Portland Man Recovers After Putting Eastern Diamondback Rattler In His Mouth

Portland, OR (AHN) -- A Portland man almost died when he tested fate and put his pet rattlesnake in his mouth.

Of course, the risky behavior came after a few beers with his friends, but nonetheless it nearly got him killed.

Matt Wilkinsen admitted he'd lost some common sense, while he was horsing around with his friends and he put his pet rattler in his mouth

"It's actually kind of my own stupid fault," he told KGW.

Apparently, in an attempt to show off his reptilian bonding skills to his buddies, Wilkinsen thought it would be fun to put the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake in his mouth just to make them laugh.

However, the incident was not laughable; in fact, it nearly took his life as the rattler latched onto the rear of his throat, spilling enough venom to kill about 15 people.

Just a few seconds later, his tongue swelled up cutting off his airway and putting him at risk of asphyxiating and the pressure was causing blood to drain out of his nose.

When he arrived at Oregon Health and Science University, doctors there inserted a breathing tube into this throat and injected anti-venom into his body. Wilkenson was then induced into a coma for three days, so that his body could recuperate from the trauma.

Three weeks later, Wilkinsen is doing well and still handling his pet snakes, only a bit more carefully. The whole in his throat is healing and doctors say he should be back to normal.

"I still love snakes, but I'll take a little more care in handling them," he said, reports nwcn.com