Venomous Snake Bites Nurse In Sleep; Woman Almost Died After Ignoring Symptoms

A woman almost died after she failed to notice that she was bitten by a venomous snake in her sleep. The incident took place in Queensland, Australia.

The woman, identified as Nikita Aldridge, 28, is a single mother of a two-year-old girl and works as a nurse. On Dec.30, she woke up to the sound of her pet dog barking and sharp pain in her right arm. On a closer look, she noticed two small puncture marks. The woman, however, ignored the marks, assuming that they were caused by Freckle, her five-year-old Maltese Shih Tzu, who might have jumped on her and scratched her arm at night.

"I was asleep in bed and I woke up to a sharp pain in my arm and I was bleeding. I didn’t think anything of it at the time because I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I thought the dog had jumped on me and I’d scratched my arm in my sleep," she said, recalling the incident.

Hours later, Aldridge started suffering from excruciating pain and her vision started to blur. She started falling in and, out of consciousness after which, she posted photos of the bite mark on social media for advice. She, then, contacted a local snake catcher who confirmed that she had suffered from a snake bite.

Nikita was, then, rushed to a nearby hospital where she had a seizure and fell unconscious. Doctors said that, if she had reached the hospital any later, she could have died. She was discharged the same day after the venom was completely removed from her body.

The snake was identified as a yellow-faced whip snake by experts. Their bites are venomous and cause extremely painful swelling.

"I just couldn't believe it when they told me what it was. The fact that it had been in bed with me. I was freaking out. Luckily my bite was from a more mildly venomous snake,” the victim said, adding that she was unable to sleep due to anxiety and nightmares following to the incident.

Meanwhile, the snake hasn't been found and the victim believes that it’s still lurking around on her property.