Anemone poisoning

taylor t

taylor t

New member
It's been 7 weeks since I got stung by one of my gigs real bad. Real bad. No gloves. It latched onto my forearm for about 15 minutes, trying to eat me. I still have a rash on my arm. I still feel nauseous all the time, appetite is gone and losing weight. Keeping it clean, my body is regular and very predictable, not anymore... Headache nonstop. I love the medical field, but I do not trust them (too many mistakes and very bad personal experience). In my area of the country, they are overwhelmed with red tape and paperwork, and lack ability or care in actual treatment, I'm just another number - my experience. I'm thinking of going to get help now, (after losing balance I think I 'd better get help) but need some solid info for them (if I go), I'm hoping to print this thread for help if possible, for them...



1)Is it possible that the venom is still active in my rash on my arm, or do the nemosysts (sp?) die after X amount of time (7 weeks)?

2)Is there a "standard" or "obvious" antidote for anemone stings? I'm not interested in a guess of antibiotic treatments which I suspect will be pushed, and is why I haven't gone in yet. Anything natural? Maybe a shot of vinegar or glass of baking soda twice a day could help? (not at the same time!)



It's going on 7 weeks and I am realizing there's still residual effects now, but need more info (prefer someone in the area where gigs are collected may know) on antidote or treatment (outside medical community preferred). My gut says hang in there the medical community will make it worse and I'm over the hump... Besides the "you need to go" comments I know will come, is there any real medical information anyone knows that could be helpful? Or is there someone that knows a known antidote?
 
I would ask for full blood and urine panels. You had severe allergy attack and just present it as such. Be absolutely sure not to come in contact with any anemones in the future, as the reaction will worsen next time.
 
I am very sorry to hear this, for the risk you had taken to ship me the two gigs. Hope you get better. At the mean time, I will ask my colleges for their professional experience.
 
Any time you have an allergic reaction to a sting or an insect bite you can take Benadryl. Since it has been 7 weeks I don't know if Benadryl will help.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 
This may sound stupid but I have food allergies to tree nuts and sesame and poppy seeds and when I get a bad anemone sting from gigs or mags it will sometimes act up like my food allergies I'll get a lump in my throats and then I feel dizzy and nauseous but I now take liquid children's benydryhl 3 teaspoon and then I put the cream on the sting and it makes the feeling go away maybe try taking some antihistamines like beny or Claritin as it could possibly be a reaction to the venom and it just hasn't gotten out of your system yet or it was so bad your body just hasn't recovered from it then. I am not a doctor this is just some advice from personal experience and I would definitely pay a visit to your allergist. They might have better knowledge to deal with an anemone sting


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ammonia,Windex, Yes Urine also will help with jellyfish stings, But, Maybe you should go on down to the nearest Walk-In-Clinic. I know I'm also the type to ride it out, But sometimes early treatment can save you weeks of agony.
 
Thanks for the responses everyone. I've been taking allergy meds the whole time. Calamine lotion and benedryl lotion too. I initially bathed in vinegar, didn't have ammonia. External use of ammonia to neutralize it is one thing, but I was kind of hoping someone knew of an internal natural neutralizer.

I can hear it now... "well, we see online you treat anemone with cipro, here's your prescription" situation.

There's not a lot about this out there that I can find. It's all very vague and general. Thanks again everyone. I really appreciate the input. I'm going to start by not allowing anything salt water wet touch my skin from now on. I thought by touching them so often I had built up a tolerance to them, apparently not.
 
I take anemone stings very seriously. I too was badly stung by my large gigantea and I experienced quite a few complications, and don't wish it upon anyone. Up until that point, I handled my anemones without gloves, and typically hand fed them. I was enthralled by the fact that tentacles sometimes stuck to my fingers as the nems tried to grab food. I didn't think the nematocysts could penetrate my skin, so I felt I had nothing to worry about.

One evening during feeding, my large gig attached to the underside of my left forearm. I never realized how soft and exposed the skin is in that area -- I am certain that the nematocysts penetrated the skin (injecting me with neurotoxin) as I removed tentacles from my forearm. I had an itchy rash that covered the entire underside of my forearm and lasted for a couple of weeks. Although barely noticeable now, I still have scars.

At the same time, I began experiencing a heavy heart -- like my heart was pounding out of my chest. Many times I felt like I was going to have a heart attack or some sort of heart failure. On a few occasions, I was convinced I was going to die. It's not pleasant and hard to shake. I also frequently had headaches and a dry mouth, and was often extremely tired.

I completely understand your apprehension with the medical field. However, I also think that a fear of the unknown is worse than visiting a doctor or specialist for a diagnosis. Even if they can't prescribe a medication to provide immediate results, knowing that you're healthy despite your symptoms will help you cope.

In my case, I told my physician my symptoms, who promptly referred me to a cardiologist who performed many tests, including an echocardiogram. The test results showed that I my heart was healthy and in good condition. That alone made me feel at ease. On my last visit with the cardiologist, I admitted that I thought the symptoms were caused by anemone neurotoxin. I could tell that he was somewhat interested, but told me that since my heart was in good shape, I had nothing to worry about and he had no plans to investigate.

I don't know when the symptoms completely dissipated. It was one of those things where the days got better -- I no longer felt like I was going to die, and I stopped having a heavy heart. I do know that it took a few months before I realized I was back to normal.

Obviously, I can't be sure that the anemone neurotoxin caused my systems. I now use rubber gloves when handling my anemones and use long forceps when feeding them. Fortunately, the symptoms haven't come back.

Again, my recommendation would be to seek professional guidance, if not for an immediate result, but simply to help you feel at ease.
 
Wow DNak. Thanks for the time it took to type that. You pretty much described it. I experienced the pounding heart also. I feel sick most the time too. On top of all this, I moved all 5 of my 75 gigs in to my 210 tank. All 9 gigs are in the 210 now, but not putting my hand in the tank, I can't make the little adjustments and move them to make them happy. I'm watching a couple that I think will end up dying because they need TLC and I'm not putting my hand in the tank anymore until I feel better. They will either live or die. Sad to see gigs I've kept so long go downhill knowing how and what they need, not being able to give it. Oh well, I'm going to try to recover and I'll see what's left. I used to touch them all the time, not because I was enthralled by it, but out of laziness not wanting to put on gloves-it's just one more thing. I never got a scary reaction from them. I'd brush up against them all the time. I would touch them to shrink them so I could wipe the glass. It looks to me like it's just a wait it out, and keep it out, situation now. Thanks again for the feed back everyone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Clownfish in a small tank
Replies
13
Views
228
Reefing102
Reefing102
S
Back up power supply
2
Replies
22
Views
376
Reefing102
Reefing102
C
Oculina Diffusa and Oculina Robusta Frags
Replies
12
Views
118
Coralgardener65
C
K
Help: SPS peeling strangely.
Replies
5
Views
211
griss
griss
T
Sump mod for roller mat filter ? How to ?
Replies
7
Views
336
griss
griss
Back
Top