
Tekut aku sa ahas.
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Post by Registrar on Dec 9, 2012 20:25:28 GMT 8
Post Ondoy, i believe that more were hospitalised from Leptospirosis than snakebite.
Leptospirosis is among the world's most common diseases transmitted to people from animals. The infection is commonly transmitted to humans by allowing water that has been contaminated by animal urine, notably rat urine, to come in contact with unhealed breaks in the skin, the eyes, or with the mucous membranes.
The justifiable caution which one naturally has with snakes in floodwaters serves us even better to evade the complete failure of kidney function brought about by our microscopic enemies.
Our neighbor spent days in critical care close to death because of the Ondoy floodwaters.
I will now caution myself against my getting even further off topic. Snakes on Corregidor give me the heebiejeebies BIGTIME! Even more concerning is to consider the state of medical preparedness there.
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Post by westernaus on Dec 9, 2012 22:41:38 GMT 8
I have often wondered myself whether there was any anti - venom on Corregidor Island . My thoughts on getting rapid help , would be to phone for a helicoptor from Manila to make an immediate pick up from Corregidor to the appropiate hospital in Manila . ( done on the - Fly Now Pay Later Plan ) . Unless Manila has a Medivac Helicoptor . Going by Ferry in an Emergency might be the last trip a snake bite victim may take . It probally would be of some use to wear glasses or shades in well known places where Cobra,s hang out . A small walkie - Talkie radio or at least a set of two might be handy if one was left at say Macarthurs or the hotel Reception in a switched on position and picked up on return . Can anyone tell me what mobile phone / cellphone reception is like on Corregidor Island and whether it is possible to contact any one on the Mainland ?.
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