Another...your tank can be dangerous thread.
- Thread starter SeanT
- Start date
SOMEthinsFISHY
New member
well better luck next time !!
giantxtc
New member
Wish I had read this post before last week.I recently scraped off all my Xenia from the glass...huge colony.I made frags from them,and had my hand in the water for 2 hours or so.I am a chef and always have a small papercut looking cut somewhere.I usually don't notice it unless I squeeze a lemon either!Anyway,after about the second hour I started to feel like I was getting drunk or high.And,my lips started to feel tingly.So,I knew right then to stop.I had some food and drank some water and sat down for a bit,but for the rest of the day I just did'nt feel the same.Just wanted to share my lesson with you all.And,glad you shared your thumb experience with us all too!Hope you fully recover!
SOMEthinsFISHY
New member
well that is always good news !
Fishing just off the beach (NC) over the July 4th weekend, my dad got a small scrape from a spanish mackeral...one week later his thumb was swollen...goes to doc... then surgery plus five days in the hospital. Still haven't gotten the culture back yet, but the docs suspect marine turber.
Stupid me didn't think to be concerned with my aquarium!! Thanks for the heads-up...gloves from now on.
Stupid me didn't think to be concerned with my aquarium!! Thanks for the heads-up...gloves from now on.
Toutouche
Premium Member
On Page 3 of this thread, SullySun mentioned thatno one else seems to have had this too.
This thread was linked to one of our Canadian Reefsites and a friend of mine who is also a member on that board went through the samething. I told him to write his story because it seems like the doctors who treted him knew more.
Here is what he wrote.
That is disgusting- I had the same thing about 8 years ago. Lymphangytis (sp?)to be exact- which is poisoning of the lymph system. I started on a finger instead of a thumb. It didn't spread guite as fast but after 36 hours I was in hospital with all sorts of specialists poking and slicing at my finger.
I was unpacking a shipment of corals from Indonesia and I had a scratch on the cuticle of one finger. I didn't even notice it, but before I was finished unpacking both rotten and healthy corals, my finger started to throb- I simply thought it was all the salt water etc. I went home and washed my hands well and put some Polysporin on the cut and a bandaid. Well, I barely slept that night due to the pain- it was throbbing so bad I couldn't believe it. In the morning my finger was like a sausage- I could barely bend it. I took a tonne of Ibuprofen the reduce the swelling, which helped the pain a little, and then I worked that day. By that night 24 hours later, I had a red line from my hand up to my elbow. I looked at the line and thought to myself, 'gee, I think I've heard that this isn't good..." so I went to bed...When I woke up the line was up to my shoulder. I called my G.P. and explained the situation- thay said, 'come in now!' I went in and my doc took one look and said, " Go straight to the hospital and tell them your name, we will call ahead and make sure the infectious disease specialist is waiting for you, go, go, go!" I love pushing to the head of the line!! So I went! They were impressed!! I was so proud!! They debated on I.V. antibiotics and in the end just gave me some huge, mambo monster antibiotic pills. Within a day the red lines subsided, but my finger ached for a good 6 monthes. Apperently I was about 6 hours away from anemic shock or septic shock which can put you in a coma or some other nastyness.
It looks more like the guy on R.C. had blood poisoning, which I think will lead to the same nasty outcome- only quicker.
The lymph system is the system in the body which fights off infection and it is more contained than the blood stream, so it takes a little longer to travel. They gave me two types of antibiotic, one for marine type bacteria and some other broad spectrum antibiotic.
It wasn't all that much fun, but it does make a good story...except if you are trying to pick up girls.........
This thread was linked to one of our Canadian Reefsites and a friend of mine who is also a member on that board went through the samething. I told him to write his story because it seems like the doctors who treted him knew more.
Here is what he wrote.
That is disgusting- I had the same thing about 8 years ago. Lymphangytis (sp?)to be exact- which is poisoning of the lymph system. I started on a finger instead of a thumb. It didn't spread guite as fast but after 36 hours I was in hospital with all sorts of specialists poking and slicing at my finger.
I was unpacking a shipment of corals from Indonesia and I had a scratch on the cuticle of one finger. I didn't even notice it, but before I was finished unpacking both rotten and healthy corals, my finger started to throb- I simply thought it was all the salt water etc. I went home and washed my hands well and put some Polysporin on the cut and a bandaid. Well, I barely slept that night due to the pain- it was throbbing so bad I couldn't believe it. In the morning my finger was like a sausage- I could barely bend it. I took a tonne of Ibuprofen the reduce the swelling, which helped the pain a little, and then I worked that day. By that night 24 hours later, I had a red line from my hand up to my elbow. I looked at the line and thought to myself, 'gee, I think I've heard that this isn't good..." so I went to bed...When I woke up the line was up to my shoulder. I called my G.P. and explained the situation- thay said, 'come in now!' I went in and my doc took one look and said, " Go straight to the hospital and tell them your name, we will call ahead and make sure the infectious disease specialist is waiting for you, go, go, go!" I love pushing to the head of the line!! So I went! They were impressed!! I was so proud!! They debated on I.V. antibiotics and in the end just gave me some huge, mambo monster antibiotic pills. Within a day the red lines subsided, but my finger ached for a good 6 monthes. Apperently I was about 6 hours away from anemic shock or septic shock which can put you in a coma or some other nastyness.
It looks more like the guy on R.C. had blood poisoning, which I think will lead to the same nasty outcome- only quicker.
The lymph system is the system in the body which fights off infection and it is more contained than the blood stream, so it takes a little longer to travel. They gave me two types of antibiotic, one for marine type bacteria and some other broad spectrum antibiotic.
It wasn't all that much fun, but it does make a good story...except if you are trying to pick up girls.........
kflak
Member
Vibrio vulnificus
Vibrio vulnificus
There is a bacterium lurking in salt water called vibrio vulnificus. This bacterium is one of the culprits of this type of infection. It actually is in the same family as the bacterium that causes cholera. It especially attacks people with weak immune systems, and people with liver disease. There has been a rash of these types of infections in Gulf Coast fishermen in Texas this years, some with cutaneous (skin) infections and others with amputations. I think there has even been one death.
The moral of all your stories is, if you believe you have an infection after handling salt water, even if your finger is only mildly swollen or red. It is always best to see a physician. The first step to an infection usually shows up as redness, then swelling, and later pus formation. Don't sleep on it and wait until you have cellulitis to your shoulder or your finger looks like a sausage.
Vibrio vulnificus
There is a bacterium lurking in salt water called vibrio vulnificus. This bacterium is one of the culprits of this type of infection. It actually is in the same family as the bacterium that causes cholera. It especially attacks people with weak immune systems, and people with liver disease. There has been a rash of these types of infections in Gulf Coast fishermen in Texas this years, some with cutaneous (skin) infections and others with amputations. I think there has even been one death.
The moral of all your stories is, if you believe you have an infection after handling salt water, even if your finger is only mildly swollen or red. It is always best to see a physician. The first step to an infection usually shows up as redness, then swelling, and later pus formation. Don't sleep on it and wait until you have cellulitis to your shoulder or your finger looks like a sausage.
teo241
New member
just for your information, you don't need to be immunocompromised to get this sort of infection.
my guess is that you had either vibrio or mycobacterium, both of which require special media and conditions to be cultured....if the ID team had known about your fish tank they probably would have accounted for this when taking the samples from your finger. but still no guarantee on getting a positive culture. mishandling(wrong temp, wrong humidity, wrong oxygen content) the cotton swab on its way to the lab can cause a negative culture. and then there is the fact that even in the face of obvious infection, culture just doesn't always work. out of curiosity what did they treat you with?
kflak is right
infection =
1.red
2.hot
3.hurts
4.swollen
5.loss of function
my guess is that you had either vibrio or mycobacterium, both of which require special media and conditions to be cultured....if the ID team had known about your fish tank they probably would have accounted for this when taking the samples from your finger. but still no guarantee on getting a positive culture. mishandling(wrong temp, wrong humidity, wrong oxygen content) the cotton swab on its way to the lab can cause a negative culture. and then there is the fact that even in the face of obvious infection, culture just doesn't always work. out of curiosity what did they treat you with?
kflak is right
infection =
1.red
2.hot
3.hurts
4.swollen
5.loss of function
3_high_low
Premium Member
Teo,
From page one:
You might want to go back and skim through some of the other posts, there was plenty of dicussion regarding labs and so forth.
From page one:
SeanT said:
You might want to go back and skim through some of the other posts, there was plenty of dicussion regarding labs and so forth.
I am a foot doctor (podiatrist). I specialize in diabetes and wound care. I treat tons of infections. I can tell you a few things. The streaking redness was most likely a cellulitis. The most common causes of this are staph and strep infections. In your case...you may have also come into contact with vibrio or a mycobacteria. Even if it started from the tank...once it was streaking...you can usually count on staph and strep being involved. Cultures are taken, but often useless...as they may come back showing no growth. Cultures are a tool, but they do NOT determine if a wound is infected or not. To determine infection, we look for pus, cellulitis, malodor, fever, or chills. In other words...patient symptoms are more important than test results. I'm glad the rocephin worked...it was a good choice. A rule of thumb (pun intended) if you ever see a streaking redness...foot, arm or anywhere....go right to the ER...do NOT WAIT. I have seen these infections hit the kidneys and lungs...and the results can be fatal. I'm glad your doing ok...if you have any questions, please dont hesitate to ask me.
SOMEthinsFISHY
New member
it is very nice to have you on bord here doc !!
