A former Norwich City player has praised NHS workers after spending a night in hospital being treated for a snake bite he suffered while working as a gardener.
Peter Mendham, who represented the Canaries between 1978 and 1987, was admitted to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on Wednesday after suffering what he believes to be an adder bite.
Mr Mendham, 60, said the bite happened near Waterworks Road in Norwich after he had inadvertently disturbed the serpent while moving a fence panel and brushing against an area of undergrowth where the snake was hiding.
The midfielder, who was part of the club’s 1985 Milk Cup winning side, was bitten on the middle finger, resulting in swelling and “unbearable stinging”, ending up in a hospital trip.
He said: “I didn’t actually see the perpetrator but as I brushed against the bush I felt something really sharp straight away. It immediately became very red and swollen and felt like I had just taken a couple of injections.”
Mr Mendham was left with two puncture wounds in his finger, consistent to that which would have been left by a snake bite.
After running it under a tap to soothe the pain he then dialled 111 and was then taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, where they took blood, gave him a tetanus shot and kept him under close observation for the night.
He said: “I don’t like hospitals at the best of times, but even with the pandemic going on the care I got was extraordinary. The nurses were so attentive and I just felt in such good hands - I cannot praise the NHS enough.
“We still don’t know for certain what kind of snake it was, but I’m now self employed and do quite a lot of gardening and you do come across them hidden in undergrowth from time to time. A friend of mine keeps snakes as pets and he said the conditions there would have been ideal for an adder.”
He added: “Everything seems to have gone well so I’m safe to go back to work, but I think I’ll certainly be wearing a big thick pair of leather gloves when I do.”
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