<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6711635#post6711635 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hound
ok what exactly is a specialist in a hospital....prob someone who knows what they are talking about right?
No, not necessarily, based on how most articles get written. "Specialist" could be a first year resident; you'd be amazed at how much that stuff gets twisted around. Also, very few, if any people in hospitals know anything about lionfish venom. In one of the articles about this story there was a quote about no one knowing what it was or what to do. To go from that to a "specialist" who is declaring a timetable on a prognosis is iffy at best. There's also the fact that, as mentioned, no article really mentions them doing anything other than the benadryl. When I was in medical school, one of my classmates was labelled as a "specialist" in an article.
As mentioned several times, unless you're allergic to the venom, or have a serious chronic illness, you're unlikely to die from a lionfish sting. The symptoms he described are not typical for anaphylaxis.
I don't remember the details of Frank's stining, but IME, people get stung or bitten when they're not paying attention, ie, being careless. That's been true every time things like this have happened to me. I make every effort to watch any venomous animals in tanks I'm working in, and, if possible, I work to keep something between me and them (such as a net, or a small piece of eggcrate. It doesn't take much). Do I do it because I'm worried about dying? No, I do it because I don't like unnecessary pain. Also, now that my career is built around my hand's ability to perform surgery, I can't risk getting an infection.
Dave
Only who's gonna put the sticker on the fish? 
