Only one way to find out!

[wlyon]

So it turns out I'm not allergic to a lionfish sting. The only problem with knowing that information is the whole getting stung part. Turns out even when not allergic it still hurts!!! Got to love how the Arkansas ER doesn't have a clue what a lionfish is.

Oh and it was one of my 9 inch volitans that got me.

 

[humaguy]

ouch...what type of reaction did you have? did they give you an antihistamine?

 

[MrTuskfish]

I'd think any decent ER would call poison control; that was done immediately after I called the ER and they knew what was going on the second I arrived.

 

[namxas]

Yeowch...I'm guessing you did the whole first aid thing with the hot water?

What happened? Did the fish spook, or was it an aquarist "oops"?

 

[wlyon]

I was cleaning the inside glass, and didn't see my lion behind a rock right where my hand moved past and he jumped into my hand. I rinsed the area with saline, and headed over there. Where it took a little to long for them to call poison control then they gave me a few shots of benadryl.

Today my finger is still about double its normal size and hurts when I bend it, but I can at least bend it : )

 

[NewbyReefer]

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[Wolverine]

Here's something to keep in mind. With allergic reactions, the body has to have exposure to the allergen before you develop it. That means that the first time you're exposed to it, it's extremely rare to have an allergy. It's the SECOND time that you have to worry about. For that reason, I'd be extra cautious around that tank, and consider gloves to protect yourself in the future.

 

[jarrod13]

oucchhh!!! Glad your ok. I hear the volitans is actually one of the least painful.

 

[AlexS95]

Does the size of the lion matter, as far as how painful it would be? Like between a 2-3in Volitan compared to a full grown one.

 

[nateqt]

from what i've heard, its the dwarf lions that hurt the most

 

[ashtree68]

I got stung by one of my fuzzies, my fault, but the pain was gone in 15 min (I had a sink full of hot water since I was about to do dishes so that may have helped), and the minimal swelling was down 30 min later.

But glad you're okay!

 

[namxas]

Does the size of the lion matter, as far as how painful it would be? Like between a 2-3in Volitan compared to a full grown one.

Actually, it does matter. Larger fish have more venom available, and stiffer spines. Besides, the toxicity of venom varying a bit by family, the depth and dwell time of the envenomation incident will make a difference, as both of these factors have a bearing on the amount of venom injected into the wound.

I don't recall any toxicity variation between lionfish species, but scorps, stingfish, waspfish, and stonefish are all more toxic than lions. I had a REALLY good "whitepaper" on venom toxicity, but I can't find it for the LIFE of me...guess I need to ask the person I got it from if she can resend it to me.

 

[wlyon]

Here's something to keep in mind. With allergic reactions, the body has to have exposure to the allergen before you develop it. That means that the first time you're exposed to it, it's extremely rare to have an allergy. It's the SECOND time that you have to worry about. For that reason, I'd be extra cautious around that tank, and consider gloves to protect yourself in the future.

Yeah I got stung by my dwarf zebra about two years ago, swelled my hand pretty badly. Which was why I was worried about this sting even more.

and from experience the dwarf sting looked worse, however the volitans sting hurt so much worse.

 

[StephLionfish]

Ow... I keep a very sharp eye on my lion when I'm in the tank... Not that I'm afraid he'd come after me, but in case he gets in the stream of the powerhead or something and gets blown at me... Then again, it's easier to look out for one thing with sting than multiple.

Wolverine, I don't get it.. are you saying that if I go in there and touch my lion's spines, then I most likely won't feel the burn? Not that I'm going to..

 

[nirvanaandtool]

Yikes. Glad to hear you were ok.

 

[FMarini]

fortunately lionfish have the most pliable and softest spines....
AS Greg mentioned envenomation toxicity is directly dependent on dosage of venom injected, and not strictly species dependent, w/ exception (synanceia-stonefish).

I suspect the white paper greg mentioned was from the heavily edited chapter in my book (the editors didnt think explaining mechanisms of actions of the toxin was appealing to most hobbyists) which went into detail about various scorpionfish venoms, and i also found a reference which used an anti-stonefish venom antisera, and found that the use of the same antivenom neutralized the sting from a Pteroine, Choridactylinae, and a synanceia. This data suggested that the main toxins were similar between species
but lethality and intoxication was dose(conc) dependent.
Stone fish have the most rigid spines w/ a secondary set of venom glands that pump venom, whereas Pteroine have the longest most flexible spines and work strictly off of pressure placed on the spine tip for the flow of venom

 

[namxas]

Your unedited text is indeed a wealth of info, and fascinating stuff Frank. However, the paper I'm referring to was sent to me by Lisa "before the book". It's the one that suggests that waspfish are just slightly off from stonefish toxicity based on genetics. I wish I could remember where I have it and who wrote it...

 

[MrTuskfish]

Ow... I keep a very sharp eye on my lion when I'm in the tank... Not that I'm afraid he'd come after me, but in case he gets in the stream of the powerhead or something and gets blown at me... Then again, it's easier to look out for one thing with sting than multiple.

Wolverine, I don't get it.. are you saying that if I go in there and touch my lion's spines, then I most likely won't feel the burn? Not that I'm going to..

I'm sure not trying to answer for Wolverine. An allergic reaction and the normal pain associated with the sting are two different things. A wasp stings hurts like hell, but if you're not allergic, the pain & swelling is all you get; no matter how many times you've been stung previously. If you are allergic; that can cause all sorts or reactions, even death (in a very small group of people). Same thing with Lionfish.

 

[seahorsedreams]

I would be a part of that very small group of people, based on past luck. My middle name is complications.

If you have scorps/lions, invest in a good candy/cooking thermometer. They are not expensive and could save you from a burn. I don't know about you, but the first 20 layers of my skin are important to me. I'm sentimental like that.

Where is Lisa? I miss her. I think we lost that article in a PC crash.

 

[viggen]

Ouch..... one of the reasons I am lion-less is I don't want to worry about being stung

Someone locally was servicing one of their tank & got stung. She said it hurt more then giving birth to any of her children.... not that that means anything to us guys but still......