dec 28 1998. Sunday of last week, I was at the lagoon at Oleta Park north
of Miami Florida and while swimming I manipulated a sponge. Then, on the
fishing pier there was a man fishing needlefish (american needlefish?). I
had seen them there that day skimming long distances out of the water with
only there tail touching the surface for long distances of obout 20 feet.
On the peir, they were very easy to observe. They surrounded a school of
small fish that liked being in the shadow of the pier. Staying most of the
time motionless, one or the other once in a while jumped out of the water
to dive in this school in an attempt to catch one by spearing, I gess.
The fisherman was having good success at catching these needlefish. When
one bit, it put on quite a show of jumping here and there in a twisting,
snakelike fashion. Only, he needed a thicker line: the needlefish's beak
is so sharp it cut his line once in a while. I was so fascinated that the
first time he pulled one out on to the pier, I had to take it in my hands
and manipulate it to see this animal as near me as possible. It's after
this that I started feeling problems. Not ten minutes after having manipu-
lated it, I had a tingling and stinging sensation on the isides of my
fingers. After a few hours, this dissappeared but since then my fingertips
are inflammated and now I'm beginning to see red spots developping into red
areas in them. At certain areas surrounding the inflammated areas, I also
see dome-like small things resembling poison ivy rash but smaller and
without the liquid inside but with the red rash.
Can anyone tell me what this can be? Maybe it's from a self-defence
chemecal that's on the fish's skin, or some sort of pathogene living on
him, or maybe I'm allergic to something on him. Will this go away by
itself? Of course, maybe I should go and see a doctor.