If I was not prepared I would have died yesterday. | Emergency Preparedness | Forums

Some of you might have read on another one of my posts a big weekend I had planned with my daughter.

Anyways we had just started a wonderful day at the beach doing some jug fishing. Conditions were absolutely perfect. There was fast moving minnows coming into the shore and the big fish chasing them.

Other folks were pulling in some big Eels and Roosters. I have video of everything that happened before I tell the story.

So my daughter was on shore collecting crabs that came ashore to steal shells on the beach. Happy happy day, weather was awesome.

I went out to put the jug out farther since I was lazy and did not build a anchor and the wind was bringing it into the shore again. It was floating at roughly waist height.

On way back what I thought was a snake bit me (as I saw something thick and snake shipped when I was struck) while I was in roughly knee high water. I grabbed above my ankle and immediatly applied pressure as I bleeding bad and there was a golf size ball around the puncture that was yellow and pumping poison.

By the time I had hit the beach I was in agony and losing blood fast, I yelled to my five year to bring me rope since I was not wearing a belt (usually do for turniks)and a knife to cut the rope and check the wound and bleed it out more if I had too.

Now in this situation I was roughly 20 minutes from a ambulance on a remote part of a public beach. Forty minutes to a hour from a hospital. Two ladies wandered by a minute later and called the ambulance. I was bitten at exactly 1:40 pm. I went into a cardo, musclular shock about ten minutes later, which came and went getting stronger in severity.

My concern was that it was a snake bite and the only snake in this region that is water borne has no antibody. You need to get to the hospital and amputate the leg if you want to survive.

At 2:20 the ambulance arrive, they got lost and went to the wrong beach. Shortly after pulling away my PMC buddy of blocked the ambulance t-bone style on the road so my daughter didn't not have to watch me die. I admit I was scared, I have been shot before twice and stabbed but can honestly say that never scared me.

When I arrived at the hospital in a small town near by they tried to stabilize me and arrange for a airlift and last rights. I was even more scared since my medical knowledge seemed to dwarf that of the staff at the hospital.

After a hour and last rights they threw me in another ambulance since there was no airlift available.

I arrived at the largest hospital in the region (3:20)and was met by US, military PMC Doctor/Medics I know who knew I was on my way in. They figured it was mostly to say goodbye and see what needed to be done for after my departure on the boat across the lake.

I was taken into surgery ... was conscience with no painkillers when they cut me open. I did not feel I thing. I was just slipping into shock further and apparently laughing every time I came back.

By now from mid-ribs down was in full-time muscle spasms. The end was near I was thinking, Especially since the second bus kept saying they were on their way in with a terminal in Spanish over the radio.

My left leg was now roughly triple in size from the knee down and people were having the conversation saying I should be dead and I am not so maybe it was not the snake.

A marine specialist arrived and after ten minutes (3:30)of watching me (just watching me), decided I had been struck by a stingray. So they started lots of injections and anti-biotics.

Three hours later I was stabilized but still having the spasms and in the worst pain I have ever experienced. I have had field surgery before on one morphine so I kinda have something to compare it too.

I am back home now, still in agony, but it should only last a couple more days. I have a roughly a 2" by 2" hole in my ankle that is open since they expect me to have problems with infections in the next week. Easy to tube it and treat it I guess if that happens.

Only thing to say in retrospect is I now now my daughter has Bushido and the heart of a Samurai. When I needed to help tie the rope no problem. When I need her to count for me to check my vitals on the beach no problem.

Train them young people ...