Arizona Teen Suffers Swelling, Burning, Throbbing Pain from Snake Bite
May 07—Anjali Manne went for a walk that she will never forget.
As the 15-year-old walked Monday night near her Catalina Foothills home, near North First Avenue and East Orange Grove Road, a rattlesnake bit her right foot.
"I stopped to change a song on my phone, when I felt something bite me. I looked at my ankle and saw two marks, bleeding a little bit," said Manne, who was wearing sandals and listening to music wearing earbuds.
She used the flashlight on her phone to scan the area quickly, but she did not see anything, she recalled from her home Wednesday night.
Manne ran a short ways, and then started walking and then limping home. "The pain became stronger. It was burning and throbbing," she said.
She called her father, Srin Manne, 51, a University of Arizona physics professor, and he came quickly from their home and helped her make it to their house where they called 911 at 7:40 p.m.
"Minutes later the pain became stronger. ...."I was freaking out a lot. I could feel the pain getting worse and the thought of a snake biting me scared the crap out of me," said the teen, remembering that Northwest Fire District paramedics calmed her down before transporting her to Banner-University Medical Center Tucson.
Paramedics said they knew it was a rattlesnake bite because of the fang marks, and the discoloration in Manne's leg from the bite.
She was treated with vials of anti-venom at the hospital as the medical staff monitored the swelling that traveled up her leg to below the knee, said her mother Edel Doherty, 50. The area around the fang marks was blue.
The Catalina Foothills High School freshman remained in the pediatrics intensive care unit until she was released Wednesday afternoon. She is using crutches, and exercising her leg to improve circulation, which helps dilute the venom, said Doherty.
The teen will need physical therapy and follow-up blood work and visits with her pediatrician. It may take up to three weeks for the total swelling to subside, Doherty said.
"My leg feels numb and a bit tingly, but the swelling is going down," said Manne, who expects to return to school next week.
On her next walk, Manne said she will not be wearing sandals.
Copyright 2015 - The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
