Please help Palytoxin Poisoning, Me, Wife and Dog.

[HolySmoke]

Yesterday I moved my tank 10 ft across the room and towards the end of the night my wife helped me put the last couple corals from the bottom of the brute into the tank.

Mind you first time in 10 years of being together her hands have touched saltwater.(I think) Fast forward 8 hours later and I'm waking both of us up with a nasty cough,stuffy nose, and post nasal drip. I woke up with the chills and felt sick. Couple hours later my dog throws up and I noticed he is taking short shallow breaths.

I hadn't connected the dots until I texted my wife that the dog threw up and she said her chest hurt. After hearing that 5he light bulb went off and I turned off the skimmer, opened all the windows and removed a couple Buckets with a couple inches of water in the bottom from the move.

Question is how long should I expect this to last? should we leave the house? my wife is the paranoid type so I told her what it could be but told her unlikely. From the symptoms we are having I am 100% confident it is palytoxin poisoning. My wife and I have both have Covid twice and the second time was only 45 days ago so that's out as a possibility.

Is it a safe assumption that the exposure has already happened and we have to just ride it out? I'm assuming this is the case but would love to hear from people with first hand experience. I want to note that my breathing is better and the dog is looking a little better but still breathing fast slight weezing. My wife is in bed with the dog and she is burning up(fever) and whining like a toddler. My oxygen tested at 100 wife 98.

Please help!!!!!

Thank you.

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Contact your emergency room or urge care as soon as possible and give them the run down and follow their direction!

Don't mess around with this possible poisoning!

 

[ReefRusty]

I would contact your doctor/GP could be a reaction to what you were doing but I would do that first if it were me and not wait for a answer on here

 

[Daniel92481]

Hey! Sorry about your possible exposure! The best advice I can give is if you or your wife are short of breath, have fever, or having chest pains, you need to go to the ER immediately. Palytoxin is no joke. Best of luck!

 

[nick_md]

If you are in the US you can call poison control. That is what the ER doctor will do.

 

[Flexin]

If you are still checking messages here you are not on the way to the Dr/Emergency room. Check back here after you go to the Dr...

 

[HolySmoke]

Thank you guys! I'm on it I didnt want to freak her out but I have to be safe. Time is of the essence thank you.

 

[HolySmoke]

I'm calling NYC poison control

 

[CMMorgan]

Ultimately, you are going to need to clean all exposed areas around the tank with a diluted bleach solution... WHILE WEARING APPROPRIATE PPE. (goggles, gloves, mask) Make sure the dog is hydrated and see if there is a place he or she can stay to avoid further exposure.
Do whatever poison control says. This is no joke.

 

[Sarcazian]

good luck and I hope it ends up as something less serious. Stay safe!

Do you have carbon monoxide monitors/detectors in the house?

Carbon monoxide poisoning - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org

 

[fishguy242]

echo all above..following..
best wishes...

 

[HolySmoke]

@CMMorgan Thank you that was really good advice and advice the Dr. Didnt give me over the phone. CO was my first thouht and I moved the detector from outside the room to right next to my Oil fired boiler.

The guy I spoke to gave me a little piece of mind but My wife and I are bringing the dog to my inlaws and going to the ER just to be safe.

Thank you to all.

 

[ZipAdeeZoa]

Are you getting a mettalic taste in your mouth? I beleive that one of the most common symptoms.

 

[King_Acidic]

Hopefully you guys are all good! Following to see what the outcome is.

 

[ZoWhat]

@HolySmoke

I've personally have had palytoxin in my system TWICE.

Both times were dealing with
pale green wild palyanthids (Not zoas!)

Both times I got symptoms within 6hrs.

Symptoms:

Deep painful headache
Pounding heart when lying down
Lack of appetite
Shortness of breath

Symptoms lasted about 3-4 days peaking at day 2

Never felt the need to seek the ER. Symptoms were manageable. But NEVER felt my life was in danger. It felt like a bad flu.

If you haven't felt symptoms within 12 hrs, then quit worrying.

HTH


.

 

[MarkyMark_]

@HolySmoke

I've personally have had palytoxin in my system TWICE.

Both times were dealing with
pale green wild palyanthids (Not zoas!)

Both times I got symptoms within 6hrs.

Symptoms:

Deep painful headache
Pounding heart when lying down
Lack of appetite
Shortness of breath

Symptoms lasted about 3-4 days peaking at day 2

Never felt the need to seek the ER. Symptoms were manageable. But NEVER felt my life was in danger. It felt like a bad flu.

If you haven't felt symptoms within 12 hrs, then quit worrying.

HTH


.

I'm sorry but this is terrible advice. The man and his wife are experiencing symptoms in relation to a deadly poison and you are basically telling him to just deal with it.

OP, you did the right thing going to the ER for the safety of you and your family

 

[Rjramos]

First thing first. You mentioned getting last few corals off the bottom. Were they paly’s? Secondly, fever as your wife has is not a symptom of palytoxin poisoning. I would observe all symptoms including the dog, and proceed for help if anyone gets seriously ill. And then, it’s as if you called your doctor right now and that answering machine came out telling you “ if you have an emergency, hang up and call 9-1-1. No one, not even a bunch of Non-doctors on R2R, are gonna tell you to blow it off, and then something more serious is going on. Use your discretion, and if unsure go to the ER or urgent care for peace of mind.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Symptoms Of Palytoxin Poisoning​

Although poisonings are relatively rare it is important to be aware that Palytoxin poses a significant risk to human safety due to its extreme toxicity. Symptoms can occur and progress rapidly within minutes to hours after handling coral.
Severity depends on how long people have been exposed, the distance they were from the location where coral was being handled, the route of exposure and the presence of cuts or abrasions on hands (Palytoxin can easily pass through a skin wound and reach the bloodstream).
Symptoms include:

• Flu-like symptoms such as coughing, fever, chills, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, chest pain, respiratory distress.
• Skin symptoms: rash (hives), itching, numbness, dermatitis.
• Respiratory symptoms: wheezing, tight chest, shortness of breath, runny nose, fluid in the lungs.
• Gastrointestinal symptoms: abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
• Ocular symptoms, conjunctivitis, photophobia, blurred vision, corneal ulceration.(eyes in general)
• Neurological symptoms: fatigue, dizziness, speech disturbance, bitter metallic taste, tremors, tingling or numbness of extremities.
• Muscle symptoms: pain, weakness, cramps, spasms.
• Cardiac effects: irregular, slow, fast heart rate, cardiac muscle damage, low or high blood pressure

Severe cases report muscle breakdown, kidney failure, coma and death from cardiac or respiratory failure. There is no specific treatment or antidote for Palytoxin poisoning with medical treatment limited generally to supportive care.
and contacting Poison control was the first good initiative you made.

• Most aquarium-related cases occur as a result of skin exposure after prolonged handling through cuts on hands or inhalation of coral dust, steam vapors or water droplets and aerosols while cleaning, separating, growing/propagating, collecting, transporting mechanically removing or eradicating over-growing corals by pouring boiling water on live rock as well as cleaning home marine aquariums.

 

[Courtney Aldrich]

I would go to the hospital. Here's a case report (https://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/criem/2015/621815.pdf)

The couple were in the hospital for nearly a week and had to go on a respirator.

Make sure your go to a hospital within your health coverage network

 

[vetteguy53081]

As long as we are on the subject. . . . everyone keep this precaution in mind:

• Keep the coral submerged when moving between tanks. Containers with aquarium water work great. The greatest risk is when coral is exposed to air
• As long as we are wearing masks, use them when handling ANY coral
• Wear gloves when handing Paly’s & Zoa’s
• When scrubbing rocks always scrub with the rock completely submerged. ALWAYS wear gloves, goggles & mask
• Avoid working in your tank with cuts and hangnails on your arms and hands
• Wear eye protection when cleaning live rock, fragging etc
• NEVER BOIL or COOK LIVE ROCK – Sends the toxin airborne
• ALWAYS wash your hands after they have been in the tank
• Palytoxin awareness