Bitten by a Non-Poisonous Snake

Whenever something unexpected happens to me, I get to learn something new. Last week, while doing some volunteer work with animals, I was bitten by a non-poisonous water snake. It was a minor bite, barely breaking the skin, but still worth medical attention.

Here's what I did:

Cleaned the wound. I used soap and water to wash the bite site. Then, I used alcohol wipes to clean the area before putting on a band-aid.

Reported the bite to a supervisor. I learned that I needed to fill out a animal bite report for the county. It was also recommended that I make sure my tetanus booster was up to date.

Called insurance help line. My insurance has a nurse help line to assist in medical decisions. After reviewing my case, the nurse recommended that I determine if my tetanus booster was up to date or to get a booster shot as soon as possible. Since it was after 5PM, I couldn't check with my primary care physician. I thought I had received a booster prior to a trip to China, but was not able to confirm.

Urgent care. It was 7:30PM. I called two nearby urgent care facilities and discovered one closed at 8PM and one closed at 10PM. I decided to go to the one that closed at 8PM. There was no wait. I received a shot and was back home by 8:30PM.

Supplemental insurance. While my primary insurance covered the visit, the volunteer organization had supplemental insurance to cover my co-pay. I will send them the information once I receive the statement from my insurance company.

Overall, getting treated went fairly smoothly. The organization for which I volunteered was trained to handle animal bites, my insurance company was helpful, and the medical facilities were very good. Based on brief discussions, I expect 100% of treatment costs to be covered also.

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This is not financial or medical advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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