Glenns Ferry woman hospitalized after being bitten by rattlesnake

A Glenns Ferry woman is in a Boise hospital recovering from a rattlesnake bite.

On Friday, June 27, Sheila Kramer was weed whacking along a fence line between two East Cleveland homes when she felt a sharp pain in her leg. "You know what it's like to get stung by a wasp? Well this was a hundred times worse," Kramer explained.

Kramer raised her foot and saw a small snake, estimated at about 18 inches long, clinging to her leg; she swiped it away with her hand.

A friend working nearby did not hear Kramer's shout for help, and she had to run uphill to get where her friend was working. She immediately rinsed the wound with water from a hose and then contacted the Glenns Ferry Health Clinic to find out what should be done. They were told to go to Elmore County Medical Center.

Kramer was taken to the medical center by her friend. A doctor who once had worked with rattlesnake bites just happened to be at the hospital. Inspecting the wound marks and reaction he ascertained that Kramer had been bitten by a "pygmy" (juvenile) rattlesnake.

Doctors injected Kramer with six vials of anti venom but she needed more. She was taken by air ambulance to St. Alphonsus where she received an additional 12 vials of anti venom.

As of last Thursday, Kramer remained hospitalized. Her leg continues to swell and discolor, and she is being treated for pain. Doctors told Kramer these symptoms would continue for several more weeks.

Doctors also were watching Kramer because her liver enzymes had increased markedly. They had not yet ascertained the cause of the increased enzyme levels., but there is speculation that it might be stem from the anti venom, Kramer said.