Urgent warning as Brit woman left fighting for life after horror snake bite yards away from home
BRITS are being warned to watch their step after a woman was left fighting for her life following a snake bite.
Beau Avis was on a dog walk along a country lane in Brentwood, Essex, when a venomous adder sunk its fangs into her exposed ankle.
Within minutes, the poison spread through Beau's body and she went into anaphylactic shock before being rushed to hospital.
The PR worker, who was wearing sandals at the time of the attack, told : "It was like acid being poured over your legs.
"I was put into resus and was drifting in and out of consciousness."
Medics at Queen's Hospital in Romford pumped the 26-year-old with anti-venom in a bid to control the poison which had taken over her body.
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She was then given morphine to manage the pain - but when Beau's leg swelled to "double the size", doctors gave her a second dose of anti-venom.
She was kept in for two nights following last Wednesday's horror, which has caused her leg to turn yellow.
And nine days on from the attack, she needs crutches to walk and is still in pain, which she says feels lactic acid build-up all over her body.
Reflecting on the horror, Beau said she was lucky she was only 300 yards from her car and that the hospital had anti-venom.
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She now wants to raise awareness of what you should do if bitten by an Adder in the hope other Brits don't go through the same ordeal.
Adders are the only poisonous snake in the UK and can grow up to 60cm long. They can usually nest under piles of wood or other material.
Around 100 people are bitten by the native species every year in the UK but most (70 per cent) don't result in serious injury.
While they can be dangerous. they usually only bite when threatened, like when stepped on or approached by a dog.
If you are bitten: remain calm, wash the bite with clean water and you can use a cold compress on the bite, but do not use ice, the says.
Keep the bite site low and avoid any "cowboy first aid" like sucking out the venom or trying to cut chunks out your skin.
You should then take yourself to A&;E even if the bite does not seem serious.