How I survived deadly snake's bite

2:50pm Tuesday 27th May 2008

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A REPTILE keeper was left fighting for his life after being bitten by a deadly snake.

Medics raced to save Lee Thompson, 26, of Palace Grove, Laindon, after a highly-venomous Australian Common Death Adder sunk its fangs into his thumb.

Mr Thompson, who has been working with poisonous snakes for eight years, teetered on the brink of death as venom pumped through his body, sending him into renal failure.

He was rushed to Southend Hospital, where the life-saving antivenom took two-and-a-half hours to arrive.

By that time, it was too late to administer. Treatment of his symptoms, as they arose, enabled doctors to stabilise his condition, then he fought his way back to health.

Amazingly, after four days in hospital, Mr Thompson, of Palace Grove, Laindon, was up and about. A week on, he is back at work.

The father-of-two was bitten, at Scales and Fangs, a specialist reptile and snake shop in London Road, Leigh.

Mr Thompson, known to friends as "Lee Snake", said: "I don't know why it happened. I've been handling snakes since I was a boy and I've never been bitten before.

"I was about to put the snake back in his box, but I must have laid him in at slightly the wrong angle, because he reared up and bit me on the right thumb.

"As soon as it happened, I knew I was in trouble."

He was rushed to Southend Hospital, where doctors contacted experts at a London hospital where rare snake antivenoms are kept.

The serum was sent, but doctors could not give it to Mr Thompson, as it came too late to be sure he might not have had a fatal reaction to it.

Mr Thompson added: "I was OK at first, though my hand started to swell.

"I tried to remain calm, but then as the hours went on, I started getting horrendous chest pains. That was then I feared I was going to die.

"Then, hours later, I was told my kidneys were completely collapsing. It got really frightening."

Amazingly Mr Thompson, now almost fully recovered, is still happy to handle the offending snake.

He said: "I'm going to keep him for myself, as he's the first snake to ever bite me.

"I'm not concerned that I'll get bitten again. It doesn't happen very often. There's nothing which could keep my away from working with snakes."

Mr Thompson admitted he was lucky to be alive and thanked staff at the hospital.

He said: "I don't think they get many snakebite cases, so I think I was a bit of a novelty for them!"