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

[lostintheocean]

a simple test would be to stop fragging for an extended time span or to weak very thick gloves and see if the symptoms continue.

[diddy2k]

first time for me, i'm a newb to the game... something in my tank knocked off 2 polyps of my new radioactive zoos. so since i was target feeding some paly's for the first time i decided to get the colony and singles and glue them back together and secure them higher in the tank. so with frag in left hand and glue in right, i use my teeth to uncap. twist... boom, fingers across lips. i quickly washed my hands with soap, and then washed my face with soap, spitting the whole time. slight stinging kinda like hot sauce. finished placing in tank and all of a sudden felt like i had stood up too fast and noticeable increase of heart rate that i could feel in my neck. my gf was already yelling at me for not using the gloves i just bought for fragging and looked at me and was like "what's wrong". i got on google before i said anything and found rapid heart rate was a symptom. this is the only one i have. 30 minutes have passed and i'm still at 120bpm. after reading here i'm not so concerned anymore.

[hollback]

Here is my experience back in March. Scary!

Paly Toxins

[GotSopranos?]

What you are having is Panic Attacks Ive had them for the past 5 years it feels like your gonna die or have a heart attack. Every symptom you mentioned I get. Go to your doctor and tell them your having severe panic attacks. They put me on 15mg of Lexapro and I rarely have them now maybe once a month or so. It has nothing to do with Zoas and Palys.

Originally Posted by Scott-CapeCoral

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.

[buy_baff]

When ever I frag zoas or palys I always feel a little light headed and my heart beats fast for a little while. I generaly don't worry about it but I do wash my hands very well after as getting myself sick is one thing getting someone else sick is another story.

[intrancewetrust]

Your post is in violation of the terms and conditions of use of this web site and has been edited. Further violations will result in revocation of your posting privileges.

[TeebD]

I've noticed I get dizzy after fragging for about 15-20 mins. Since I started wearing latex gloves, I don't get that anymore. From what I understand palytoxin is nothing to mess with.

[fraggleRocks]

I had a big mark on the back of my hand that looked similar to a burn mark, made the whole back of my hand blotchy.

Happened after some zoas were cut and slimed on my cutting board. i was rinsing it off with water, and thought it had been rinsed well enough, so i flipped over both hands and proceeded to "push" the leftover water from the board into the sink. Guess some slime was still in the water.

It diddnt stop itching and burning for FOUR WHOLE DAYS. The swelling and itching has gone away by itself, but the "burn" mark is still there, only smaller.

This happeded about 11 days ago.

Learned my lesson for sure...

[Scott-CapeCoral]

Very good detailed posts everyone. Hope others are learning from these, and not the hard way. Keep sharing.

[amc1101d1]

Fragglerocks- i also had the burn looking spot on the back on my left hand. Happened two days ago, as I was cleaning my live rock with a metal wire scrubber (to remove fine hair algae) before returning to DT after I had fragged some zoo's. Actually the poison some how got on the wires of the scrubber (I think), as I was scrubbing the wires caught my hand and left 7 holes unseen by the eye unless I squeezed hard to cause blood to exit. Cleaned thoroughly with warm water and anti bacterial soap. Went to bed had slight ach in hand but no other symptoms and could hardly tell anything had occurred in this area of my hand. 24 hours later it looks like a burn the size of a dime. Almost like a nuclear burn with the skin turning extremely red and swollen. The seven holes now are filled with a white puss under a red infected area. The skin has become so sore, tight, and sensitive that it has began to hurt non stop and especially when I touch that area or stretch the skin in any fashion. have taken pics and hopefully will get around to posting them here to see if your hand looked as mine does now.

Can't stress enough the importance of awareness while handling poisons!

[griss]

I would hope that anyone who is still experiencing any symptoms after fragging has seen or plans to see a Doctor VERY soon.

[bosko]

uncontrolable sneezing, high fevers, body aches, vomiting happened to my whole family. (TWICE). i don't have anymore zoanthids in my tank

[RokleM]

Originally Posted by bosko

uncontrolable sneezing, high fevers, body aches, vomiting happened to my whole family. (TWICE). i don't have anymore zoanthids in my tank

What??? Did you cook dinner after fragging without washing your hands or something? Add zoas as a garnish to a meal?

[VegasMike]

Similar esperience here, I had been doing a littel bit of rockscaping and moving around some rocks with some polyps on them. Did not think much and ended up just touching the corner of my eye.

I got the burning very quickly. The eye turned blood red adn I flushed my eye out thoroughly. I also took a benedryl, just in case. My wife returned home from shopping and freaked, wanted me to go to the hospital. We compomised on called the eye doc, who happens to be a friend. He called me back five minutes after leaving the message with his service on a Sunday. His advice was to flush my eye out (done) and take a benedryl (done). He also said that the eyes were not an easy place to introduce toxins for a systemic reaction. WRONG. Everything started tasting metallic about an hour later. The tase thing cleared up in about 24 hours, but ti took my eye about a week. To this day (four years since), the outside corner of my left eye tends to get irritated more often than any other part of my eyes.

[TangsRule]

I have had these for many years - and 2 weeks ago I moved them bare hand in the main(dropped them) and when I picked the frag back up, I touched one of the polyps a bit and got that mucus on my index finger - right hand......only thing i moved that morning and didn't wash hands really well. Only rinsed fingers in the sink and went on about my day....A bit later I stepped outside for smoke - using the same fingers for a cig....within seconds - my lips were tingly. Licking them with my tounge made my tounge tingle, and seconds later the front 1/2 of my mouth was numb. Within minutes I was vomiting badly and having very rapid pulse rate, and fast but short respiration...Was an hour before the serious symptoms cleared up - most of the day before my lips/mouth was not numb. But I had an awful metallic taste for a week. (should have called 911, but didn't)

I dunno if it was exposure to palytoxin, but I'm not doing that again. I believe it was exposure to very tiny ammounts injested. I usually use gloves or mechanical grabbers in my mains- but the lights had just come on, and this frag had gotten knocked over in the night, and I was only gonna flip it upright, so what's a quick arm dip in the tank gonna do? ? ? right? (go easy on me, first post, smoker, didn't call 911 - I'd not heard of palytoxin)

Palythoa likely Protopalythoa mutuki :


3/4" dia. polyps

[Flippers4pups]

Ok, I came across this while checking out our friends over in Africa that reef keep, Good read:http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/show...oxin+poisoning

[NewbyReefer]

I was messing around with some zoa yesterday and shortly after my thumb(witch is split) started to throb. The pain/sensation continued through the day slowly moving up my arm. Had to take some pain killers just to go to bed. Today I still have a throbbing pain all the way up my arm and my shoulder is killing me. Hopefully it goes away soon but I'm going to try the benedryl idea to see if that helps at all.

[hollback]

Originally Posted by NewbyReefer

I was messing around with some zoa yesterday and shortly after my thumb(witch is split) started to throb. The pain/sensation continued through the day slowly moving up my arm. Had to take some pain killers just to go to bed. Today I still have a throbbing pain all the way up my arm and my shoulder is killing me. Hopefully it goes away soon but I'm going to try the benedryl idea to see if that helps at all.

You need to go to the hospital! Spreading pain is a really bad sign.

[MUCHO REEF]

Originally Posted by NewbyReefer

I was messing around with some zoa yesterday and shortly after my thumb(witch is split) started to throb. The pain/sensation continued through the day slowly moving up my arm. Had to take some pain killers just to go to bed. Today I still have a throbbing pain all the way up my arm and my shoulder is killing me. Hopefully it goes away soon but I'm going to try the benedryl idea to see if that helps at all.

Listen to Hollback.

Hello, I am not being rude and I mean absolutely no disrespect. But I don't understand why you are sharing this now when you need to stop right now, call someone, and get to an ER ASAP. There are several threads right here in the forum regarding this issue my friend. Thanks again for sharing, but please log off and see a doctor and share these links with your doctor. It may very well be nothing more than one of the compounds within these polyps which is causing your issue. I doubt very seriously that it is PT ( Palytoxin ), as you would be gravely ill by now or most likely dead. It could be MM but you won't know till you see a doctor. Contact your doctor now my friend and read the links below or access them from the hospital. Again, I mean no harm my friend.

Mucho Reef


http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2063473

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1858696

[jwolcott]

Hi all, well the 1st and 2nd time I got sick after rearranging my zoa tank I thought it was coincidence, just the flu or food poisoning. Asmia like symbols, like the flu with tight breathing and chills. Don't really scare me just didn't feel good and went to bed. After the 3rd time getting sick and seeing 2 clowns and a bunch of mushroom corals die I realized it was the tank. I have a wide variety of zoas and polyps and love 'em. I have no idea which did the damage but wears gloves now. Thanks and good reefing.

[noritren]

i've just poisoned by zoanthus last night while dipping a large zoanthus rock in h2o2 for zoapox. I always thought that only palytoa are dangerous so i didn't use gloves.
After a couple of hours i felt sick, dizziness,chills, cramps, pain all over the body and ipersensitive skin and something like tetanus symptoms (arched back, restless legs,stiff neck).Asthma like symptoms too.
The symptoms lasts for 12 hours then disappears leaving me weak.
Poison control center said to check for any sign of renal failure and to drink a lot of water

[650-IS350]

why are you dipping in peroxide dipping for pox??? why aren't you using the usual cure for pox

[noritren]

furan 2 is unavailable here in italy . peroxide dip worked in the past.
The poisoning is maybe related to h2o2 foam or maybe because my hands are scratched by parrot any time

[A. Grandis]

Originally Posted by noritren

i've just poisoned by zoanthus last night while dipping a large zoanthus rock in h2o2 for zoapox. I always thought that only palytoa are dangerous so i didn't use gloves.
After a couple of hours i felt sick, dizziness,chills, cramps, pain all over the body and ipersensitive skin and something like tetanus symptoms (arched back, restless legs,stiff neck).Asthma like symptoms too.
The symptoms lasts for 12 hours then disappears leaving me weak.
Poison control center said to check for any sign of renal failure and to drink a lot of water

Many don't even know what is a Palythoa and call Zoanthus spp. "palys".
Once again we should be careful with all the zoanthids, not only the Palythoa spp., but Zoanthus and Protopalythoa spp. also.

I believe the problem could be caused because of a possible excessive dose of H2O2 used in the treatment, forcing the poison to be expelled by the polyps. I usually recommend 1 part of H2O2 to 2 or 3 parts of tank water. H2O2 is used mainly to treat algae from plugs, and shouldn't be added to the tank in the normal basis IMO, nor used more than 50%50% because it can damage the zoas. I never had good luck treating frags with more than 50%50%.

650-IS350 is write. H2O2 shouldn't be used for pox. Furan 2 is normaly recommended.

http://www.zoaid.com/articles004.php

Grandis.

[A. Grandis]

Originally Posted by noritren

furan 2 is unavailable here in italy . peroxide dip worked in the past.
The poisoning is maybe related to h2o2 foam or maybe because my hands are scratched by parrot any time

Perhaps you didn't have pox in the past. I don't remember anyone that could cure pox with H2O2. Please let us know the procedure you used.
Thanks,
Grandis.