Antivenin for a copperhead? Totally unnecessary.

I don’t suppose you would like to self-test your opinion?

Craig

Only a fool would not seek medical attention for an envenomation.

Maybe you should do a little more research.

Anyway, apparently my snakebite was one of only two that this hospital had ever seen, the other having been a Timber Rattlesnake. I thought it seemed unusual that in an area where Timber Rattlesnakes and Copperheads are so common, the hospital had only treated a couple of bites. I later learned from talking to local people that its not unusual for people in remote areas of Pennsylyvania to stay at home and avoid treating their snakebites. Money may play a key role in this behavior.

Anyway, by the time I had been admitted to the hospital, my pain was to the point where the doctors had me on a Morphine IV through which I could still feel the pain. I learned that the doctors had been online for quite some time researching copperhead bites and how to deal with them. My official doctor came in and explained to me that he would not administer antivenin because the one other time he had tried it, the patient almost died from shock (his exact words.) This was for a Timber Rattlesnake bite. I didn’t mention it at the time because I was overwhelmed with pain, but I would think that they would have at least performed a scratch test to see if I was allergic to the antivenin, but whatever.