Uronema Marinum

[Huskymaniac]

I'm glad things are going well for you huskymaniac. It was nice chatting through messaging with you about the MM. How long is your AB course going to continue? When I had MM, it seemed to take forever. As we discussed, I had no results until having surgery and a long course of rifampin. My culture took nearly 6 weeks to confirm. I wish you well!!! It's looking better every day. Keep an eye out for any additional lumps though. Mine gradually moved up my hand and wrist.

We are going to continue ABX therapy for 2 months after the lesion goes away. Should be anywhere from 3 to 6 months.

 

[rkpetersen]

If it were myself, with the diagnosis now at least partially established, I'd be on two antibiotics.
Chances of a medical cure without resorting to surgical excision should be better.
It's true that the commonly added drugs have their own potential toxicities, but I'd still do it.
As I described at the start of this thread, mycobacteria are nothing to underestimate.
They grow slow but they don't stop unless you attack them mercilessly.
I'd seriously consider stopping or at least reducing dosage of the Humira as well.
Although no one wants a Crohn's disease relapse either.

 

[Huskymaniac]

If it were myself, with the diagnosis now at least partially established, I'd be on two antibiotics.
Chances of a medical cure without resorting to surgical excision should be better.
It's true that the commonly added drugs have their own potential toxicities, but I'd still do it.
As I described at the start of this thread, mycobacteria are nothing to underestimate.
They grow slow but they don't stop unless you attack them mercilessly.
I'd seriously consider stopping or at least reducing dosage of the Humira as well.
Although no one wants a Crohn's disease relapse either.

Until cultures come back they didnt want to put me in a second abx. The plan was to add second one if it's still there in 4 weeks.

 

[Purplelobst92]

Jesus this thread has literally terrified me, I put my hands in tanks all the time when i have little cuts and scrapes.... and now I'm like freaking out i might get a bump and have one of these infections even though my hands are healed and have no wounds, do these infections just like pop up weeks after the wound heals or what? I literally had no idea this was so serious....

 

[Huskymaniac]

Jesus this thread has literally terrified me, I put my hands in tanks all the time when i have little cuts and scrapes.... and now I'm like freaking out i might get a bump and have one of these infections even though my hands are healed and have no wounds, do these infections just like pop up weeks after the wound heals or what? I literally had no idea this was so serious....

I think everyone should be using gloves when doing maintenance on their tank regardless of whether they have cuts or not. I mean an aquarium is a recirculating toilet of fish poop with bacteria, right? If I wore gloves I wouldn't be dealing with this now and if you wear gloves you will never have too. Pretty simple and sensible thing to do.

 

[drstardust]

I think everyone should be using gloves when doing maintenance on their tank regardless of whether they have cuts or not. I mean an aquarium is a recirculating toilet of fish poop with bacteria, right? If I wore gloves I wouldn't be dealing with this now and if you wear gloves you will never have too. Pretty simple and sensible thing to do.

^agreed

 

[Huskymaniac]

So I saw the infectious disease doctor and was switched from doxy to clarithromycin + ethambutol. He was a bit reluctant to make the switch since I was responding to the doxy. Anyways it is what it is. Treatment is going to be anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Here is an updated photo. Instead of a big huge nasty lump it's just a flat red patch now.

 

[Purplelobst92]

So I saw the infectious disease doctor and was switched from doxy to clarithromycin + ethambutol. He was a bit reluctant to make the switch since I was responding to the doxy. Anyways it is what it is. Treatment is going to be anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Here is an updated photo. Instead of a big huge nasty lump it's just a flat red patch now.

I don't even want to think about how much this would cost without medical insurance ;Nailbiting

 

[tdlawdo]

So I saw the infectious disease doctor and was switched from doxy to clarithromycin + ethambutol. He was a bit reluctant to make the switch since I was responding to the doxy. Anyways it is what it is. Treatment is going to be anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Here is an updated photo. Instead of a big huge nasty lump it's just a flat red patch now.

Glad you finally saw ID. It was bothering me you hadnt!

 

[tdlawdo]

I don't even want to think about how much this would cost without medical insurance ;Nailbiting

None of my patients have insurance and I can get the clarithromycin for pennies a pill and the ethambutol for not much more. Where there’s a need there is a way. Just need the doc to step up and ask the right question of the right people. I deliver their babies, amputate parts, minor surgeries orthopedics including MRI etc. and nothing ever over a couple hundred bucks the MRI being the most expensive thing in 20 years of doing this. But yes still good he has insurance.

 

[Huskymaniac]

I don't even want to think about how much this would cost without medical insurance ;Nailbiting

I am on HSA plan so everythi g goes towards deductible and the antibiotics are cheap. It's only like $22 for both of them for a 30 days supply. The doxycyline was under $2.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Amazing how it looks now compared to where it was just 3 weeks ago. Hopefully my treatment will be closer to the 3 months than 6 months.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Updated photo a week later. This thing is so slow to go away and if I want taking pictures would be near impossible to tell it is getting better. The lesion is basically entirely flat except for 1 spot below the scab where the biopsies were taken. The antibiotics have been brutal on my system though.

 

[Huskymaniac]

So just got the culture back and it was negative for mycobacterium. We are just gonna assume it was M. Marinum but there are at least a half dozen other Myco bacteria that it could potentially be. I just passed the 30 day treatment mark and it is basically gone. My fish continue to show zero symptoms and all of my sealife critters are doing well.

 

[rkpetersen]

Congrats on getting it almost healed up!

 

[Huskymaniac]

Congrats on getting it almost healed up!

Cant wait to get my hands in the tank again, haha.

 

[rkpetersen]

Cant wait to get my hands in the tank again, haha.

Pro tip: Avoid sharp objects!

 

[tdlawdo]

Updated photo a week later. This thing is so slow to go away and if I want taking pictures would be near impossible to tell it is getting better. The lesion is basically entirely flat except for 1 spot below the scab where the biopsies were taken. The antibiotics have been brutal on my system though.

Acidophilus and probiotics my friend

 

[Steven Pro]

I second the probiotics. It took me years of eating yogurt, Kimchi, and anything else I heard could be good for gut bacteria to get back to being able to eat normally after my bout/treatment for M. marinum.

 

[Huskymaniac]

So all this time got me thinking. It is time to upgrade my 30 gallon tank to a reefer 450. Told the wife not to worry the bigger the tank the less chance of having overall bacteria. She looked at my kind of crazy then I realized I caught this from cutting myself in the overflow of my 750, lol. Either way my trio of Randall's Assessors will get a new home along with the perc they live with and the doliatus rabbit in QT. I have decided I am not going to be adding anymore fish to the 750 for quite a while. The only thing that I will be taking from that tank to the new tank is my rose bubble tip anemone. Everything else will be started from scratch, bleached rock, and whatever was in my Nano. I know its probably impossible to 100% avoid this bacteria but I am going to do my best to make sure this tank is as sterile as possible. Next trick is try and get the fish to use a litter box to stop pooping in the water column .