** Share any symptoms of possible palytoxin poisoning you may have experienced.

Scott-CapeCoral

Scott-CapeCoral

New member
I would like anyone to participate in describing personal detailed symptoms from possible palytoxin poisoning. What I mean exactly is, what have you felt, or felt like, after fragging zoanthids or palythoa.

For almost a year now I've had random "anxiety attacks" They occur out of no-where sometimes. These symptoms from my attacks are best described as, The flight or fight feeling (Scared out of my mind) . Very rapid heart rate. Pain in my chest. Abnormal breathing (Fast shallow breaths that leave me feeling as if I'm suffocating.) Extreme dizzy spells(I've had to pull the emergency air brake in the middle of an intersection while driving a cdl vehicle).

There are other symptoms that have been very strange that seem to have nothing to do with an anxiety attack. One of them being strange swelling in random areas for what seems to be absolutely no reason. One time it was on the side of my head above my ear, another was on the inside of my arm in the bicep area, and other occasions on the bottom of my feet.

Now lately I've been noticing alot of this is happening shortly after fragging or handling zoanthids and paly's. I'm always fragging them, so I'm exposed to them usually every week or two. This got Delilah and I thinking this is a very possible culprit for what's been going on with me. I also realised these started around the time really started fragging these guys like crazy. About a year or more ago. I've been doing alot of reading about the palytoxin and symptoms of palytoxin poisoning and it is a mirror image of exactly what I described b4 to you all just now, and the doctors. I've gone to the ER twice in the middle of the night for these reasons. Once during work via ambulance. I'm really wondering if this is the reason behind all of this madness. If so, I'll need to make new doctors appointments and let them know what I think has been happening. I'm only 25 years old, I shouldn't be feeling as if I'm dieing like this. I'm very excited to know that I may have found out the reason.. This palytoxin is no joke people. Read about it, and some of the reported cases- you'll wear gloves from then on.. Please share some experiences any of you have had. Even if you thought they weren't coral toxin related. It would help me out a lot thanks a million.

Scott.
 
I have a number of food "allergies." You summarized some of my symptoms here:

"For almost a year now I've had random "anxiety attacks" They occur out of no-where sometimes. These symptoms from my attacks are best described as, The flight or fight feeling (Scared out of my mind) . Very rapid heart rate. Pain in my chest. Abnormal breathing (Fast shallow breaths that leave me feeling as if I'm suffocating.) Extreme dizzy spells(I've had to pull the emergency air brake in the middle of an intersection while driving a cdl vehicle)."

I can get some impressive psychological effects along with the physical. I've found I do best if I carefully avoid known problems and benedryl is wonderful stuff when I get into something new. If my ears start ringing I get the benedryl out.

I fragged a big paly colony several weeks ago, maybe 200 heads into 20 or so pieces. I'd broken off a bit two now and then before, but never bnear so much at once. No gloves or anything. I felt sick after a few minutes but finished up. Had significant problems for a couple weeks that are just tapering a way now.

It felt like my "allergy" problems. There's a lot of history in my familly of "sensitivities" to foods and other allergens. I'm thinking this is what happened to me so it's definitely a YMMV thing. I'll be much more carefull with these things in the future.
 
I always wear latex gloves and really,you should wear safety glasses,as Ive heard of people getting the poison in their eyes,from rubbing eye after handling zoos.I always wash my hands and arms thoroughly,just like a surgeon after handling these guys.
Im a paramedic myself,I dont know much about S/S of the toxin,but i would take it easy on these guys for a while,sounds like you have a substantial amount of toxins in your system,you could always be more allergic to the poison than others also.
 
The skimmer probably is our best friend to remove any lost mucus from the colonies, most of the time.

Well, I had some of the symtoms you've got, specially the rapid heart rate, sometimes mild chest pain and the anxiety attacks. I had somethig going on with my legs when sleeping, or almost sleeping. I felt like kicking for nothing, and did kick when felt that!! I thought they could be related with something elses, like stress to pay the bills and wake up early to fight traffic.

Reading your post I remember now that has been a while I don't have such symptoms and at the same time I've had been only doing regular maintenance in my tank for many months, without touching the colonies nor cutting them for new frags.

I am the type of person that like to eat health and sometimes exercise. But I do love chocolate!! I was wondering why those sysmptoms were going on. Hey, that was the time I was setting up my system when I felt most of those symptoms!!

In the past I've had my right eye red after a spill when fragging a zoa conoly, but it didn't hurt nor was red for more than 2 hours. I flushed with worm water right after the accident.

I remember one time when I had a reaction on my skin during a frag section, nothing really bad.
I never used gloves to deal with the frags nor to do maintenance.
I'm considering that now.

Anyone else?

Thanks for the thread and info!
Hope that helps.
Grandis.
 
Yea, I usually notice the anxiety or sometimes a metallic taste in my mouth. Hard to say what is really going on but I do notice it consistently when working with palys, I even use gloves sometimes.
 
I had gotten sick a few times before i put 2 and 2 together. My symptoms would be like the flu starting. That achy feeling you get especially in my legs along with the chills would happen . After a bunch of times with these symptoms i figured it out. The bottom of my 180 was covered with this one particular paly. Every water change i would siphon out all the detritus in them. How did i start the siphon? thats right just suck on the tube. After 3 or so buckets i had my share of palytoxin!!! I also got it from having my face buried in my sump for awhile after a big paly removal via tweezers. If the skimmer does remove the mucus and i think it does you need to be real careful with that stuff at that time. Really glad you brought this up . I have some other questions and observations about this. Mike
 
Before i wore FULL BSI i was doing some fragging... fragged and then later that night felt beyond sick. Grabbed the porcelain after there was nothing left but acid... rapid heart rate like after 20 red bulls shaking.. later on i noctied i had a open cut on finger drank TONS of water to flush anything out. other then vomiting and feeling like a meth addict with anxiety for a couple of hours.. im here to tell this tale..
 
I've also experienced a metallic taste in my mouth, even when I swear there was no way my hands were anywhere near my mouth. I've had the flu symptoms twice. The first time I wasn't sure, but the second time I was certain. Wasn't sick to my stomach, but bad chills and aches for a few hours.
 
I was doing some fragging and I had a cut on my finger got some paly mucus in it, about an hour later I had the metalic taste in my mouth, for about 2 hours. Next time I will use gloves
 
palytoxin = dead

There are no symptoms... Well maybe some a few minutes before you expire.

Bacterial infection is what most people get. Those with high alergies will see more symptoms.

BTW, Lexapro or Zoloft will help with those anxiety attacks.
 
Just got toxin in the eye 2 days ago cutting pe. As soon as it squirted, my eyes closed....reflex. A little bit of the toxin seeped into the eye. I felt a little sting, very minor. So I rinsed it only a little with warm water and continued fragging thinking no big deal. What an idiot I was. Same night I got red eye, no pain, no itch, just red. Then I tried lubricating drops left over from my lasik surgery. Didn't work. So I went to walgreens and got visine for red eye. Dropped it all day and didn't work. Today my eye is red and I can see the red vains clearly, little swollen, little throbbing and feeling miserable. So I went on google to find all the information I can get on what to do and I come across this thread. Just want everyone to know, wear glasses. It's not worth it. I don't think I will loose my eye, but it feels like crap. I will never frag again without glasses and gloves.
 
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The top of my eye looks white now. The middle stays pink color and a little swollen. When I stare strait and move my head side to side, it forms a little bubble on the pink part next to the eyeball. Doesn't feel too bad now, just dry. I think I will have a full recovery soon.

Just be careful everyone. I barely got a drip in my eye and look what happened. If the polytoxin actually squirted in, I may be blind.
 
Palytoxin=death, perhaps in some cases that get enough toxin.
I am here to say that I had the crap scared out of me while fragging one day.
After fragging, I moved everthing back to the tank an WHAM! Rapid heart rate and very flush face...like I ate too much B12.

From what I knew, I thought....I'm dead, right? Symptoms existed for about 20 mins. and started to decline.

I should have called 911, but I'm a guy. "It'll pass".
I'm VERY careful now....I don't want my wife to call me #$%^&* anymore.
 
DH212 said:
Just got toxin in the eye 2 days ago cutting pe. As soon as it squirted, my eyes closed....reflex. A little bit of the toxin seeped into the eye. I felt a little sting, very minor. So I rinsed it only a little with warm water and continued fragging thinking no big deal. What an idiot I was. Same night I got red eye, no pain, no itch, just red. Then I tried lubricating drops left over from my lasik surgery. Didn't work. So I went to walgreens and got visine for red eye. Dropped it all day and didn't work. Today my eye is red and I can see the red vains clearly, little swollen, little throbbing and feeling miserable. So I went on google to find all the information I can get on what to do and I come across this thread. Just want everyone to know, wear glasses. It's not worth it. I don't think I will loose my eye, but it feels like crap. I will never frag again without glasses and gloves.
Click to expand...

Best preventive for that type of accident is to get running warm water on the eyes fast after that happens.

Grandis.
 
I had a bit of juice squirt in my mouth once. My tounge was numb in about 5minutes and stayed that way for appx 4 hours. Now I wear gloves, goggles, and one of those breather masks like for lawn care. That one incident was enough for me...
 
I was fragging zoes and some how got it by my eye and got a form of viral pink eye that took over two weeks to get over, with going to a eye DR. three times a week for them to clean and treat it. Cant think of what all they said it was but, the eye dr would close that side of the office when i was there and were gloves and the hole nine yards . Also now i always get a metal tast when come in contact with any zoes.
 
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