Your Health Matters
By Claudia Parks, R.N.

In the late 40's, post wartime, my family moved from Jacksonville to Delray Beach, Florida- in Palm Beach County. This area was undeveloped as we know it today, but the developers were beginning to clear the land for homes and businesses- disturbing the landscape and underbrush- which also disturbed the homes of whatever varmints lived in the locale.

I shall never forget some of the first impressions and events that took place as I settled in to my 5th grade class. It was during the first week of school when this lady showed up with her snakes in jars and large scary pictures of venomous snakes and horrible looking snake bites and terrifying stories of how many school children are bitten each year. She informed us that we were going to learn about the poisonous snakes that surround us and could kill us! "You must learn to recognize them and know first aid in case you or your friends are bitten!" She made a believer out of me!

When the Everglades would catch fire and burn for weeks, we often had "snake alerts" reported on the radio. (Not to mention the alligators that would trek into town!) It didn't take long for me to get serious about snakes. Particularly the venomous rattlesnake, cottonmouth, copperhead, and coral snake- and I was on a constant lookout for them! (My daddy would tease me by telling everyone, "She can see a snake a mile down the road.")

In the early 70's we had some friends purchase about fifteen acres up here in the mountains about ten miles or so from Hiawassee. They built a home up on the side of a mountain- I remember you had to ford a stream to get to their place. It was very wooded and had some large rocks embedded in the landscape- truly beautiful. We spent the night, however I didn't sleep a wink! They had shown us a number of slides of clearing the land and building their home- but they could have left out the dozen or so slides showing the many, many copperheads that were under every rock and bush. The land probably had never been cleared, and the snakes were everywhere. They had killed many, but told how you had to be very careful when leaving the house and be sure you had tight doors and windows- and don't leave your windows down in your car! I suffered with ophidiophobia until I was back on the road!

The Copperhead is the most common venomous snake in north Georgia and North Carolina. However, Copperheads are usually not aggressive and their bite is rarely lethal- but you definitely need immediate medical attention if bitten. They are found in forests, wooded hillsides with rock outcrops above streams or ponds; edges of swamps and sometimes in fields and found from sea level to 5,000 feet. Like most members of the pit viper family, the Copperhead is a heavy-bodied snake. These snakes range between 24 and 36 inches in length and are covered in hourglass shaped crossbands, which vary in coloration among different populations. The crossbands may be copper, pinkish, reddish brown, or orange.

The other poisonous snake that may be living in north Georgia is the Timber Rattlesnake, and commonly found in most of the eastern US, except the extreme northern regions. It attains a maximum length of about 75inches, prefers remote wooded hillsides with rock outcrops, and sometimes swampy areas and floodplains. It's found from sea level to 6,600 feet.

My curiosity drove me to contact the Emergency Room of Union General Hospital to verify the number of snakebites that show up in the ER. Candace Christensen, RN, the ER Nurse Manager, was kind enough to take time to answer my questions. Christensen said, "We have very few snakebites showing up at Union and Chatuge hospitals--we had one several weeks ago, but it turned out to be one of the garden variety of snakes. We've had several copperhead bites but they did not turn out to need the antivenom- only observation for several days. We do have CroFab antivenom on hand if needed. I remember having to give the antivenom one time in the past 4 years."

I know from experience that you use antivenom as a last resort, because some folks can be very allergic to it and a skin test must be done before giving it to patients. Very close observation of the patient is important for a number of days. It also costs about $1000 a dose! All venomous bites are not always serious- 25% are dry bites- meaning that that venom is not deposited. Local signs include fang mark(s) and scratch (es). You always need to see the doctor for what you suspect is snakebite. Bring the snake with you- only if it's dead!

Claudia Parks, RN is a former doctor's office and emergency room nurse and retired as an educator from Fulton County Schools. She writes Your Health Matters as a public service; the information here is designed to help you make informed choices about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your physician. Claudia and her husband make their home in the beautiful north Georgia Mountains, near Blairsville.

Claudia can be reached at yhm@windstream.net