Be careful cleaning your blue claws

[Lunatic]

and handling raw seafood in general. I read this on another forum and decided to post it here. Twice I drew blood by stripper dorsal fin and both times I swelled up like a balloon. Of course I ignored it and it eventually went away but if there is anything to take away from this story is this: don’t ignore it if it happens to you. 
 

Quote

30 years ago I watched my buddy get scratched by a blue claw, and within 2 hours he got sepsis (shellfish blood poisoning), and came within a half hour of the red line creeping up his arm, reaching his heart and killing him. Ever since then I’ve always been in a panic while handling live crabs. It didn’t help hearing the story of the Barner that died a year or two ago from flesh eating bacteria that he got crabbing. I was pretty much over it after cleaning thousands of crabs for the pot over the years, with plenty of gashes, and no problems. That was until a few weeks ago. I cleaned my fresh bushel for my annual Labor Day seafood fest. Later, as I was as eating the feast, I was showing my friends the cuts on my hands from the crabs and telling the story of my friend that nearly died from much less. 3 days later, Wednesday night, I woke up to my thumb throbbing. Certain of my impending death I went to the emergency room. It was just matter of fact there. “Happens all of the time”. I got antibiotics and within a day or two it was gone. I was thrilled to learn how easily this thing that I feared my whole life could be dealt with. Cut to 2 weeks later I woke up in the middle of the night, unable to move my thumb that was THROBBING with intolerable pain. Back to the emergency room with an IV in my arm this time. Tons of blood tests led to some good news. I was allowed to leave but with a much broader spectrum of antibiotics. The doctors said that it was a good thing that I took the first round of antibiotics, because those most certainly would have dealt with flesh eating bacteria if there was any. I’m not out of the woods yet, but my thumb is rapidly heading in a good direction. So be careful out there guys. 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Lunatic

[rgw]

Wow

[BowhunterNJ]

Took a lot of spines/spikes, Gill plates, cuts and bites when I worked on charter and head boats years ago.  Flesh eating bacteria was never a thought or talked about.  Many times I had some minor infection and hand/fingers locking up, but fortunately nothing like that picture or intolerable pain requiring an ER visit.  Good heads up to be aware of!

[10pt]

Worked at a bar many years ago and covered a shift at the raw bar. 2 days later I was in the hospital with blood poisoning, hooked up to an IV. Any swelling get it checked immediately.

[SoxFan]

Holy Cow, that is crazy!!

[LPJR]

Good info and looking out Mike. 

[Lunatic]

Many guys clean crabs before cooking, I do most of the time, and this is where it could happen 

[MGHunter66]

Interesting, never imagined you could die from something like this

[JD48]

Great info , thanks

[Integracingsr]

I never knew. Good info to share. Thanks. 

[Buck154]

Man the world is changing and not for the better. Years ago no one worried about $hit. To dam many allergies from peanuts and bee stings and other little things that we never seen as a kid. Soon people will be walking around in bubbles....lol

[Rickinthepines]

A friend in Forked River stuck himself with a striper fin and it got infected and he lost all function of his finger. Months later his doctor actually recommended removing the finger but he refused. The bacteria is no joke.

[gregtpal]

1 hour ago, Lunatic said:

and handling raw seafood in general. I read this on another forum and decided to post it here. Twice I drew blood by stripper dorsal fin and both times I swelled up like a balloon. Of course I ignored it and it eventually went away but if there is anything to take away from this story is this: don’t ignore it if it happens to you. 
 

 

 

Good advice. so many of us would brush something like that off & probably even wait.too long t seek help.  Hoping you continue yr recovery in time to shoot.  You're gonna need that thumb.

[Recurve hntr]

Wow. I never knew that could happen.  I cut my thumb gutting a deer once. Stupid mistake. Got home cleaned the cut put topical med on it and bandaged it. Cleaned it the next two days and bandaged it. Third day I felt like I could feel my heart beating in my thumb. Took the bandage off and my thumb looked a lot like that. Same thing. Went  to the er and they said I had a bad infection.  Gave me antibiotics. Couple of days later I was back in the er. They said I was close to losing my thumb. Another antibiotic and I still have my thumb. Thank God. 

[OldMenRule]

Great info. Thanks for posting. You would be surprised how deadly simple bacteria can be. I've seen horrible infections develop from dog bites to simple cuts from kitchen knives.