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Game Forum / Simulators / Aviation Simulators / August 2008Question for the Aussies
A couple of months ago I was watching a program with a couple of science types searching the waters in Australia some sort of poisonous jelly fish thingie. They were covered from head to toe except for their faces. This thing they were looking for is so small that you can't even see it. Then both of them came up saying they'd been stung on their face. They took them to the hospital where they spent about 4 or 5 days in agonizing pain before they recovered. What the hell was that thing?  SignatureDallas On 8/25/2008 10:03 AM, Dallas went clickity clack on the keyboard and produced this interesting bit of text: > A couple of months ago I was watching a program with a couple of science > types searching the waters in Australia some sort of poisonous jelly fish [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > What the hell was that thing? I'm not an Aussie and I don't play one on TV, but it looks as if it might have been one of the box jellyfish species. The size makes me think it's this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carukia_barnesi The body is only about 5 mm long but the tentacles can be as long as a meter. This would certainly render it invisible in water. SignatureRule of Acquisition number 239: Never be afraid to mislabel a product. Box Jellyfish? > A couple of months ago I was watching a program with a couple of science > types searching the waters in Australia some sort of poisonous jelly fish [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > What the hell was that thing? > Box Jellyfish? Why would you wanna box a jellyfish? SignatureMarcel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (HC153VE) "You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach3." - Paul F. Crickmore, SR-71 pilot On Aug 25, 2:46 pm, Marcel Kuijper <zoepetier_nothing_h...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > Box Jellyfish? > > Why would you wanna box a jellyfish? It's not so bad when they're wearing their tiny little jellyfish boxing gloves : ) Arthur On 8/25/2008 11:46 AM, Marcel Kuijper went clickity clack on the keyboard and produced this interesting bit of text: >> Box Jellyfish? > > Why would you wanna box a jellyfish? How else are you going to mail him to Topeka, Kansas? SignatureReal programmers don't write in BASIC. Actually, no programmers write in BASIC after the age of 12. > A couple of months ago I was watching a program with a couple of science > types searching the waters in Australia some sort of poisonous jelly fish [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > What the hell was that thing? The Irukandji jellyfish http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irukandji_jellyfish . For those that haven't seen the documentary, the things aren't microscopic, but since they are transparent and their bell is less than an inch across, they are difficult to spot in the water (especially from above the surface on a sunny day). Apparently some Australian beaches erect nets during jellyfish season to ward off their larger box jellyfish cousins (who also have devastating stings), but the nets aren't particularly effective on the tiny Irukandji. There were even some reports of swimmers suffering unexplained medical emergencies that may have been the result of stings that occurred well before marine biologists had discovered the Irukandji types. Hi Varmit, Irukandji Nasty little bastards - as if the box jellyfish, and blue-ringed octopus were'nt already bad enough.. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/ss/stories/s1036031.htm Regards, John Ward > A couple of months ago I was watching a program with a couple of science > types searching the waters in Australia some sort of poisonous jelly fish [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > What the hell was that thing? Great these Aussie waters! After you just managed to escape from the great white you get stinged by this mini jellyfish with an East Indian name. Could be considered humorous..... By the way, why did these guys not wear anything to protect their face as well? If I understand Dalles correctly, they knew what they were facing.... Loek > Hi Varmit, > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >> >> What the hell was that thing? > By the way, why did these guys not wear anything to protect their face as > well? If I understand Dalles correctly, they knew what they were facing.... Yes, they were freakin' scientists specifically seeking out Irukandji... you'd think they'd have the sense to cover everything. But then again, they were Aussies.. maybe that explains it? :- ) SignatureDallas >> By the way, why did these guys not wear anything to protect their face as >> as well? If I understand Dalles correctly, they knew what they were facing.. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >:- ) All I have to say is.. Oh great, another freakin' tv program. LoL -G Hey, I resemble that remark! :-)) JW >> By the way, why did these guys not wear anything to protect their face as >> well? If I understand Dalles correctly, they knew what they were [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > :- ) > Hi Varmit, > > Irukandji > > Nasty little bastards - as if the box jellyfish, and blue-ringed octopus > were'nt already bad enough.. The octopus rarely bothers you unless you insist on pissing it off. I am one of the few lucky people for whom the box jelly stings only hurt for a couple of minutes if I pop the blisters as soon as they form. DAMHIK. I will attest that the initial pain is more intense than a second degree burn, but less than full bloom shingles and there seems to be no long term nerve damage. Although the tertiary stage of chickenpox (shingles) is not fatal, without pain relief a significant % of people suicide. I had 2 weeks of saphenous nerve shingles before I got medication and going to a doctor was my second to last resort :-) BTW, the combination of the painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-herpes drugs rendered me too stupid to know I was an idiot for about 2 months. Judging from my attempts at writing during that period, my IQ was plunged into the 2 digit range and my short term memory eradicated. Just writing about it stimulates a sense memory in my right leg after 7 years. JJ > BTW, the combination of the painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-herpes drugs > rendered me too stupid to know I was an idiot for about 2 months. Wow, it sounds like you really had a nasty case of shingles! I've got a spot on my neck that went off 3 or 4 times during the 90's. It was just a "discomfort" for me... a nasty little burn and some fatigue for 3 weeks at a time. I have talked to people that have described it as hell on earth. SignatureDallas > Wow, it sounds like you really had a nasty case of shingles! It started out with my thinking it was a bad case of jock itch. Then it began to spread down my thigh and shortly thereafter the pain started. It was strange, as it did not hurt if I kept moving, but peaked after 20 seconds of keeping my leg still. It is difficult to sleep and keep your leg moving :-) By the time I got over being macho, the blisters had made it south of my knee. What amazes me is that my mother suffered her first attack in 1940 and there were no painkillers available in the UK, as all of them were sent to the war effort. When she had a second attack in her early eighties, she just suffered through it, and refused to go to the doctor. > It started out with my thinking it was a bad case of jock itch. I guess I'm lucky, when I get a case of jock itch... it's just jock itch. SignatureDallas >> BTW, the combination of the painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-herpes >> drugs [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > I have talked to people that have described it as hell on earth. Hi Dallas, I had shingles about 40 years ago and it was very painful. You will remember that some months ago I was diagnosed with shingles again. I remember that you were a little skeptical at the time. Turns out it isn't shingles after all and now the blisters have spread over most of my body. Many specialistists, many biopsies, some biopsies sent to the USA and no one knows what it is. Nearly 10 months now. Every lesion (scores of them) is as painful as shingles. Living hell. Doug > Many specialistists, many biopsies, some biopsies sent to the USA and no one > knows what it is. Geez Doug... It sounds like god has been testing you in one of those old testament style ways. Have you seen any burning bushes lately? SignatureDallas >> Many specialistists, many biopsies, some biopsies sent to the USA and no >> one [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Have you seen any burning bushes lately? lol Doug > I had shingles about 40 years ago and it was very painful. You will > remember that some months ago I was diagnosed with shingles again. I [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Doug Have they tested for Stevens-Johnson syndrome and Ramsey Hunt? I would imagine they would have caught methicillin resistant stapholocaucus aureaus by sampling the serum in the blisters. Dyshidrosis or miliaria profunda are other possibilities. Is there any reason your immune response is abnormal? There is also the chance of cowpox or hand foot and mouth disease, but it is very rare. JJ >> I had shingles about 40 years ago and it was very painful. You will >> remember that some months ago I was diagnosed with shingles again. I [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > There is also the chance of cowpox or hand foot and mouth disease, but it > is very rare. Many thank Jeremy, I will ask my doctors about this. Every specialist has said that my condition is typical of a drug allergy. I am aging and take a few drugs. I cannot stop them all because they are needed. The dermatologists want me to wait 6 months after each drug is stopped. This will mean waiting years, unless the drug we stop early in the testing is the one causing the problem. Biopsies have apparently ruled out any virus/bacterial involvement. About the only thing the specialists agree on is that it is an allergy/autoimmune reaction. I have a history of "drug eruptions" to various drugs. The difference this time is that I had taken no new drugs, but I am told that one can become allergic to a drug that had not caused a problem in the past. Apart from things like high blood pressure and a history of strokes, I know of no reason for an abnormal immune response. I guess I have had most/all blood tests and all are normal. My history and test results have been sent to experts in the USA and Germany, without a resolution. Many, many thanks Jeremy, I'm off to Google the issues you have raised. Sorry to the group for this OT posting. Regards Doug >>> I had shingles about 40 years ago and it was very painful. You will >>> remember that some months ago I was diagnosed with shingles again. I [quoted text clipped - 45 lines] > Regards > Doug If you want to check out drug reactions try http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Home. cheers SNIP> > If you want to check out drug reactions try > http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/Home. > > cheers Thanks Nick, that's a good site. Doug Nothing to do with old peoples' health can be OT in this Group! LALB (I made this one up, it means 'laughs a little bit') SignatureYours Quilly, http://quilljar.users.btopenworld.com/ > >>> I had shingles about 40 years ago and it was very painful. You will [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > Regards > Doug Hi Quilly, Corker, mate - LALB! :-)) Regards, John Ward > Nothing to do with old peoples' health can be OT in this Group! LALB > (I made this one up, it means 'laughs a little bit') [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] >> Regards >> Doug > Biopsies have apparently ruled out any virus/bacterial involvement. > Doug I would be suspicious of that statement, as there are a number of retro-virus diseases that are only detected by extensive DNA/RNA analysis of cell nuclei. They usually comprise of a RNA molecule of about 8500 nucleotides; two such molecules are packaged into each viral particle. There are also mitochondrial DNA viruses that can be organ specific, and your skin is your largest organ. Email off list with more info, and I may be able to interest some of the people in the field. I live in Houston, and we have a world leading collection of medical expertise here, some of whom are on my World's Champion BBQ team. JJ Hi The Old Bloke, Is there anything, at all, I can do to help, mate??? Regards, John Ward >>> BTW, the combination of the painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-herpes >>> drugs [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Doug Thanks for the offer, John, but all that can be done, is being done. As you know, health treatment is world class in Aus, but getting access can be difficult. My dermatologist of many years refused to see me saying he now restricts his practice to "procedures", which I read as restricting himself to higher margin cases. Not much money in rashes, is there? Both private and public medicine have their failings. I do have a good dermatologist now. I suspect my GP had a close relationship with her in the past and he convinced her to take on my case He has that wicked grin when he talks about her lol > Hi The Old Bloke, > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >> >> Doug Hi The Old Bloke, You're getting some fantastic help from jeremy - isn't this newsgroup amazing!! Regards, John Ward > Thanks for the offer, John, but all that can be done, is being done. > [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] >>> >>> Doug It certainly is! > Hi The Old Bloke, > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >>> >>> Is there anything, at all, I can do to help, mate??? SNIP > Hi Varmit, > > Irukandji > > Nasty little bastards - as if the box jellyfish, and blue-ringed octopus > were'nt already bad enough.. Yep, the Travel Agent says to us, come on over to Queensland and experience the lovely golden beaches.. we get there and it's, "keep out of the water, salt watercrocs, box jellyfish and white sharks frequent here often... stay in the safe netted area but better still stay on shore but watch out for the death adders, taipans, cane toads, redbacks, mossies and low flying walking sticks" Then the Ockers say "where the bloody hell are ya?" :-) Butts > A couple of months ago I was watching a program with a couple of science > types searching the waters in Australia some sort of poisonous jelly fish [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > As others have said, the Irukandji (a very small type of Box Jellyfish) is the most likely culprit. It is found in most of our tropical waters on a seasonal basis though they is a possibility of them being about at anytime. They are virtually impossible to see but their larger relative(s) can be seen. All of these are considered highly dangerous. Most beaches in the North have warning signs during the stinger season. There are suits one can buy or rent which protect you as does pantihose (only suitable for fishermen not going in above their waists. The guys who got stung on the face were probably unlucky but if there are large numbers then watch out! Some tropical beaches have protective nets to keep out the Box Jellyfish but the Irukandji can get through due to their small size. The beaches below the tropics do not have Box Jellyfish but do have less dangerous stingers such as the Portuguese Man of War (known here as the Blue Bottle). Their stings are very painful but very rarely fatal (some people have an Anaphalactic Reaction (excuse the spelling if its wrong)). The further South you go the less of these nasties are about. So here in paradise, sorry I mean Tasmania, we don't have to worry too much. Anyway, despite having some of the most beautiful beaches in the world the water is a bit cool for swimming except in late summer and autumn when we have a warm ocean current on the East Coast. So be warned, swimming in the Australian tropics is potentially hazardous. Further south its the Great White Shark that is the worry but there are very few attacks and popular beaches are meshed to protect surfers. Cheers and good swimming! Bernie > As others have said, the Irukandji That has to be Irukandji.. I recall it having a weird name like that. Man... don't send those bastards up here.. Life is pretty easy for the beaches on this side of the equator. Aside from the very rare shark attack there's not much else up here to worry about. SignatureDallas We have these really nice things called stone fish on our northern coast too. Try standing on one of them! They too can be hard to spot because they sit in the sand and are a similar colour >> As others have said, the Irukandji > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > beaches on this side of the equator. Aside from the very rare shark > attack there's not much else up here to worry about. Hi Varmit, It pays to have the smarts down here. Scientists aren't always the smartest blokes, practically, mate! Regards, John Ward > A couple of months ago I was watching a program with a couple of science > types searching the waters in Australia some sort of poisonous jelly fish [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > What the hell was that thing? |
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