Elisabeth’s little boy named Kristoffer loves being outdoors. One day, when 3-year-old Kristoffer suddenly ran to his mother with tears streaming down his face, she did not originally believe it was too severe. “Me and the boys were visiting my grandparents,” Elisabeth. Then Kristoffer began to cry a little and climbed onto my lap. We thought he had been stung by a wasp or scratched himself on a branch.” Kristoffer’s foot began to turn blue and swell about 15 minutes later. At first, Elisabeth thought he had run into a wasp but it was far worse than a wasp. She would quickly understand that he was not stung but bitten. Things then started taking a dramatic turn and they called for help.
“The ambulance and helicopter arrived quickly. They kept saying it was a viper snake bite and we were transported to a hospital,” says Elisabeth.
Kristoffer received an antidote and started to show signs of recovery. His vital signs looked good at first, but without warning, he started getting worse.
As it turned out, Kristoffer had internal bleeding in his intestine.
Doctors measured Kristoffer’s blood value and found it at 5 (11 is the standard). The boy had also quickly lost weight — he’d gone from 44 pounds down to 33.
The mom soon grasped the seriousness of the situation, and that’s when she really started to worry.
The reaction of each body to a viper snake bite can be different, kids are usually the most vulnerable and at danger of lethal reactions.
It’s very important to keep calm and if ever bitten by a viper snake, emergency room doctor Harry Achterberg said.
This goes for all venomous snakes, not just vipers, so know which ones are prevalent where you live.
During cooler months, vipers’ metabolisms are lower and they remain hidden, but as the sun comes out and warmer temperatures fill the air, so do the venomous creatures.
“Vipers are much more active in the summer. More people are also out in nature, and therefore there are greater chances of encountering one,” Petter Bøchman.
It is therefore wise to wear shoes or boots when you are outdoors in any are where vipers might be present. Kristoffer eventually recovered after one and a half weeks at the hospital and was able to go back home. He survived, but the days were very hard. Despite all that, according to mom Elisabeth, the 3-year-old seems to have taken the horrific experience well. He started playing the very day he was back home. Elisabeth says that she will certainly be more cautious now while outside.
“I have much more respect for vipers now and I will ensure that my kids wear boots when they go out in areas with high grass in the future,” she says. One should always be respectful of wild creatures and it is wise to be extra cautious with vipers in this weather. Prevention is the best way to guarantee both your own and your loved one’s well-being. Know that snakes tend to hide more during cooler months, but when it’s hot they could be anywhere, just like you, enjoying the rays of the sun. So, taking a quick look around the yard before letting the kids run loose doesn’t hurt. Luckily Kristoffer recovered, but his experience could have ended in tragedy. His family is very blessed.
