A woman bitten by a UK native snake while walking her dog in a country lane says she is lucky to be alive after being left in hospital for two days. Beau Avis was walking her dog on Wednesday when an adder bit her ankle sending her into anaphylactic shock within minutes.
He leg rapidly swelled and turned yellow. The 26-year-old, who luckily was with her dad Kevin at the time, was rushed to hospital in where doctors, by chance, had anti-venom to hand.
"I was put into resus and was drifting in and out of consciousness," said Beau, a PR worker.
She was rushed to hospital where she was given anti-venom for the bite (Image: Daily Mirror)
"I didn't have any control over any aspect of my body. It was truly terrifying.
"I'm really lucky, because I was told a lot of hospitals don't tend to hold anti-venom but this one did. The consultant had to ring the Poisons Information Service to find out what dose was needed."
Beau was given morphine, but when her leg began to swell to "double the size", doctors had to administer a second dose of the antidote and kept her in for two days, reports The Mirror.
"It was like acid being poured over your legs," she said. Addersd bite up to 100 people a year in the UK, and the majority of incidents are not serious.
Beau is still struggling to walk and experiencing agonising pain. She said that, had it been Bonnie the dog who was bitten, she was almost certain the pet wouldn't have survived.
"There isn't much in the way of aftercare because it's so rare in the UK," she said.
What Beau's bite looked like after 10 minutes - minutes later she was in anaphylactic shock (Image: Daily Mirror)
"Apparently you're more likely to be hit by lightning, the odds are so small. I ended up calling the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and London Zoo for advice on what to do now I'm out of hospital.
"My leg has turned yellow and I'm on crutches for now. Even lifting my leg to get into bed at first was just agony.
"I'm still in pain now, six days on. The only way I can describe it is like when you get painful lactic acid build-up when you're exercising, only all over your body and it being constant.
"I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."
The bite has caused the skin on her leg to turn yellow (Image: Daily Mirror)
Adders are found across the UK, although are more common in the south of England than the north and Midlands, along with Scotland and the east of Wales, with attacks almost always in rural areas.
In the rare scenario someone is bitten, NHS advice is to stay calm and seek immediate medical attention.
"I was lucky we were about 300 yards from the car when it happened," Beau, from Essex. added.
"If I'd been on my own and in the middle of nowhere I don't know if I'd have been as fortunate."
