Skin issue after handling liverock...

U

uny2bld

New member
even after a month of peroxide and antibiotic ointment, my finger still looks like this:

20130319_143714_zpsdfc2023d.jpg


^ still foams up with peroxide

20130319_143833_zps13eb9685.jpg


Any idea what this is? It started out as a big circle with blister-like things all around it. I still have a few of them (They just keep popping up)

There is a strange pain also with this. It's not quite anything I can compare it too but I guess I would just say it's raw and stings when touched...
 
I'd invest in some latex gloves, safer for you and your corals. But, yeah might want to go to the doctor on that one.
 
Rognin said:
Fire corals? GF hit some on a dive and carried symptoms for 3 months.
Click to expand...

No, it's definitely not fire coral. it was just plain liverock with what I thought was nothing on it (not even coraline) But, it wa s alot of liverock. It came out of a 500 gallon pond for bangaii cardinals. It's an aquaculture facility so most everything (rock included) is cleaned with bleech every few months... So I can't imagine what organisms would be left in there but it has to be something because it started to ich right after we were done (took us about 2 hours)

I'd like to see a doctor but it's tough because I work such long hours (about 100 a week between my jobs) So I was hoping someone would recognize what this might be and tell me how to make it heal faster because it's been WEEKS now and the skin is not growing back - it's not heeling right
 
Go to a Dr. DONT let them prescribe a steroid... it will only worsen things. You should get on a broad spectrum antibiotic. Should clear that up, but I wouldn't put this off much longer.
 
uny2bld said:
I'd like to see a doctor but it's tough because I work such long hours (about 100 a week between my jobs) So I was hoping someone would recognize what this might be and tell me how to make it heal faster because it's been WEEKS now and the skin is not growing back - it's not heeling right
Click to expand...

I agree with the others; MAKE time. A doctor will probably be able to prescribe something to clear it up much faster. It also could end up being serious, and you'd feel pretty darn silly if you lost a finger because you couldn't find the time to go to the doctor. :)

I met someone who lost a finger to Mycobacterium marinum... nasty stuff. In fact, I would check into that and make sure the doctor is aware of it. It's been a while since I read anything on it, but I seem to recall blisters/nodules being one of the symptoms.
 
Definitely go see a doctor. Not even a doctor can make a diagnosis just by looking at a picture, even with the history of handling live rock. There are STAT CARE type centers that cater to people just like yourself: they keep long hours and welcome walk-ins but don't handle ER situations. Failing that, nothing, and I truly mean nothing, is more important than your health. Make time and have it looked at.

BTW, stop using peroxide. It's good for cleaning dirty, pus filled wounds. If the lesion is otherwise clean, like yours is, peroxide ony slows down healing and granulation. Just wash with soap and water, until a doctor can see it.
 
thanks - that's the kind of thing I was really looking for. I guess I will take off of work AGAIn - I thought it just wasn't healing bc my immune system has been terrible after 2 weeks of influenza B and then pnemonia...

But after reading an article on Mycobacterium marinum (Thanks Ostara) I think I might have caused this to be worse than what it would have been.

Please don't make fun of me; I sometimes do my own medical treatments bc I have so much on my plate and I tried to cut out the blister-like nodules when I first saw them and I'm wondering if I drove the infection deeper...

regardless, thanks for the input - I will go to the dr as soon as possible
 
uny2bld said:
thanks - that's the kind of thing I was really looking for. I guess I will take off of work AGAIn - I thought it just wasn't healing bc my immune system has been terrible after 2 weeks of influenza B and then pnemonia...

But after reading an article on Mycobacterium marinum (Thanks Ostara) I think I might have caused this to be worse than what it would have been.

Please don't make fun of me; I sometimes do my own medical treatments bc I have so much on my plate and I tried to cut out the blister-like nodules when I first saw them and I'm wondering if I drove the infection deeper...

regardless, thanks for the input - I will go to the dr as soon as possible
Click to expand...

do to the doctor
 
Ok, Ok... I left work early (Boss is ****ed now) and went to the Dr.

It was useless as are all of my Dr. visits. I called my friend while waiting in the waiting room bc she knows 10x more about this stuff than anyone else I know and she reccomended them getting a sample or biopsy to culture just to rule out Mycobacterium marinum (although she thinks that's probably what it is)

He refused to check for it and in fact said it didn't look like an infection to him. He called it a "local irritation"... you know the kind you get for a month straight... (rolls eyes)
 
When it comes to Dr. you need to be very proactive.

Either see an infectious disease doc or a dermatologist.

You walked away without answers, be the squeaky wheel when it comes to your health.
 
smtank said:
When it comes to Dr. you need to be very proactive.

Either see an infectious disease doc or a dermatologist.

You walked away without answers, be the squeaky wheel when it comes to your health.
Click to expand...

God I hate doctors but you're probably right. I will make an appointment for a dermatologist...
 
I understand you sometimes have a funky immune system but why would a Dr. refuse to test for something you have a good reason to suspect and want to rule out?

With your history with both Fresh and Marine fish exposure, the frequency of times your hands are in the water (EVERYDAY/Multiple times a day) you are in a higher risk category. Did you explain that to the doctor?

keep a close eye on it, take photos daily to be able to compare if it's getting better or not and don't ignore it if it's getting worse. If you do, you will have to deal with me..and that will be much much worse ;)
 
I did tell him all that but he (like many doctors before him) is a cocky jack*** that doesn't like patients telling him what they think they have. I seriously think it's an upstate NY thing bc our doctors offices suck... :deadhorse:
 
Your doctor is a dork. My doctor is also a dork, therefore I am an authority and know one when I see one :D

I'm not experienced with the US health care system (I'm Canadian), but can't you see specialists without referrals? If you can, I'd get a second opinion from someone in infectious disease NOW. Take a sample of your water, rock (chisel off a bit?), and sit on the doctor's desk (not literally) until s/he listens. Do not end up losing fingers or a hand, or your life, to a nasty infection that gets into the bone or your bloodstream and becomes very difficult to treat.

Be matter of fact, not whiny or angry, list events and facts quickly, concisely, and be polite but firm. If it were me, if the doc 'turns off' and stops listening, I'd casually mention that you know of people who have lost fingers to the bacteria/viruses carried in seawater, and feel it's important to be thorough because you aren't sure what you might be dealing with. It's a bit of a cheap move, but if you need to, strike fear into the doctor's heart (crap! patient's right! This could be some nasty thing that causes them to get really sick, then I'm on the hook! Must cover my butt!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
some random questions
Replies
1
Views
227
SantaMonica
S
Chris Craig
Got Stung!
Replies
16
Views
1K
Reefing102
Reefing102
S
Its been a while.
Replies
10
Views
2K
Reefing102
Reefing102
S
Fish slime: An answer to antibiotic resistance?
Replies
6
Views
1K
Subsea
S
Guygettnby
If not for bad luck...
2
Replies
30
Views
7K
leebca
L
Back
Top