and massive bruising had spread
around my arm and down one side
of my body; my arm was paralysed
for nearly six weeks in total. As the
doctors in charge of my treatment
wished to write an article for the
Australian Medical Journal due to the
complications of my case, I gave
permission for photos to be taken
on the condition that if I recovered I
would be given copies. It was four
months before I felt truly fit again.
Years later, a second bite on the
knee through light trousers from a
smaller Eastern Brown Snake
resulted in me being admitted to
Nepean Hospital in Penrith, where
doctors tested my blood every two hours. As brown
snake venom affects the blood so noticeably and
there was no evidence of any changes I was
allowed to leave about 16 hours later. I took the
next day off work, as I admit to having been a bit
shaken up. It was on the second morning after the
bite that I noticed I was slurring my words and
realised that I was experiencing increasing paralysis
of my mouth. I attended hospital again where a
doctor refused to believe my condition could be
attributable to the bite after such a lengthy delay. I
went home and went to bed, but fortunately my wife
spoke to Graeme Gow, who was very concerned
and told her to call Professor Julian White. Kathy
did not know that I knew Julian personally, and I
called him immediately. He explained to me that I
had to attend Katoomba Hospital without delay, and
have the doctors contact him as soon as possible.
As it was too late for antivenom, he said I would be
place in a medically-induced coma until such time
as the paralysis eased. Without this treatment,
Julian warned, I could become further paralysed in
the mouth and throat. I would then begin to cough
and aspirate food or liquids into my lungs and could
die from aspiration pneumonia. I went to Katoomba
Hospital and the doctors called Julian. Fortunately,
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