Any reef related injuries out there?

[Sully32]

I've had tons of the everyday reefing injuries (Hurt back, shoulders, cuts, bites, etc.) and a Lionfish sting which required an overnight stay in the hospital.

Reef related, but in the ocean: Two years ago, a few days before my wedding in Punta Cana I tripped in a shallow area and an urchin spine went clear through my hand. It felt way worse having it pulled all the way through than it did going in quickly.

Just this past October in Cozumel I was pushed into a pier by a large boat passing too closely to the reef. I received Fire Coral stings in a few places. I ended up on a few antibiotics and steroids along with benadryl for awhile.

 

[Mellotang]

Looks itchy!!

 

[Sully32]

Looks itchy!!

Extremely itchy after it started healing. Just super painful and sore for 2 weeks or so. I only went into the hospital after a few days when my leg swelled to the point that I couldn't bend my knee.

 

[aquaman3680]

Holy cow! I never thought of this hobby being life and death but apparently it is.

For sure, if I would have waited to go to the hospital much longer it would have been much much worse! Had a metallic taste in my mouth for several weeks after it too.

 

[Just John]

When you're learning to dive, the divemaster will always say to not touch the reef because you can damage it. People do it anyway. If they said because you might sting the **** out of yourself, people might stop.

 

[Avelino Alicea]

They're like nitroglycerin... volatile and highly explosive. Devils of the ocean.

And people that don't know these fish think they're the cutest most docile fish. Not! I didn't fry injured, but I used to have a lightning maroon that would not let me put my hand in the tank at all. She was vicious. I had to end up giving her up to local store back in Florida.

 

[Chrisv.]

A while back I was gluing a frag just before catching a flight. There was a bubble in the super glue tube and it sort of spurted out. Into my eye. Explaining that at the ER was fun. At the time I was in a long distance relationship and explaining why I missed the flight to my (former) S/O was also ...fun.

 

[thermoJoe]

Something jabbed me while moving some rocks.

 

[Dr. Jim]

1. I stuck myself with a Long-spine urchin needle during the day and thought nothing of it. Later that night, I woke up sweating and shivering with a red streak running up my arm. I went to the emergency room. (The doctor was some guy I played basketball with; I didn't even know he was a doctor so this part was funny). He didn't really know what to do for me, so the next day I went to an Infectious Disease Specialist who told me "whenever you see a red streak running up your arm it is a streptococcus bacterium", and he switched me to a more appropriate antibiotic. (I saw the same doctor-friend a few weeks later when I fell off a ladder inspecting a parrot's nest box for eggs!

2. About 35 years ago, I had a granuloma ("sore") develop on my thumb knuckle after scraping it on live rock. It wouldn't heal, so after about a month a surgeon removed it but I have a big scar from the "sliding skin graft." Turns out it was "marine tuberculosis" (a rather harmless, but nuisance, bacteria). A week later I read an article in an Aquarium magazine that said usually a month of tetracycline will clear it up!

 

[StewL6]

Just my pride

 

[reefiniteasy]

How is your eye doing?

Eye is good. Medicine did the trick. Now I’m just having dry eye issues as a result of the ointment. Happened once in the past. Just annoying.

 

[Karen00]

When you're learning to dive, the divemaster will always say to not touch the reef because you can damage it. People do it anyway. If they said because you might sting the **** out of yourself, people might stop.

You are absolutely right about this! Even better... Tell them they could be poisoned and they will stay well back.

 

[Theulli]

Never had an issue, but I lost track of how many times I have been sure I’ve picked up fish TB…

 

[dragonfly16]

minor cuts here and there, mainly due to fragging and even gluing.

Got stung by my lion fish years ago owee!
If it happens to you don't bother going to
the ER....there's nothing they can do ...But, put the affected area under hot water - as hot as you can stand it for as long as you can stand it.

 

[Theulli]

Sorry about your arm. I have posted 2x - both with severe cellulitis - from very small cuts - I mean like a pinpoint. - after working on the tank.

1. a veramatid snail brushed against my upper hand - within 2-4 hours. red swollen entire arm - ER - Infectious disease specialist - IV antibiotics
2. Woke up the day after doing a water change - with an extremely painful forearm - which was red swollen. Had rubbed against my tank edge while I put my arm into the tank to clean the glass (so the irritated area was exposed to water) - ER. IV antibiotics then 3 antibiotics for 2 weeks.

Moral of the story - wear gloves

Wait, did you cut yourself on the vermatid shell or did just touching it do this?

 

[DJ Lone1]

Dang Clownfish! Still have a scar …Got me twice …

Clownfish?

 

[DJ Lone1]

Anyone else here hurt their back during water changes? I've been doing water changes by the old fashioned way: old water removed by siphoning into 4x 5 gallon buckets; then, pouring salt into 5 gallon buckets, mixing by hand, then dumping back into sump. I've been doing it this way since 2005. I have 3 large tanks! Age finally caught up to me. Hurt my back during the holidays in December. I automate everything now. Should've done so awhile ago. Too late now. Sucks that it took an injury to make me change my ways

Not yet, but also pump water.

 

[MnFish1]

Wait, did you cut yourself on the vermatid shell or did just touching it do this?

I put my hands under a large coral - and felt a 'puncture'. in my forearm

 

[Theulli]

I put my hands under a large coral - and felt a 'puncture'. in my forearm

Ahhh ok. I was going to say goodness, I didn’t know they were that bad!

Those suckers are sharp, unbreakable and hard to spot. Miracle I didn’t do this when i tore down my small tank this fall.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you!!

Good Lord! That does not sound fun at all!! That's one to add to my list of why I wont go with a deep tank again. Beautiful when grown out and such a pain to work in.

I resolved it from that point. I have two of each of these: