scooby9932
I Loves Me Some Disney!
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2007
- Messages
- 520
by a S N A K E!
True Story! Want to hear about it? Well, it's kind of long & wordy & requires a bit of back story to fully appreciate, so I apologize in advance, but here goes:
* * * * * * * * *
So, yesterday was my 40th Birthday. Its a momentous occasion & not just because its the big 4-0.
You see, about 10 years ago, my doctors told me I should resign myself that I wouldnt live to see 40.
Yep, gotta love those doctor's predictions, huh?
So, for backstory on the deadly prediction, Ill explain in the simplest, shortest way possible.
I have been battling severe lupus & its attack on my organs, most specifically my kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain. Because lupus is an autoimmune disorder (your body attacks itself because your immune system is messed up & cant tell the difference between foreign DNA and your own), I was put on heavy doses of Cytoxin, a chemotherapy drug. One of the side effects that can happen when you take chemotherapy is cancer. I know, right?
Anyway - I was diagnosed with bladder cancer in February of 2006. I had surgery to remove the tumors, with more chemo this time for cancer. Then 6 months went by with no sign of the cancer. BUT it came back. This time it had metastasized to my lungs. More chemo, more radiation. The cycle has continued. Now its in my bones. Im currently receiving more chemo & radiation on new tumor sites. In the meantime, my lupus has not given up the ghost & Ive been on many different drugs & therapies for it. I take 60mg of a steroid, Prednisone, daily. Prednisone is a God send. But it also has some really nasty side effects. Go figure, right?
Needless to say, its been a really hard, long road. And the road continues
But the whole time I told everyone my doctors, my family, friends, co-workers, people in check-out lines you get the idea that I was going to prove those doctors wrong. I was going to make 40. And then some!
I asked to have a HUGE blowout party to celebrate not just turning 40, but persevering! Ive never had a birthday party before, so its really exciting. My DD20 has been busy planning & everyone is so excited! The party is scheduled for next Saturday, the earliest all my family & friends would be available. We have people flying in for this thing!
Well - Yesterday, I made the milestone. 40 years old!!
I went to radiation treatment in the morning, worked the rest of the day, and then last night my immediate family & DDs boyfriend had a little celebration. We had a nice dinner, some German Chocolate cake, and I got some nice gifts. Everyone all day was congratulating me, even the doctors when I teased them about their predictions. During dinner, all of my DDs friends were texting her to tell me congrats on sticking it to the man, so to speak. It was really nice.
After so many years, I had actually made it!
Well, after dinner, I ask DD if the front gate was closed. She said it wasnt. So I headed out to close the gate. She walked out with me. We live on 19 acres in the country, Deep South. On the way back in we were walking along talking about putting up some bat houses to help keep the mosquito population down.
I noticed my fathers workshop door was open & the light left on, so I walked over to close it. Just as I stepped up on the step to reach in & turn off the light, I felt something bite my toe. I yelped, shook my foot, and felt whatever it was slide over my foot & land on the bottom step. I called to DD, Oh, my gosh! Something just bit me!
DD asked, What was it? I looked down & what did I see? A very angry, coiled & hissing snake!
It was about ½ round, 2 feet long. Just a small snake. But in the little bit of light coming from the woodshop all I could see was that it was tan & brown, with a diamond like pattern. It looked like maybe a western rattle snake. But it was too dark to tell.
DD, by this time, was running across the yard screaming at the top of her lungs, all wild & crazy & absolutely panicked. I knew that when youre bitten, youre supposed to bring the snake with you to the hospital so they can identify it. So, I grabbed the closest thing to me & slammed it down on the snake, trapping it as it was trying to slither away.
I could still hear DD screaming at the top of her lungs, Paw Paw! Paw Paw! A snake! Bit Mom! Oh my God! Oh my God! Paw Paw! Of course, my dad is 75 and very hard of hearing. Neither of my parents could hear her yelling out in the yard. Eventually, her voice fades & I realize shes made it into the house.
A few minutes later my dad comes tearing out the house & asks, What bit you? Was it really a snake? DD has been known to, um, stretch the truth in stressful situations!
Yep, I say. Ive got it trapped right here. Help me kill it, will you? While hes trying to cut its head off, I turn around & grab a hammer & then smash the every living *@&! out of its head. It was dead. Still wriggling around, but out of commission.
Dad told me to grab a plastic WalMart bag he saw on the workbench. He shoved the snake in the bag & walked to his car & threw it in the trunk. Then he started back into the house to get his keys & wallet.
All this time, DD has been hanging out in the background, yelling & pacing like a crazy woman. I finally tune in to what shes saying, and she is yelling at me to leave the &#@(! snake & come get in the car so she can drive me to the hospital. Whoo, boy, DD was showing she knew some language!
I try to calm her down & tell her, No. Paw Paw is going to drive, the snakes already in the trunk. I need you to go get my purse so Ill have my insurance cards, etc. You need to calm down. You freaking out is not helping me stay calm & I MUST stay calm so any poison doesnt travel faster through my system. Capiche?
Shes crying & wringing her hands & arguing that I should just let her drive. No way was I going to get in a car with her driving as freaked out as she was. I finally convinced her to go get my purse.
Pretty soon, I was alone outside. I started to walk to the car & then remembered hearing that youre supposed to tourniquet a snake bite & then get the bite above your heart. Girl Scouts training, you know.
So, I hobble into the house & find a rubber band to wrap around my toe. Once inside in the light I could see the bite better. It looked like just a scrape & no puncture wound at first, but when I turned my foot, I could see the puncture marks on the lower side of the toe. I quickly wrapped the rubber band around the base of my pinkie toe.
Just then, my mother comes wheezing up with her purse. I beg her not to go, to just stay home where she can use her oxygen machine. (My mother has advanced emphysema/COPD & is on constant oxygen. She cant walk more than 2 feet at a time & that leaves her breathless.) She refuses & heads out the door calling to my dad to grab her portable oxygen tank.
DD is getting really POd at all the delays. But theres no stopping my mother when she decides she wants something. I whisper to DD to shush & quit arguing as it will only slow our progress more.
I hobble out to the car again & climb in. It takes my mother about 15 minutes to get all loaded into the car with oxygen tank & all. Dad turns on her tank & helps strap her in & then FINALLY we drive out the drive. He then proceeds to drive a stately 50 mph all the way to the little Podunk hospital 15 miles away.
When he pulls up to the emergency room, my mother starts in on how she needs to get out at the door & needs DD to go get her a wheelchair. DD turns bright red & is so angry. She starts yelling that this isnt about her. Im the one who needs the wheelchair. I catch DDs eye then & just shake my head with my shut up now face on. While my dad parks the car & gets the snake to bring in, DD relents & goes to get the wheelchair. My mother s l o w l y gets in & FINALLY Im able to go into the ER, snake in the bag in hand.
It's N E V E R about me in my house. Even when I'm snakebit! Sheesh!
Anyone else live with someone like that? A real PITA, that's for sure!
Anyhoo, I approach patient check-in & see that the nurse on duty is busy with a patient. So I walk a little further down to the admittance clerk. When she says, Can I help you?
I open my trusty Wal Mart bag & pull out the snake & say, Ive been bitten & just really need to know what kind of snake is this?
The clerks all push away from the desks & one says, Oh my God! IS that snake alive??!! I say, No, its just still wriggling. Its head is crushed. After another (seemed like minutes but was probably only seconds) bit of the clerks all exclaiming to get that snake away from them, one finally tells me that they cant help me.
Ill have to wait on the triage nurse who is busy with someone. So, I hobble over to the chairs outside the glass walled room & wait, trying to keep my foot above heart level. Yeah, I know pretty picture, huh?
While Im getting anxious, we all watch through the glass to see how long its going to take. The woman in with the nurse takes her time telling him whats wrong. Shes pointing to pain charts. He takes her blood pressure. They visit some.
All the time, all I can think is I JUST want to know if this is a poisonous snake! Did I fight lupus & cancer all these years & finally make it to 40 years old only to die tonight from a snake bite? Why doesn't anyone around this place want to help me?
Apparently, thats what everyone else was thinking, too, as thats what they told me later.
After about 10 minutes, the woman finally leaves & I go in. The nurse makes me step on the scale first, then takes my name & social security number. Finally satisfied that the hospital will be paid for this visit, he turns to me & asks all cheery, So, what brings you in today?
Once again, I reach into my WalMart bag & pull out the wriggling snake. He takes one quick look at it & says, Oh, thats just a rat snake. Did it bite you? Duh! I tell him yes & ask if hes sure its only a rat snake (only!). He says, "Yes, Ive seen plenty of these, its definitely a rat snake. No big deal." I say, Well, I guess thats all then? The nurse says, Yep. You can go on home now.
Just then the attending comes in & says, Did I hear snake bite? Now, HE looks concerned for me. The only one so far at the hospital who has. He asks the nurse if hes positive its a non-venomous snake & the nurse sighs & says, Yes. Its a rat snake. Shes fine.
The doctors says, Well where was she bitten?
It occurs to the nurse that he hasnt even looked to see where the bite is.
So, I show him my (now purple from lack of blood) toe & he says, Oh, uh uh. Tell me you didnt put a rubber band on a snake bite! I nod yes and say, thats what I thought I was supposed to do? He just shakes his head, unwraps the band, and looks at the bite. Well, the good news is youre going to live! I tell him Thank God! Thats the best news Ive heard in awhile.
While Im just relieved & joking with the nurse, my dad has been sitting quietly fuming at the guys laissez faire attitude. The nurse says, And youre not pregnant! Hows that for more good news?
My dad turns to him and says deadpan, Of course shes not pregnant. Shes on chemo & radiation for Stage 4 cancer. She cant have children anymore.
So, there. Huh. He didn't say it, well not out loud. But everyone got the drift.
The nurse gets this shocked look on his face and says quietly, Oh. Well. Im really sorry. I, um, gosh. Having served up his bit of comeuppance, my dad ushers me out of the room & we collect my mother & push her back out to the car for the long ride home.
All night I still feel the effects of the adrenaline rush. My stomach is super queasy and I run a bit of a fever. I call the ER & ask to speak to the attending. I ask if the snake bite would still make me sick & the Dr. tells me that yes, even a non-venomous snake can make you feel ill. Especially as youre in a weakened state on chemo/radiation. Well, there you go! You'd THINK the ER people could have told me that before I left, right? Wrong.
After finding out that I should clean the wound thoroughly & wrap it in a bandage & call if I get worse, I thank him & hang up. I washed the toe thoroughly & put a bandaid on & then finally fell into bed to get a bit of sleep. This morning my toe was sort of bluish, swollen, and sore. I still have nausea, but Im thinking its probably chemo related.
So, that was my 40 year birthday. One Ill never forget! It was a harrowing night! But, here I am, 40 years & 1 day old & still kicking! Take that, you doctors! *raspberry* Oh, and as far as that annoyingly blase nurse, *double raspberry* to you!
Oh, before I forget - I did take some pics of the snake & my toe when I got home last night:
The Bite:
The Snake - Extended:
Snake Coiled:
Snake's Smashed Head Closeup - I got him good, didn't I?
:
True Story! Want to hear about it? Well, it's kind of long & wordy & requires a bit of back story to fully appreciate, so I apologize in advance, but here goes:
* * * * * * * * *
So, yesterday was my 40th Birthday. Its a momentous occasion & not just because its the big 4-0.
You see, about 10 years ago, my doctors told me I should resign myself that I wouldnt live to see 40.
Yep, gotta love those doctor's predictions, huh?So, for backstory on the deadly prediction, Ill explain in the simplest, shortest way possible.
I have been battling severe lupus & its attack on my organs, most specifically my kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain. Because lupus is an autoimmune disorder (your body attacks itself because your immune system is messed up & cant tell the difference between foreign DNA and your own), I was put on heavy doses of Cytoxin, a chemotherapy drug. One of the side effects that can happen when you take chemotherapy is cancer. I know, right?
Anyway - I was diagnosed with bladder cancer in February of 2006. I had surgery to remove the tumors, with more chemo this time for cancer. Then 6 months went by with no sign of the cancer. BUT it came back. This time it had metastasized to my lungs. More chemo, more radiation. The cycle has continued. Now its in my bones. Im currently receiving more chemo & radiation on new tumor sites. In the meantime, my lupus has not given up the ghost & Ive been on many different drugs & therapies for it. I take 60mg of a steroid, Prednisone, daily. Prednisone is a God send. But it also has some really nasty side effects. Go figure, right?
Needless to say, its been a really hard, long road. And the road continues
But the whole time I told everyone my doctors, my family, friends, co-workers, people in check-out lines you get the idea that I was going to prove those doctors wrong. I was going to make 40. And then some!
I asked to have a HUGE blowout party to celebrate not just turning 40, but persevering! Ive never had a birthday party before, so its really exciting. My DD20 has been busy planning & everyone is so excited! The party is scheduled for next Saturday, the earliest all my family & friends would be available. We have people flying in for this thing!
Well - Yesterday, I made the milestone. 40 years old!!
I went to radiation treatment in the morning, worked the rest of the day, and then last night my immediate family & DDs boyfriend had a little celebration. We had a nice dinner, some German Chocolate cake, and I got some nice gifts. Everyone all day was congratulating me, even the doctors when I teased them about their predictions. During dinner, all of my DDs friends were texting her to tell me congrats on sticking it to the man, so to speak. It was really nice.
After so many years, I had actually made it!
Well, after dinner, I ask DD if the front gate was closed. She said it wasnt. So I headed out to close the gate. She walked out with me. We live on 19 acres in the country, Deep South. On the way back in we were walking along talking about putting up some bat houses to help keep the mosquito population down.
I noticed my fathers workshop door was open & the light left on, so I walked over to close it. Just as I stepped up on the step to reach in & turn off the light, I felt something bite my toe. I yelped, shook my foot, and felt whatever it was slide over my foot & land on the bottom step. I called to DD, Oh, my gosh! Something just bit me!
DD asked, What was it? I looked down & what did I see? A very angry, coiled & hissing snake!
It was about ½ round, 2 feet long. Just a small snake. But in the little bit of light coming from the woodshop all I could see was that it was tan & brown, with a diamond like pattern. It looked like maybe a western rattle snake. But it was too dark to tell.
DD, by this time, was running across the yard screaming at the top of her lungs, all wild & crazy & absolutely panicked. I knew that when youre bitten, youre supposed to bring the snake with you to the hospital so they can identify it. So, I grabbed the closest thing to me & slammed it down on the snake, trapping it as it was trying to slither away.
I could still hear DD screaming at the top of her lungs, Paw Paw! Paw Paw! A snake! Bit Mom! Oh my God! Oh my God! Paw Paw! Of course, my dad is 75 and very hard of hearing. Neither of my parents could hear her yelling out in the yard. Eventually, her voice fades & I realize shes made it into the house.
A few minutes later my dad comes tearing out the house & asks, What bit you? Was it really a snake? DD has been known to, um, stretch the truth in stressful situations!
Yep, I say. Ive got it trapped right here. Help me kill it, will you? While hes trying to cut its head off, I turn around & grab a hammer & then smash the every living *@&! out of its head. It was dead. Still wriggling around, but out of commission.
Dad told me to grab a plastic WalMart bag he saw on the workbench. He shoved the snake in the bag & walked to his car & threw it in the trunk. Then he started back into the house to get his keys & wallet.
All this time, DD has been hanging out in the background, yelling & pacing like a crazy woman. I finally tune in to what shes saying, and she is yelling at me to leave the &#@(! snake & come get in the car so she can drive me to the hospital. Whoo, boy, DD was showing she knew some language!
I try to calm her down & tell her, No. Paw Paw is going to drive, the snakes already in the trunk. I need you to go get my purse so Ill have my insurance cards, etc. You need to calm down. You freaking out is not helping me stay calm & I MUST stay calm so any poison doesnt travel faster through my system. Capiche?
Shes crying & wringing her hands & arguing that I should just let her drive. No way was I going to get in a car with her driving as freaked out as she was. I finally convinced her to go get my purse.
Pretty soon, I was alone outside. I started to walk to the car & then remembered hearing that youre supposed to tourniquet a snake bite & then get the bite above your heart. Girl Scouts training, you know.
So, I hobble into the house & find a rubber band to wrap around my toe. Once inside in the light I could see the bite better. It looked like just a scrape & no puncture wound at first, but when I turned my foot, I could see the puncture marks on the lower side of the toe. I quickly wrapped the rubber band around the base of my pinkie toe.
Just then, my mother comes wheezing up with her purse. I beg her not to go, to just stay home where she can use her oxygen machine. (My mother has advanced emphysema/COPD & is on constant oxygen. She cant walk more than 2 feet at a time & that leaves her breathless.) She refuses & heads out the door calling to my dad to grab her portable oxygen tank.
DD is getting really POd at all the delays. But theres no stopping my mother when she decides she wants something. I whisper to DD to shush & quit arguing as it will only slow our progress more.
I hobble out to the car again & climb in. It takes my mother about 15 minutes to get all loaded into the car with oxygen tank & all. Dad turns on her tank & helps strap her in & then FINALLY we drive out the drive. He then proceeds to drive a stately 50 mph all the way to the little Podunk hospital 15 miles away.
When he pulls up to the emergency room, my mother starts in on how she needs to get out at the door & needs DD to go get her a wheelchair. DD turns bright red & is so angry. She starts yelling that this isnt about her. Im the one who needs the wheelchair. I catch DDs eye then & just shake my head with my shut up now face on. While my dad parks the car & gets the snake to bring in, DD relents & goes to get the wheelchair. My mother s l o w l y gets in & FINALLY Im able to go into the ER, snake in the bag in hand.
It's N E V E R about me in my house. Even when I'm snakebit! Sheesh!
Anyone else live with someone like that? A real PITA, that's for sure!Anyhoo, I approach patient check-in & see that the nurse on duty is busy with a patient. So I walk a little further down to the admittance clerk. When she says, Can I help you?
I open my trusty Wal Mart bag & pull out the snake & say, Ive been bitten & just really need to know what kind of snake is this?
The clerks all push away from the desks & one says, Oh my God! IS that snake alive??!!
I say, No, its just still wriggling. Its head is crushed. After another (seemed like minutes but was probably only seconds) bit of the clerks all exclaiming to get that snake away from them, one finally tells me that they cant help me. Ill have to wait on the triage nurse who is busy with someone. So, I hobble over to the chairs outside the glass walled room & wait, trying to keep my foot above heart level. Yeah, I know pretty picture, huh?
While Im getting anxious, we all watch through the glass to see how long its going to take. The woman in with the nurse takes her time telling him whats wrong. Shes pointing to pain charts. He takes her blood pressure. They visit some.
All the time, all I can think is I JUST want to know if this is a poisonous snake! Did I fight lupus & cancer all these years & finally make it to 40 years old only to die tonight from a snake bite? Why doesn't anyone around this place want to help me?
Apparently, thats what everyone else was thinking, too, as thats what they told me later.
After about 10 minutes, the woman finally leaves & I go in. The nurse makes me step on the scale first, then takes my name & social security number. Finally satisfied that the hospital will be paid for this visit, he turns to me & asks all cheery, So, what brings you in today?
Once again, I reach into my WalMart bag & pull out the wriggling snake. He takes one quick look at it & says, Oh, thats just a rat snake. Did it bite you? Duh! I tell him yes & ask if hes sure its only a rat snake (only!). He says, "Yes, Ive seen plenty of these, its definitely a rat snake. No big deal." I say, Well, I guess thats all then? The nurse says, Yep. You can go on home now.
Just then the attending comes in & says, Did I hear snake bite? Now, HE looks concerned for me. The only one so far at the hospital who has. He asks the nurse if hes positive its a non-venomous snake & the nurse sighs & says, Yes. Its a rat snake. Shes fine.
The doctors says, Well where was she bitten?
It occurs to the nurse that he hasnt even looked to see where the bite is.
So, I show him my (now purple from lack of blood) toe & he says, Oh, uh uh. Tell me you didnt put a rubber band on a snake bite! I nod yes and say, thats what I thought I was supposed to do? He just shakes his head, unwraps the band, and looks at the bite. Well, the good news is youre going to live! I tell him Thank God! Thats the best news Ive heard in awhile. While Im just relieved & joking with the nurse, my dad has been sitting quietly fuming at the guys laissez faire attitude. The nurse says, And youre not pregnant! Hows that for more good news?
My dad turns to him and says deadpan, Of course shes not pregnant. Shes on chemo & radiation for Stage 4 cancer. She cant have children anymore.
So, there. Huh. He didn't say it, well not out loud. But everyone got the drift.
The nurse gets this shocked look on his face and says quietly, Oh. Well. Im really sorry. I, um, gosh. Having served up his bit of comeuppance, my dad ushers me out of the room & we collect my mother & push her back out to the car for the long ride home.
All night I still feel the effects of the adrenaline rush. My stomach is super queasy and I run a bit of a fever. I call the ER & ask to speak to the attending. I ask if the snake bite would still make me sick & the Dr. tells me that yes, even a non-venomous snake can make you feel ill. Especially as youre in a weakened state on chemo/radiation. Well, there you go! You'd THINK the ER people could have told me that before I left, right? Wrong.
After finding out that I should clean the wound thoroughly & wrap it in a bandage & call if I get worse, I thank him & hang up. I washed the toe thoroughly & put a bandaid on & then finally fell into bed to get a bit of sleep. This morning my toe was sort of bluish, swollen, and sore. I still have nausea, but Im thinking its probably chemo related.
So, that was my 40 year birthday. One Ill never forget! It was a harrowing night! But, here I am, 40 years & 1 day old & still kicking! Take that, you doctors! *raspberry* Oh, and as far as that annoyingly blase nurse, *double raspberry* to you!
Oh, before I forget - I did take some pics of the snake & my toe when I got home last night:
The Bite:
The Snake - Extended:
Snake Coiled:
Snake's Smashed Head Closeup - I got him good, didn't I?
:
The pictures of the snake with a smashed head are priceless.
and yep, you did a BANG-UP job on that snakes head, hyuck! 
On my monitor, size 2 is really rather big! Believe me, my 40 yr old eyes are not the best - even with my glasses! Maybe it's a monitor setting thing? I'm responding in Size 5 - hopefully that's a bit better! 
A nice, quiet evening is A OK by me. 
for writing it good grammar and broken up into short paragraphs! That is probably the longest thread I have ever bothered to read - partly because of the story itself, but also because it was actually written well 
.
