A selfie with a rattlesnake proved quite costly for a San Diego man. Earlier this month, Todd Eassler was bitten by the snake while he was trying to have a selfie with it. His problems did not end there, as it was just the start. He has to face a medical bill of 153,000 for his treatment.

After being bitten by the snake, Todd needed many doses of the antivenom CroFab, which is the only available drug to counteract the deadly snake venom. Doses depend on the levels of snake's poison. If the bite is from less poisonous snake then the dose could be as little as three doses. But dose for a bite from poisonous snake can be in dozens.

To cite an example, in 2012, a California boy was bitten by quite a poisonous snake that required him to have 42 vials of antivenom. As per experts, some many even require more. Dr. Keith Boesen, director of the Arizona Poison & Drug Information Center, was of the view antivenom is the only effective treatment.

"There are blood tests we can do to determine the effect of the venom. Hospital bills can always be worked out or negotiated, but you can't really negotiate, other than prosthetics, the loss of part of your hand or your arm", affirmed Dr. Boesen.

In the case of Fassler, he used the antivenom supply from two hospitals. Experts said that one of the main reasons for high bill is there is just one manufacturer and limited supply of the antivenom. Also, snake bite requires emergency room treatment, few days in the hospital intensive care unit and sometimes, one needs to be given therapy to recover functioning of the damaged body part.