Hit by a Crown of Thorn - Ouch!

[Spoon]

im curious how the COT fell on you?

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

After reading this thread I am definitely keeping my 1st Aid bag with me as it has not only a couple IV packs but I've added to it a snake bite and other injected venom suction pump to remove any venom from the nasties of the deep. And as an extra precaution, I laso have a torniquet as well. Maybe I'm just paranoid but better safe than sorry.

 

[DandyDon]

These things suck. Even if you get the spine out, it's a fair bet that you're still going to have swelling and pain for a good long while after. Weeks to months. That brand of venom is quite nasty. Keep us informed if you or your docs come up with a good treatment, and best of luck on your recovery.

ulrikakroon has not logged onto Sb since his post of April 10. Guess he got all he needed at the time...?

 

[archman]

ulrikakroon has not logged onto Sb since his post of April 10. Guess he got all he needed at the time...?

Oops, you're right Don. This is all EZ's fault! Shame!

2-Tours, you can chuck that suction pump. According to my WFR instructor, they're being phased out of all first aid kits, as causing more damage than good. That's more room to stick ibuprofen!

 

[Iruka]

Hmmm...I've been stuck twice in many years of diving, but both times only by 1 or 2 spines on the tip of a finger. I didn't do anything other than continue the dive while squeezing out a bit of blood for a few minutes, and didn't notice anything worse than a bee sting for those couple of minutes, and no effects at all afterwards. Guess I was lucky in pulling away quickly before any appreciable amount of venom could be taken in. Pretty much the same story with being stung by a VERY small lionfish. (by the way, I'm not as accident-prone as this post would indicate...these incidents have occurred over the course of 5,600 dives....)

 

[diveon]

Oops, you're right Don. This is all EZ's fault! Shame!

Hi archman,

Sorry to spoil the fun. Just wanted to share my COT experience. Anyway, I still owe you a reply in another thread.

I have a friend who got stung by COT at one of his thigh while he was taking uw photo a year ago. He was wearing a 3mm full suit during the dive. According to him, only one spine managed to pentrate his wet suit. That single stung landed him in hospital for a week and the wound took months to fully subsided. He ended up became a study subject for the clinical staff in that hospital while hospitalised because it is very rare for the local hospitals to treat patient with marine life injuries. I guess the venom from poisoness marine life is still not widely studied and what doctors can do is only prescribe antibiotic to treat the swell and some antibiotic to help our body to fight the venom.

Dive Safe,
EZ

 

[DandyDon]

According to him, only one spine managed to pentrate his wet suit. That single stung landed him in hospital for a week and the wound took months to fully subsided.

I don't know anything about the COR, but compared to other reports here, I'd think this was something of an allergic reaction. Or I wonder if the thorn could have hit near the main vein, causing a more severe effect?

 

[sky50960]

Some venum protéines are denaturate dy heat, that is way it is told to drop the bitten body part in hot water.
Spine venum is not denaturated by heat.
For other venum ( eg. stone fish...) the venum is denarurated by heat.
But do not forget heat also creates a vasodilation and increases the venum resorption.

 

[sky50960]

TO my knoleg with those quind of venous injure the biggest problem is infection and residual "stange bodies" in the wound.

Hot water or not hot water is not the key treatement in this particular case.

But in some cases it is.

 

[Wildcard]

After reading this thread I am definitely keeping my 1st Aid bag with me as it has not only a couple IV packs but I've added to it a snake bite and other injected venom suction pump to remove any venom from the nasties of the deep. And as an extra precaution, I laso have a torniquet as well. Maybe I'm just paranoid but better safe than sorry.

There is very little good IVs will do in most marine injuries, snake bite suction cups have long since gone away, you can buy them but it's never recomended to use them and I wish the frikking boy scouts would stop telling everyone about touriquets. Short of near amputation then do more harm than good. Even the snake bite experts question using a constricting band as good or evil.

I went flat palmed onto a COT a few months ago, hurt like heck but was fine in a couple of days. Sounds like I was one of the lucky ones.