Could I Have Been Bitten by an Adder?

CheBoludo · #1 (**permalink**) 15-06-2011, 05:16 AM

Hi,

I'm bit surprised if I have as I live in an urban area of London, but a friend suggested it might be the case.

Just over a month ago I was doing some gardening, mainly weeding and clearing up. I didn't notice anything at the time. But my hand suddenly started to ache and swelled up a bit. I didn't pay much attention at the time. The next day my wrist swelled up too and the pain became intense. I also lost all sensation in my palm and three of my fingers. I noticed a couple of circular marks on my palm about a cm apart each with a diameter of about a mm.

A month later I still don't have any sensation in my palm or one finger and it's still painful, but bearably so. The marks are still there.

Gill Catton · #2 (**permalink**) 15-06-2011, 08:47 AM

If it was an adder I think you'd know, by all accounts It's like being punched by a prize fighter!

I sometimes have a reaction as you describe to horsefly or even mosquito bites - which would tie in with you feeling nothing at the time because the actual bite from those animals often doesn't hurt. (some spiders can bite too so it might be that especially if it happened when you were rummaging around with leaf litter and rubble and the like)

I now have a massive aloe vera plant because I went through a phase of several years where it happened every single year

and I can recommend cutting a leaf and smearing the gel over the affected area to soothe the ache and take some anti- histamines (provided your doctor is happy with that).

shadowx · #3 (**permalink**) 15-06-2011, 09:37 AM

It's a bit late now but it would have probably been a good idea to go to the hospital, even A&E to have it drained of fluid and sterilized.

As for what caused it, I wouldnt know, but if i were in your situation I too would guess a snake bite. My guess would be any snake would be perfectly at home in an urban area, provided it has shelter from the elements and predators, and can find a fairly secluded area such as a nice garden it would have all the food it could hope for, less predators in the form of birds of prey and plenty of warmth all year round. Sounds an ideal snake habitat to me!!

Might be worth googling uk spiders though, we do have some venomous spiders in the UK so it's a possibility methinks.

Gill Catton · #4 (**permalink**) 15-06-2011, 11:13 AM

No it won't be a snake bite.

Grass snakes don't bite they pee on you and play dead as a defence and adders as I suggested, you'd instantly notice the bite because it would instantly hurt an awful lot.

And actually once I was bitten by my pet garter snake and even though that's not venomous it still hurt instantly - I don't think it could have happened and I wouldn't have noticed.

I'm no doctor but it sounds like an allergic reaction to an invertebrate bite (they often have substances in their saliva that prevent you feeling the bite - which would explain why you didn't feel it at the time), perhaps a spider got stuck in your garden glove while you were working?

As for going to A&E, I'd ring NHS direct first (that's what I did when on one occasion the very painful swelling started to track up my arm). I did end up going in to A&E (as advised by NHS direct) but only because the swelling was advancing so far, there was no fluid draining and I was sent away with steroid cream and anti-histamine.

Although the soreness lasted quite a while and initial bite site was visible on my hand for quite a while, I'm sure it wasn't as long as a month. I'd suggest a visit to your doctor just to identify what is going on.

Burko · #5 (**permalink**) 15-06-2011, 11:22 AM

What weeds were you pulling?

CheBoludo · #6 (**permalink**) 15-06-2011, 12:56 PM

Thank you very much. That's reassuring. Beautiful though they are, I'm not sure I fancied having one living in the garden.

I'll definitely go to see my doctor/A&E and look into UK spiders.

I couldn't tell you what weeds they were as there were least a dozen different types. I'd only just moved in and the garden looked like it hadn't been touched for a year or two and resembled a jungle.

nightshade · #7 (**permalink**) 15-06-2011, 01:17 PM

I was called to look at a hand that was extremely swollen, they had been bitten by a small black fly fly and were having an anaphylactic episode.
Straight into hospital!

shadowx · #8 (**permalink**) 15-06-2011, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Beautiful though they are, I'm not sure I fancied having one living in the garden.

Really? I would love an adder to take up residence in my garden! I'd need a garden first though!!

Adders arent aggressive, just pick one up and rub it in your face!