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I was hunting lobster with my Dad yesterday and he got bitten by a Caribbean spiny lobster (the irony being that it was a pregnant female he was trying to release without harming the eggs). A day later he now has a fever and the finger is looking very dark and the whole hand is ominously painful.
He is extremely reluctant to go to hospital (with good reason, if you have ever seen a Caribbean hospital). Other than the usual advice relating to potentially infected bites, does anyone have any specific advice or experience relating to spiny lobster bites? I only know one other person to have been bitten, and they did not react at all to the bite. However my Dad is much older.
If it were my dad, I'd get him to the hospital. The finger turning dark along with a fever is not a good sign. If he gets blood poisoning, the finger will be the least of his problems.
I'd think you'd know more than I about saltwater infections, but I understand some are rapid and severe. If the local hospital can't handle it, how fast can he get to a good one. Is he a member of DAN North America with Travelers Assist?
Definitely get medical care. Florida lobster can cut your finger OFF, they have a very strong crushing mouth. If he did not receive a severe crush injury, he probably just has an infection.
Surely they ended up in a clinic somewhere, or are traveling to a destination with a better one. I've read that some of those salt water infections are so dangerous that you have one day for help.
I wholeheartedly endorse the recommendation to see a physician, Caribbean or not. This clearly sounds like an infection, and there are organisms in seawater that aren't friendly at all. Hand infections are never trivial, because there are so many structures in the hand that have to function well to allow the hand to do its work. Don't delay.
""Hanging in trim" is frustrating beyond words if your only option is to use sheer determination to overcome physics." (lowviz)
My dive journal can be read here, and a current dive blog HERE
Okay, you've heard all our opinions. Want to know what the science is? http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/ www.divematrix.com
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