What is your WORST sting/accident that caused physical damage from the hobby?

[SauceyReef]

I have been in the hobby 12 + years, and accidents are rare so far, but I do have a couple stories now. I just got stung pretty bad last night on my finger and not even sure what it was. Felt like a bee sting, and my finger is still pretty swollen this morning. Once about 7-8 years ago a RBTA, or LPS caught my underarm pretty bad and it at one point became borderline necrotic. Almost had to go to the hospital for that one..

Anyone else have any sting stories or other crazy accidents?

 

[blaxsun]

My black sea cucumber "webbed" me once. Didn't hurt, but that crap is sticky as heck. Other than that, just a minor sting on my index finger from my RBTA which left an imperceptible welt. Nothing like your experience!

 

[\m/reefsnmetal\m/]

My long spine urchin stabbed me once. I had a few spines buried under my skin. Luckily they dissolved and I didn't get an infection.

 

[fishguy242]

open cut, stung by hammer coral,
near wrist ,swelling went halfway up forearm ,
before went to er...

 

[SauceyReef]

My long spine urchin stabbed me once. I had a few spines buried under my skin. Luckily they dissolved and I didn't get an infection.

A dissolving urchin spine under my skin sounds horrible!

 

[SauceyReef]

open cut, stung by hammer coral,
near wrist ,swelling went halfway up forearm ,
before went to er...

We are 10 minutes in and already at our first ER story! This thread should get interesting..

 

[fishguy242]

upper ankle sprain, hyperextended thumb, er trip,
caused by 20" snowflake...
to embarrassed to explain...

 

[Pazernaker]

upper ankle sprain, hyperextended thumb, er trip,
caused by 20" snowflake...
to embarrassed to explain...

Well, now you're obligated to explain...

 

[New&no clue]

Apart from a bruised ego... which is pretty standard, I've gotten bristleworm bristles in my fingers when changing filter socks several times.

 

[kdx7214]

Trip to the ER due to sting by Lionfish spine. Stupid anaphylaxis.

 

[Karen00]

upper ankle sprain, hyperextended thumb, er trip,
caused by 20" snowflake...
to embarrassed to explain...

You do know after saying "too embarrassed to explain" means you now have to explain. ;-) In my mind I see this as... Your snowflake eel startled you causing you to lurch backward and spin sideways as you fell thus spraining your ankle and when you tried to break your fall you hyper extended your thumb. Am I close? ;-)

 

[Lanny]

Watched 2 co-workers at my LFS test how bad a hellfire anemone(Actinodendron arboreum)
sting feels. First guy rubbed it with the back of his hand and didn't feel anything. Second guy did the same but he got hit hard. His hand looked like a red balloon the rest of the night. It ended up leaving scare tissue after it healed a few weeks later. He said it was the worst feeling he has felt. Me personally got stung pretty bad by a S. Giantea carpet anemone while not being careful. Dozens of tiny welts up my arm.

 

[Karen00]

Trip to the ER due to sting by Lionfish spine. Stupid anaphylaxis.

Wow, is that the typical reaction for a lionfish sting or is it person by person? Do epi-pens work for that in an emergency?

 

[fishguy242]

You do know after saying "too embarrassed to explain" means you now have to explain. ;-) In my mind I see this as... Your snowflake eel startled you causing you to lurch backward and spin sideways as you fell thus spraining your ankle and when you tried to break your fall you hyper extended your thumb. Am I close? ;-)

dead on !!
put eel back in, crawled to phone called wife ,to help me up the stairs ,and drive to er at 4am...

 

[Gtinnel]

I went to break a piece of a birdsnest off of a rock and when it broke free my hand slipped and I got a small cut on my hand from another coral that I hit. It’s not much of a story but all I’ve got.

 

[LordNeb]

My lionfish was watching me move rocks around and I got stung cause I was dumb and forgot they could do that and accidentally brushed against it. I didn't have to go to a hospital or anything, it just hurt bad.

 

[Karen00]

dead on !!
put eel back in, crawled to phone called wife ,to help me up the stairs ,and drive to er at 4am...

O.. M.. G!! That definitely counts as a tank inhabitant related injury. What a crazy story! I would be keeping a steely eye on that eel whenever my hand had to go in the tank. ;-)

 

[Karen00]

I went to break a piece of a birdsnest off of a rock and when it broke free my hand slipped and I got a small cut on my hand from another coral that I hit. It’s not much of a story but all I’ve got.

Danger comes in all forms. You're lucky the story didn't end with that cut becoming infected and it ballooned to five times the size. I think we forget that our little "slice of the ocean" can actually be a dangerous place to stick our hands in.

 

[\m/reefsnmetal\m/]

A dissolving urchin spine under my skin sounds horrible!

It wasn't as terrible as I imagined. I loved that urchin but had to trade him because he got so big I was afraid he'd skewer my fish.

 

[Gtinnel]

Danger comes in all forms. You're lucky the story didn't end with that cut becoming infected and it ballooned to five times the size. I think we forget that our little "slice of the ocean" can actually be a dangerous place to stick our hands in.

I did go and immediately wash my hand to help try to make sure there wasn’t an infection. I even had gloves on which I honestly rarely use. They were cheap, thin gloves and offered no resistance to me being cut.