Long Illness – CIGUATERA FISH POISON

Hi all,

Here is a recent email I received from another sufferer who had long term problems but didn’t know what it was.  With permission I am posting her words.  I hope it can help others who may have similar problems and have had no diagnosis yet. Most doctors do not even know about it, let alone believe you.  There is also a support page on Facebook of others with similar stories and experiences that are worth knowing about.

Hi, I just read your book and would like to thank you for sharing your story – I imagine it wasn’t easy to relay. I can’t think of anything to write that doesn’t sound too cliched but hope you are doing better.

I found it very interesting as I have a relapsing neurological condition that defies diagnosis along with migraines, skin complaints, breathing difficulties and IBS. I’ve had countless MRIs and blood tests etc to no avail.

What interests me about the fish poison is I grew up in WA, where I had a mystery illness as a kid – we kept fish, went fishing and ate fish.

Then we moved to the UK and i started having weak knees where my legs would give out suddenly and then return in a hour or a day or so. This got worse after a trip to Africa where I was violently ill after a fish dinner followed by a yearly relapsing paralysis/muscle weakness with extreme fatigue etc. which would last several weeks but take months to recover from. It gets a little worse each time.

The doctors can’t figure out what is triggering it but an allergy to peanuts, eggs and chicken tie in with a diet change to coincide with summer when it normally happens. Also, prawns became a no go a couple of years ago followed recently by cod now. Since there are so many symptoms, I’ve never told the doctors about this or the swap on the fluctuating hot cold sensation or burning toothpaste (some brands are worse than others) as seemed trivial compared to the other more pressing problems but I’ll have to raise it next time.

Even more interesting, my husband who incidentally never eats fish, has also started displaying similar symptoms, mainly gastro but also back weakness.

I know it’s a stretch but then again, I think it’s worth pursuing given the lack of a viable alternative. Once again I would like to thank you for sharing your story and this new avenue for me to pursue.

Kind regards

List of symptoms – CIGUATERA FISH POISON

Ciguatoxins are amongst the DEADLIEST MAMMALIAN poison known  to us.  Volume for volume it is 1000,times more potent than arsenic and the ciguatoxins are in fresh fish over 3kg or 30 cms.  Of course, not every fish has the toxins but it is now being carried by fish globally and has increased 60% in the last 10 years according to marine biologists.

This frightening poison has been around for centuries and we are not informed about it.  I ate fish with ciguatera and have long term disability – long term pain – long term complications. Most people suffering ciguatera have to give up work and exercise. Not to mention all the other eating problems, breathing problems, walking problems and more…. here is a list of the symptoms. You can suffer any of these symptoms or all of them.

NEUROLOGICAL

Parenthesis of extremities and around mouth, including numbness, tingling or pain

Temperature reversals – hot is cold and cold is hot

Temperature sensitivity

Vertigo

Dental pain

Blurred vision

Tremors

Psychiatric problems

Pain when urinating

Muscle aches, intense pain

skin peeling

Itching/burning of skin,Itchy eyes, nose, ears. Itchy scalp, face or anywhere

Discomfort or inability in walking, standing, exercise

Exhaustion

Adrenal exhaustion

Thyroid exhaustion

Sleeping disorders

Mental disorientation.

GASTRO-INTESTINAL

Nausea and vomiting, cramps

Diarrhoea

Dyspepsia

Digestive difficulties

Pain on eating

Intense and unquenchable thirst

CARDIO-VASCULAR

Bradycardia

Tachycardia

Hypotension

Arrhythmia

Sudden blood pressure spikes – high or low

RESPIRATORY

All asthma like symptoms

Shortness of breath when active

Shallow breath

Sufferers will tell you lots more symptoms which can occur in individuals also.

Please have great caution when eating fish.  Japanese food has a lot of raw fish and is a common means of getting Ciguatera. You do not have to eat much to get sick.  It will not matter how fresh it is.  It cannot be cooked away.  No one can tell if ciguatera is in that fish you are eating or not… do not believe anyone who says they know it is okay. Unless they can tell you the origin, size and weight, do not eat it.  The only real test is to feed a piece of the fish to a dog or cat. If it has the cuguatoxin, the cat or dog will die very shortly!  This is real!  Flies will not land on fish with ciguatera – other than this there is absolutely  no way to tell if it is safe or not.  Canned tuna is another common carrier of ciguatera – read the facts now… more to come or read my book Living with Ciguatera Poisoning.

Ciguatera Poison hits you fast..

One of the welts that come up and itch and burn. Burns all over body.

My last post briefly explained some symptoms of Ciguatera Poisoning but I am going to post bits and pieces of symptoms, especially at onset so others might know what is happening.  People I have spoken to, who got it and never knew about it were terribly confused and puzzled about what was happening to them… I was the same, but luckily I visited a marine biologist the following morning who diagnosed me. I could at least deal with what was happening – others do not find a diagnosis for years and are often told they “are imagining it”.  It does seem like an invisible illness and it is!!  Only small fish under 3kg or 30cms are safe.  If you do not know the original size of the fish, then don’t eat it…

I had symptoms within a couple of hours and most people I speak with say the same. The first symptoms I had was feeling weird and wound up, then when I brushed my teeth in cold water – it burned my mouth.  The others who ate the fish also, had the same symptoms in varying degrees.  I ate more fish than the other people as I am already allergic to crustaceans.  I itched like crazy which burned and my skin and palms were very red and angry and sore and strange…   the symptoms continued  without change for some 6 months or more.  I could not walk on cold floors – it burned.  I could not feel hot water – it burned but it could not feel like it.  Cannot eat peanut butter, chickens that are fed fish meal, eggs and other common things many sufferers tolerate.  Some people cannot tolerate dairy foods anymore or alcohol.

It does depend on how much fish you have eaten as there are incidents, documented – where people have died within hours of eating. I would say it would be a terrible death as the pain from the poison in your nervous system is like burning fire from within … some people have had their skin peel off – from the inside!  I have had skin peeling when the poison is active and have minor skin problems now but I did not suffer this much.  In the late (I think 1997) a fish banquet was held in Melbourne. If memory serves me (it is in the newspapers) around 90 people died THAT NIGHT and others were hospitalized. The fish was caught in the Bass Straight which is NOT a tropical area. Most people think they can only get it in tropical areas! WRONG!!

So, for now, if you suffer these strange things or get sick when you eat fish or chicken or eggs which are especially common or get rashes and itching after eating these foods, please be aware what may be happening to you.  This is a long term poison and disables the nervous, muscular, respiratory, gastro-intestinal systems. There are many other symptoms but this is the main four areas that they will be affected by and from.  I do not suffer the respiratory problems but do have many ongoing problems in other areas.  I will post the long list of other symptoms in following posts along with some others’ experiences.

EATING FISH IS LIKE PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH YOUR LIFE

WATCH OUT FOR FISH POISONING – Ciguatera

I have had CIGUATERA FISH POISONING for almost 13 years now and suffered enormous pain, burning skin and itching beyond belief causing a lot difficulty during those years. The Ciguatera Fish Poison is not a new poison but been around our planet from birth. It is caused by fish eating weed on DYING CORAL & ROCK which has the Ciguatera toxin contained within it. When the fish grows to 3kilos or a larger fish eats it, the ciguatera toxins are generated into the flesh of the fish and it becomes fatal to small mammals and some humans. There are many cases of deaths in recent years around the globe.

The ciguatera toxin contains 5 other toxins within it and is 1000 times more powerful than arsenic poisoning so it is very detrimental to ones health and well being if you happen to ingest it. OFTEN mis-diagnosed for MS, Skin problems, Mental problems and anything else they can think of because it is so little known about. I have known only one GP in many years who was a little familiar. Not one GP ever offered to help me look and learn!?

There is NO blood test for this however the ITCH & BURN is often the way this is diagnosed and redness, burning and intense itching of palms of hands, inner mouth, throat etc all at the onset especially. This subsides (sometimes) and changes into other symptoms; it moves about your body and attacks are recurrent depending on diet and activity. Some people can continue to work and have a fairly normal life, often reporting a re-attack when eating sea foods, chicken etc… others…. suffer horribly and it changes their life forever, permanently and its real!! One’s hot and cold feelings become opposite as the nervous system is affected. Nausea, weight loss, loss of balance and thinking abilities, loss of muscular ability, amongst a myriad of other symptoms.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET CIGUATERA FISH POISONING so please educate yourself now

I hope this site will bring in stories from others who are suffering and some more information on how to cope with this insidious poison. I welcome and invite everyone to have their say, write their story and tell us your information on eating habits and maintaining a lifestyle.

I have written a small book called LIVING WITH CIGUATERA FISH POISONING and welcome anyone to purchase it as an e-book from Xlibris, Amazon and other book stores. It is available as a soft cover for $20 plus postage and hard covers are available. I am happy to donate a book to any health organisation or library that would use it for reference material.

For more information or link to purchase this book please click here:forecast4fortune.com

CIGUATOXINS are amongst the deadliest mammalian poison known to us, volume for volume it is 1,000 times more potent than arsenic.

This frightening poison has been around for centuries – perfectly natural to our world for many centuries.

WE ARE NOT INFORMED and more importantly there is very little knowledge and even less help for anyone who gets ill from this toxin. I ate fresh fish with cigutera and my life has never been the same since.

WHY ARE WE NOT INFORMED? –

WHY DOESN’T ANYONE TALK ABOUT IT? –

WHY IS THERE NO AWARENESS ABOUT THIS POISON when just about everything else on the planet has a medicine for it. Possibly, this is a reason why. The medical field cant figure it out. However, I rarely find a medical person who has even heard of it so how can they diagnose people correctly.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

is about the most common misdiagnoses – among other things that people are reported as having when doctors cant diagnose them….. dermatology problems, mental problems, imaginings!! ie. making it up. I have read of many many people who experience this before they are diagnosed, sometimes for years.

I have had CIGUATERA FISH POISONING for almost 13 years now and suffered enormous pain, burning skin and itching beyond belief causing a lot difficulty during those years. The Ciguatera Fish Poison is not a new poison but been around our planet from birth. It is caused by fish eating weed on DYING CORAL & ROCK which has the Ciguatera toxin contained within it. When the fish grows to 3kilos or a larger fish eats it, the ciguatera toxins are generated into the flesh of the fish and it becomes fatal to small mammals and some humans. There are many cases of deaths in recent years around the globe.

The ciguatera toxin contains 5 other toxins within it and is 1000 times more powerful than arsenic poisoning so it is very detrimental to ones health and well being if you happen to ingest it. OFTEN mis-diagnosed for MS, Skin problems, Mental problems and anything else they can think of because it is so little known about. I have known only one GP in many years who was a little familiar. Not one GP ever offered to help me look and learn!?

There is NO blood test for this however the ITCH & BURN is often the way this is diagnosed and redness, burning and intense itching of palms of hands, inner mouth, throat etc all at the onset especially. This subsides (sometimes) and changes into other symptoms; it moves about your body and attacks are recurrent depending on diet and activity. Some people can continue to work and have a fairly normal life, often reporting a re-attack when eating seafoods, chicken etc… others…. suffer horribly and it changes their life forever, permanently and its real!! One’s hot and cold feelings become opposite as the nervous system is affected. Nausea, wieght loss, loss of balance and thinking abilities, loss of muscular ability, amongst a myriad of other symptoms.

YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET CIGUATERA FISH POISONING so please educate yourself now

I hope this site will bring in stories from others who are suffering and some more information on how to cope with this insidious poison. I welcome and invite everyone to have their say, write their story and tell us your information on eating habits and mainting a lifestyle.

I have written a small book called LIVING WITH CIGUATERA FISH POISONING and welcome anyone to purchase it as an e-book from Xlibris, Amazon and other book stores. It is available as a soft cover for $20 plus postage and hard covers are available. I am happy to donate a book to any health organisation or library that would use it for reference material.

Please send in your experiences to me so we can make this the hub of healing ourselves and each other, while making others aware of this dangerous poison & how easily it gets ingested.

You may not know about it before you get it but believe me you will know VERY QUICKLY if you have ingested ciguateric fish. Get to hospital and get a MANNITOL shot. You will need a great deal of medicine to help your body cope and there is NO MEDICAL HELP. Natural medicines – naturopathic and homeopathic are the only medicines that have helped me gain wellness and many others suffering. Please get natural help as soon as you can.

For any further information or inquiries please contact me at cooeechris1@gmail.com or see the support group on Facebook.