First, I want to apologize for reviving an old(er) thread, as I haven't signed on in a few weeks.
I was bit by a copperhead on my left ankle when I was 11, and was told to be thankful I was a chubby kid as they were usually fatal under 75 pounds. I was in Lafayette, TN, my hometown. Dad rushed me to MCGH, who called the paramedics, iced my leg, and sent me to Lebanon. By the time I got to Lebanon, my leg, from the knee down, was swollen to the point it was solid white. The ER doc went off on the paramedics because apparently you are not supposed to ice a snake bite. I was immeately put back in the ambulnce and rushed to Vanderbilt where they monitored the circulation in my leg and could rush me into emergency surgery if the swelling cut off said circulation. Stayed there overnight and would up on crutches until the swelling went down. 22 years later, other than the scars where they lanced the bites for suction, can't tell it happened.
Since then my opinion is the only good snake is a dead one.