The Copperhead Story

 This weekend was a test to my ability to stay calm under pressure, my patience, and --most of all-- my sanity. My 2 year old son David got bit by a Copperhead. This is the full story, from beginning to end, with a few pictures to show you what we went through. Sorry if it's long; I dont want to miss anything, and I want David to be able to read it when he's older.

Friday, May 27, 2011 started out like any other day. Boring. It was just me and my boys relaxing at home, and it was pretty nice outside. I had a friend that was coming over that afternoon, so I wanted to get the animals taken care of and out of the way. As I was heading out the back door towards the incubator room, David began to follow me, and I decided that he could come out and help. After all, he needs the practice taking care of the animals so that he can do it one day! I let him go barefoot (as so many other country mothers do) and we were outside for a few hours. Once everything was taken care of, we began to head indoors. I originally went towards the back door, but David was in front of me and started around the side of the house, towards the front. I figured the extra walk wouldnt kill me, so I turned as well. When we reached the front yard, David began playing with a toy he left out in the dirt, and I went to the front door. As I reached the door, I heard David start to cry. I turned around to see him trying to stand back up, after tripping over a post hole my husband dug at the corner of the porch. It looked as if he had barely slipped at all, but he was crying pretty hard (which is unlike him for a simple stumble) so I took the 10 steps towards him and picked him up. As I leaned over, I saw the snake in the hole. I was worried, but I didn't want to overreact; the first thing I did was do a quick check over David's body: hands, face, chest, legs. I didn't see any immediate bite marks, but I knew I had to kill the snake before anything else happened. I set David down on our couch and I grabbed the sharpshooter (the shovel beside the hole in the picture) and held it over the snake, preparing to chop off it's head. And that's when I noted the color pattern, and then I saw the shape of it's head. It was a Copperhead.

 My mind went into overdrive. I split that snake in three places, then without even checking to be sure it was dead, I rushed into the house, where David was now crying pretty intensely. I inspected every inch of his skin, and found what looked like watered down blood on his left foot, between his toes. I couldn't see a bite mark, but the blood was a sign of definite contact. I threw David into the bathtub, diaper and all, and washed his legs and feet (had to make sure there weren't more bites). When I took him out of the tub 15 seconds later, I looked where the blood had been and discovered very small puncture wounds, with the immediate surrounding area being swollen and white. Without another thought, I called my husband to let him know to meet us as the hospital, that we were headed to Hillcrest ER. Within five minutes, I had both of my boys in carseats, I checked my car's reservoir to ensure there was water in the radiator, and we were gone and down the driveway. I didnt even grab my wallet. Hell, I barely thought to grab my phone.

On the way to the hospital, I was speeding. I was going nearly 80 MPH on a 60 MPH highway. I first called my friend (who lives quite a long drive away) to tell him what had happened, then I called 911. Now, I have always known to call 911 in case of an emergency, but I have been afraid I wouldn't know what to do or say. Luckily, the operators are amazing at what they do. I was told to pull the car over, and attempt to calm my son down while the ambulance was on the way. By this point, he was screaming and would not sit still. The ambulance was there in about 10 minutes.They took him away, and I had to follow behind in my car (at the speed limit). I was told to take my time and get there when I get there. I still went 65.

Upon arriving at the Emergency Room and being directed to my son's room, I entered to find my husband already there, my son hooked up to all sorts of tubes and cords, and nurses and doctors in and out of the room. I had been smart, and used the post hole diggers to scoop the snake out of the hole before we left, and I carried it with me in the car in my Cake Holder (it has a base that you set a cake on, and a tall cover that snaps securely onto the base. I can honestly say that I am never going to use that holder again). The EMS took it in the ambulance when they met me, so it was already in the room when I got there. I was just in time to hear a few nurses laughing about "who brought cake?!" and I was still there when a nurse saw that it was the snake and commented that she "didnt want a piece of THAT cake". The laughter calmed me down slightly, because what kind of a caregiver would joke around if a patient's life was in danger? Not one that wants to keep her job. At that point I began to breathe a bit easier.

My brave little trooper stayed in the ER for about an hour or so, connected to heart rate and blood pressure monitors, an IV, and even an oxygen mask. It was funny; he had tried to take the mask off, but I told him to leave it on, so he held that little mask over his mouth till he fell asleep, and was lying there sleeping while still holding the mask on. His grandparents and aunt came to stay with us at the hospital until we knew what was going on. After a while a doctor came in, and told us how things were going. He was doing well, they had given him some antibiotics and morphine, and the swelling was up to just above his ankle. Apparently a snake bite is classified as a surgical issue, and they didnt have the ability to care for him as well as they would like at that facility, so he would be moved to Scott and White in Temple, who has a fantastic Pediatric unit. The ambulance transported him, and it was followed by his grandparents and aunt, while I ran home to grab a few important things that I had forgotten (such as my wallet) and to get changed into real clothes (I was still wearing pajama pants, a spaghetti strap top, and slippers), and my husband and his friend ran to drop off some things to a guy nearby. We all met back up at the hospital in Temple.

My baby was monitored a few more hours in yet another ER room, where the doctors told us that swelling had gone up to his knee and he would be started on anti-venom. Were he to have any negative effects from the anti-venom, he would need to be watched very closely, so he was moved to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. The room was very large, consisted of the children's hospital bed, a bed for a parent/guardian, a small table, two chairs, a glider, a wardrobe, a full bathroom, and a wide view from the 4th floor.

He had to stay hooked up to an IV the entire time, and they had to wrap that arm up really well with a piece of hard styrofoam, a washcloth, and bandages, to hold his arm still and keep him from tearing out the tube. They came and took his blood pressure every hour at first, then every two hours, and his foot was propped up to bring the swelling down. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to eat OR drink anything until Saturday morning. Even worse: the ICU has a rule that children under the age of 14 must always be accompanied by an adult when visiting, and small children and infants are not permitted in the area for more than 30 minutes at a time. I had to feed Levi every 3 hours; this meant that I could not stay overnight with David (because sad to say, Levi needed me more). My husband said that he was staying with David, and the entire hospital stay I only saw my husband leave his side once, for about 10 minutes. He told me to go home with Levi, and just come back in the morning. I had enough milk pumped and stored to allow my mother in law to watch him in the morning for me, and I was able to spend the better part of the daylight hours up at the hospital with them.

Of course, not before I went shopping. I went to Walmart and got David 2 balloons (one was the biggest one they had), the cartoon movie "Bolt", a book, and a few small miscellaneous toys. Oh, and I brought Starbucks for the hubby :)

You can see he was much more chill and relaxed by morning. Looks like the anti-venom and the antibiotics were doing their jobs.

He sure looked adorable wearing his new kiddie sunglasses while kickin' back to watch a movie. You can tell that at this point, he was using his bite as a means to gain lots of gifts and attention... he recieved plenty of both... and more love and prayers than he'll ever know.

There was one toy in particular that he had been given while in the ER; it had a button you press, and some LEDs spin around and put on a pretty light show. When David figured out how to press the button, he didnt want to let go of the thing. I was a bit mad when the nurse told us that upon being moved to ICU, they would need the toy back. So I bought him his own. Matter of fact, I bought him TWO.

I had managed to pump enough during the day Saturday to go back again on Sunday morning, my mother in law watching Levi again. His aunt had come by, and brought him a cool laptop, and some snacks. He spent the entire day lounging about on the hospital bed (not that he had a choice, he was still connected to his IV) and I"m pretty sure between me David and the hubby, we watched every free movie the hospital had to offer. My favorite was Dinner for Shmucks, David's favorites were Bolt (hence the reason I bought it) and How to Train your Dragon (which we already own).

By Sunday he was doing well enough to be moved out of the ICU, and into a regular Pediatric patient care room. It still had a bed for a parent/guardian, and a full bathroom and everything. By that time, he was released from his IV, and only had to get medicine every few hours, and it only took 30 minutes to administer before he could run around and play again. We were told that the way things were going, he would be released the following day! He was SO patient and good for the nurses when they would come in for his vitals. It broke my heart that my little baby was in the hospital long enough to grow accustomed to it.

He was up and active all day Sunday and Monday morning. The Pediatric unit even had a playroom, with more toys that I think he knew what to do with. I brought the laptop from home so that for the final night in the hospital, the hubby had his own toy to play with. While the internet connection was being established and tested, David tested his sunglasses for when he would finally break out of the florescents and into the sunlight :)

We knew he was probably ready to leave on Sunday by the way he ate. He never stopped eating! I even brought Subway (complete with chocolate milk). Im not sure I can recall him putting a piece of food down for more than 5 minutes before he had some other type of  food in his mouth.

On Monday morning, I was able to bring Levi up to see David, while we waited for his discharge papers. His foot was still red at the bite, and the rest of his foot was all blue/purple/green...

David was very happy, I think he knew we were almost out of that hospital!!! Or maybe he thought someone else was bringing him more food. Then again, it could also have been all the pretty nurses in and out of the room. Who knows.

Hubby playing World of Warcraft in the hospital. He was very happy to have something to do! Lucky for him they had free internet in every room.

The last hour in the hospital; hubby still playing his game, little Levi sleeping in his car carrier, and David trying to sneak up on my phone (from right in front of it) to steal it from me. He's good at taking pictures of his hands. And feet. And the walls.

Happy healthy baby :)

The view out his 4th floor window. I'm surprised I was able to stand at the window long enough to take these pictures, with as afraid of heights as I am.

If you look on the far left, see there is a tiny little building in the parking lot? Our vehicles are just behind it. I can see my car from here... except it's the size of an ant. *hating heights*

Well, Monday afternoon we were able to take David home, and by Monday night he was running around outside playing as usual. It's like this entire weekend didn't even phase him at all. Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts!!! His foot is looking much better (the color should be back to normal within the week) and he has spent all morning playing with his toy toolset in the living room (I might get him to fix a few things around the house, lol). I pray to god we never have to go through this kind of thing again. But at least if we have to, I know what to do, and I know that no matter which of us gets bit (hopefully never one of the kids again) we will get through it.

Top Ten: What I Hated About My Son's Snake Bite

Friday afternoon, my son got bit by a Copperhead. I am currently working on a post for Wednesday that will tell the full story: what happened, how we handled it, and the hospital stay. Until then, I will give you a basic storyline. My son tripped over a hole, and there was a medium-grown Copperhead snake inside that bit my 2 year old on the inside of his left big toe. We rushed him to the hospital, where he spent the weekend moving from Pediatric ER, to Pediatric ICU, then finally to just plain Pediatric patient. He came home Monday morning, thank God, but the entire weekend had me on an emotional roller coaster, and I hated a lot of things. This Top Ten practically wrote itself; this is the Top Ten things I hated the most about my son getting bit by a Copperhead.

1. My Son Got Bit By a Copperhead. Just the simple fact that he got bit is one of the things I hated most. It caused all sorts of trouble, money, emotions, and just hassle. Not to mention the fact that it has caused me to hate more than enough things to write a Top Ten about it.

2. Fear. I was terrified. I didn't know what to expect, how long I had to get him to a hospital before bad effects began to take place, what bad effects were going to take place at all, any measures I could take to help out while getting him to the hospital... I was afraid I would mess up. I was afraid I wouldnt get there in time. I was afraid I would get pulled over going 80 MPH on a 60 MPH highway. I was worried about what the doctors were going to have to do to save my son, and I was out of my mind afraid that he wasn't going to survive. (I have since learned that the odds of him not making it were significantly low, the circumstances would have had to been extreme. But at the time, I didn't know that.)

3. Always Snake-Conscious. Since the biting occured, I have been on my toes everywhere I walk. When I get out of my car, I open the door and look down before stepping out of it. When walking outside, I take 5 steps, then check the surrounding area for snakes, before taking another 5 steps. I wont step into a room until I've leaned in and flipped on the light, then I scan every inch of the floor, and slowly look up to the counters and above me before walking in too fast or too far. I am afraid to turn the light off in the bathroom, and at night I leave a lamp on so I can see if there is a snake before I step out of bed, and I am constantly waking up and checking that there is no snakes in my baby's bed with him. I know I am being a bit ridiculous; I mean, there is no reason to think that just because we have an incident with one snake that there is suddenly going to be an outbreak of them (it's not a real-life "snakes on a plane" or anything). I am just being paranoid. And I hate it.

4. Regrets/Self-Hatred. Since the moment I laid eyes on the snake in the hole, and realized that my son had in fact been bit, I have been beating myself up over all the things I could have done differently, and each decision I made personally that could have prevented this from happening. A few of these include the fact that he didn't have his shoes on; I should have made sure to put them on him before he ever stepped out the door. We should have come in the back door instead of walking all the way around the house to the front door where the snake was resting; I am a very lazy person... what inspired me to follow when he began to turn towards the longer walk to the front of the house? I should have did what I would normally have done, which is tell him we were going in the back door, and he would have turned around and not ever been near the snake. I should have checked the area before he stopped to play around there; I always check the bird cages and surrounding pens where I think a snake could be, so that I can feed and water while he plays without worrying about him constantly. But this time, I didnt. I have been told from the beginning that there is nothing I could have done differently, and that these things just happen. It's not my fault, and I should just be glad that reacted so well and so quickly. Except, I dont feel like I did a very good job. No matter what, I still feel responsible for this, and for all the pain and suffering through the hospital stay that my son had to endure, all because I made the wrong choices that morning.

5. Wasted Weekend. I think I hate myself more than anything for this one... I hate that my son was stuck in the hospital, and I had the thought that this was such a waste of a good weekend. I had wanted to hang out with a friend, I wanted to spend time with my husband before he has to go upstate for a few weeks for work, I had wanted to see a movie, and I had wanted to play on the computer for a while. I hated that I had to drive 40 minutes every day from the house to the hospital and back again, and I hated being stuck in the hospital room (of course, when they told us that my youngest couldn't be there for more than 30 minutes at a time, it made me hate that I COULDNT be in the hospital room...) and it made me hate that my husband and son were stuck there all weekend. Instead of worrying about who was stuck where, I should have been focused entirely on my son's well being. I hate when I feel selfish.

6. When My Son Cries. I absolutely hate seeing my son upset. Hearing him cry when he got bit, seeing the pain in his eyes as he screamed while I drove towards the hospital... feeling his discomfort while I held him until the Ambulance met us halfway, and seeing how scared and hurt he looked while sitting in the hospital bed being swarmed by doctors and nurses. Every wince he made was a piece of my heart breaking; every tear he shed was my heart bleeding. I never wanted him to feel pain like that; I hate that he had to go through it. I would take a million snake bites from the most dangerous of snakes before I ever wanted my son to even get bit by even a harmless chicken snake.

7. Not Being There. Because there are sick children in the Pediatric ICU, the hospital had a strict "no other children" policy which basically stated that no other children under the age of 14 can visit without parental supervision, and no very young children (such as infants) could be there for more than 30 minutes at a time. And since I'm breastfeeding Levi, that means that I couldnt stay the night in the hospital without him, so Mike had to be the one to stay there with David. I was able to pump enough milk for a few feedings during the days, which got me about 9 hours each both Saturday and SUnday to spend with my baby boy in the hospital room. But as a mother, I felt as if I was letting him down and hurting his feels because I couldn't be there with him overnight. I was so glad that Mike stayed with him, because I did not want a single minute to go by without someone in the room that David knew and loved. I felt that without me being there, he would be upset. But no, he's turning into a daddy's boy. Which turned out pretty well, since he got some quality bonding time with his daddy.

8. Snakes. Okay, this one should be obvious. I mean, they bite... and some of them (*cough*copperheads*cough*) are poisonous... We have a lot of chicken snakes out here, but they arent poisonous or anything. They just get into our chicken coops and eat the eggs. They are nothing to worry about or be afraid of, and if they happen to bite you, oh well. You'll get over it. But after this, I dont want to see another snake. I dont want to see SINGS of another snake. I dont even want to hear the WORD snake!


9. Pediatric ICU. I hated being in the Pediatric ICU. First of all, because whenever you hear the term "Intensive Care Unit" you think of someone dying or terminally ill or something. It is such a serious place to be. As we were walking down the hall moving my son to his room in the unit, I took in all the sights and sounds around me, and it just about broke my heart. You could hear young children crying. You could see parents and nurses crowded around child-sized hospital beds. Children with oxygen masks, some that looked like they had bandages in various places. An empty room with a few balloons in a corner... I didnt want to be there; I didnt want my son to be there; I didnt want to think about the other parents with children there; and I certainly didnt want to think about those poor children. As bad as a snake bite is, I am so thankful that that was all it was for us. It would kill me to have had my son stay in that unit for any extended period of time (beyond just the weekend).

10. That Sad Feeling. The feeling of helplessness when you know that you dont have the skills to make your baby feel better. The worry you feel when you hand your baby to the doctors and pray they are good at their job. The sadness you feel when you see your 2 year old hooked up to IV's and oxygen, with a purple swollen foot. The guilt you feel that he should be there at all. It's just all heartbreaking, and I pray to never feel it again.

Dont worry though. He's all better now :)

Garden Update 8

 Alright, I am SO SORRY that this has taken so long to post, and that it's so late. But after the Copperhead fiasco... well, let's just say there were more important things. But now that things have calmed down, I can officially post this! You may be seeing these pictures a few days late, but they were still taken on Saturday. So when the next update is posted next Saturday, you will still see progress at the same rate. Well, this garden needs no further introduction... so lets get started already!

Cantelope Patch

A baby cantelope! I have quite a few of these hidden under my leaves.

A cucumber patch (one of only 4 small patches)

Some cucumbers, just about ready to pick soon! See these, mom? These will be yours! :)

A watermelon patch. I see a watermelon from here!

My biggest watermelon so far, it's about the size of a golf ball. Looking forward to watching it grow!

A few smaller watermelons, one on each side of the picture.

My super humongous pumpkin patch, you can see how it has already grown over TWO small watermelon plants. As a matter of fact, it has spread out vines that have wrapped themselves around the watermelon leaves and stems, and it's hanging onto them for support and choking them out. Good thing I have a larger watermelon patch farther away... But no matter what, I'm super proud of my huge pumpkin patch :)

My very first pumpkin! It's about the size of a quarter... maybe a bit bigger. And growing fast!

Potatoes... I'm still not sure when I'm supposed to dig them up, but according to the game Harvest Moon, not until Summer...  lol (relying on a video game to teach me how to farm... yeah, that is definitely something I would do). Apparently they are supposed to bloom first, and I only had a few white flowers on some of the plants early on, so hopefully they will all blossom out in the next few weeks.

Carrots. These are some of my bigger/medium carrots. Based on an average carrot-top-diameter to carrot-length ratio, I estimate these carrots to be about 5 to 6 inches long... They are about 2/3 grown. Yay!

One of my tomato plants. You can see that they are producing quite well... much better than expected!

Here is a closer view of one of my tomato plants. See how many tomatoes there are? Which is amazing, because I have had a bit of trouble these week with my tomato plants.

This week's problem: That pesky rabbit keeps eating my tomatoes! Thankfully, my plants are producing so many tomatoes that I didnt even notice at first, but once I saw the first one half-eaten, I began to look around and notice more. I hope we catch the son of a--I mean, the hopper--before he takes down anything else in my garden.

A few onions. The tops are beginning to fall over, but I doubt they're anywhere close to being ready to dig up yet.

Some Red Bell Peppers. Some of them are going to get picked soon!

One more thing to blame the rabbit for... He ate out one of my peppers! Please dont touch the rest of them, rabbit!!!

My first Green Bell Pepper that is about ready to pick... so fresh and shiny!

The Santa Fe Peppers. They havent gotten much bigger; looks like these 2 are a bit stunted. No big deal, they can get chopped up for some chili!

My Cayenne Peppers. 2 of these 4 are about ready to be picked!

Another Cayenne. Look how big it is! :)

Banana Pepper. It will probably get about double that length if we leave it on the plant, but we are barbecuing burgers for dinner, and I think my hubby may want a pepper chopped up on top. He loves Banana Peppers; its the whole reason Im growing them at all.

The squash plants; yes, they have weeds growing throughout them. I'll have to get on top of that...

A bunch of baby squash growing. My in-laws all tell me to pick them when they are about this size, and I may pick a few this size, but I like seeing how big they can get. See these, mom? They are yours! I'll get you all different sizes too.

Salad Bowl Mix Lettuce; I love the colors on this one type that came out. Just gorgeous.

Another picture of the Salad Bowl Mix Lettuce; and yet another type popped up. It's interesting to see what kinds come out of a mix packet. Too bad I have no idea what all these kinds are called, lol.

Caesar Mix Lettuce

A view down the Sunflower and Corn rows. I love how many sunflowers are already coming out; soon the entire row will have huge yellow flowers all the way down.

Some of my taller corn together. They are all producing and growing quite nicely!

Some ears of corn popping out of the sides of the corn stalk. I have a basic idea of how to know when they are ready to pick, but I need to check it out to know for sure.

My favorite... the sunflowers! They are all beginning to open up, and I already have a few that are fully open. They smell great, they are just dripping with nectar (attracting an amazing amount of insect wildlife) and they are GORGEOUS. This particular flower is one of my tallest, standing over 6 feet tall.

*Picture of the Week* This is a close up of a sunflower. ITS SO PERFECT! I could not have asked for a more natural, beautiful picture. This flower seems to have posed for me, and smiled at the camera. Can you say "new desktop background image"?

Proud of my blueberry bushes; they have beautiful new leaves on them. Way to fight back against the goat attack!

My second blueberry bush; even more bright new green leaves on this one. Hopefully they will bloom again this year and produce more berries (but this time, WE will be eating them, not the goat).

My grape vines. Still growing strong after the goat/cow attacks.

Another grape growing back. Love their little heart-shaped leaves.

Strawberries... I have lost faith that they will grow big enough to produce anything this year, but I am at least glad to say that since being outside, they have doubled in size! Lots more leaves coming up in the middle, too.

My willows. I know, they arent a veggie, but I put them in the update last week and felt they should continue in the updates as well. I love how in this picture, the wind is blowing, and all the leaves are waving to the right. Some of them are getting pretty long, and it seems to have a few branches that are a bit longer, too. Well anyways, that's it this week! See you again next Saturday with the next update!