A trip I would like to forget.

[deceiverbob]

Two weeks I decided to do a quick wade on the beach in the western part of Harrison county. I only carried a fly rod. I managed a couple of throwbacks, but it was slow. Some other anglers fishing nearby with DOAs under corks did about the same as me. At 8:30 I decided to call it a morning and made my way back to the truck, just like any other wading trip. Monday morning I wake up for work at 4:30 am and notice a small red spot about the size of a quarter on my right ankle. It looks like the skin may have been irritated by something. I get dressed and go to work. By lunch the red spot is 8 inches long and getting painful. I leave work at 11:00 and see a doctor at an urgicare center. The NP prescribes an antibiotic and tells me to get to an ER if anything changes. When I get home I feel so bad I go to bed at 3:00 pm and sleep until 7:30 a waking up only take scheduled doses of the antibiotics. Tuesday morning by red area has taken up my whole lower leg below the knee. My leg is very swollen and it is starting to blister and drain. My dad drives me to the ER in Biloxi. The er doc sticks his head in my exam room glances at my leg and says "your admitted and probably going to surgery in a few hours". They start IV antibiotics and put me in a room. A ct scan reveals no abscesses in the muscle tissue so surgery is put on the back burner. Blood, wound and urine cultures were taken and several different antibiotics were started. On Thursday I was transferred to Gulfport Hospital to start hyperbaric treatments. I am treated for vibrio, staph and strep infections but the culprit is never isolated. By Sunday the drugs and treatments appeared to be helping me turn the corner and I became hopeful that I would keep my leg. I was discharged on Friday evening after 11 days in the hospital, but still face a month of strong antibiotic pills and at least a month of wound care.

 

[JoJer]

My son and I took the Gkids camping, first trip for the 2 boys-4 and 8 and the girl, 9. All the weather maps I saw said the storms were to go way west of us.
Got the spot we wanted, set up camp, fed the kids, they-all swam in the creek, I was still situating stuff. Storm came thru, instantly removed the tarp off the back of his PU that he and the littlest were going to sleep under. My 8 (Korean) man tent looked OK, and it had about 90# of gear inside it, and it was fine...until the last big WHOOSH came thru. It picked up my tent, pulled all the stakes, inverted it and moved it backwards about 8'. (Sportsman's Warehouse brand tent). Only got 1 little tear in one of the minor pole sleeves. Amazed it wasn't wrecked.

 

[CutThroat Leaders]

Wow,
Glad things are getting better for you. Sounds scary as heck. Positive thoughts coming your way... Continue on the road of recovery.

 

[karstopo]

Vibrio, vibriosis, is bad news. Your story sounds like others I’ve read about here in coastal Texas. Some little scratch or abrasion that suddenly becomes life threatening. It’s amazing how fast these infections escalate into something real bad.

Glad you are on the mend. I get cut, nicked, poked or scraped just about every time I fish and have yet to get an infection. But your story is one that reminds me to seek treatment ASAP if any of those little scraps and scratches seems off.

 

[mcnerney]

Bob

That sounded awful, glad your got the care you needed and are on the mend!

 

[el jefe]

Dang, Bob, that's a rough go. Your experience rams home the point that it's good to always wear long sleeves and long pants. Though they won't prevent everything, it's fewer scratches and cuts, not to mention its sun protection qualities.

Good luck.

 

[Thunderstick]

Dang hope it heals and clears up. Getting hurt fishing sucks i will say.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[scotty macfly]

I hope you come to a full clean bill of health, and I'm very glad you get to keep your leg. These infections today are some of the nastiest things to deal with, and it scares the heck out of me at times thinking just a scratch could be the end of me.

Glad you're going to be alright.

 

[mikechell]

Wow! Necrotizing Fasciitis ... another reason I stay away from salt water. I know it can be contracted in other ways, but all of the cases I've ever heard of were contracted while wading in salt water.

I truly hope your incident finalizes with no permanent damage.

 

[dennyk]

Godspeed in your healing Bob. I need to be super careful with any type of flesh wound. Myself having lupus a minor scratch can turn into cellulitis in a big hurry. I had 3 run ins with it last year, antibiotics did the job.

Denny

 

[markg52]

WOWZERS! Prayers for a speedy, complete recovery Bob.

 

[roadkill1948]

Wow! What an event. Thanks for sharing. It reminds me how quickly things can go bad. I'm glad thngs are improving.

 

[driftless22]

Good to hear that you've made through this ordeal without any lasting damage. Vibrio Vulnificus infections are a real hazard if you fish in the Gulf. Something like 346 Vibrio infections were reported in Florida during the past 10 years, and about 30% of these infections were fatal. For those who survive, amputations are not uncommon. Not surprisingly, individuals who are older and/or have immune deficiencies are at greater risk. The moral of the story is to exercise some care - don't wade in warm brackish water if you have any cuts or abrasions. Boat fishermen also need to be careful when handling toothy fish.

 

[tex68w]

Glad to hear that you are recovering! This happens annually in Texas as well.

I went offshore a few weeks back and got a funny burn/abrasion type rash on my right knee. I noticed it as I knelt down on the non-skid to mess with some tackle. I have a habit of keeping a full med kit with me wherever I go (former Army medic) and so I decided not to take any chances and started treating it on the spot. That rash just now lost it's scab nearly three weeks later. It was full of puss and wouldn't heal until earlier this week, very unusual. I am nearly certain that had I not started after it right away that it could have easily turned into something similar to that of your own.