Maybe you don't know how easily grossed out I get over silly things. It isn't one of my endearing qualities. Therefore I don't crow too loudly about it.
Due to my queasiness over having my feet touch seaweed (weirdly, I have no problem eating the stuff), I squirmed a little too much one morning when climbing up the pier from the sea, trying to avoid caressing anything remotely slimey or furry and ended up kicking my toes into a sea urchin.
As one could imagine I was not a happy duck. As a matter of fact once I was safely out of harms way from all the sea creatures on dry land, I believe I stomped off, one-footed in a mood to the house to begin 'operation urchin removal' with my tweezers.
By lunchtime I could laugh about it. Although not all the barbs were out of my toes, I wasn't in any major pain and we decided to get on with the day - quills in my toes and all. We got in the car for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks to head to a beach we were unacquainted with.
Claude was driving when I felt a horrible pricking on my hand. I looked down and there was a big, fat wasp stinging me. In my urgent-wifey-not-so-cool voice, I urged Claude to pull the car over so we could get this mighty guy out of the car and off of me.
So when the car was off the road I got out in a mild huff and ushered the wasp out.
Once back in the car, I was feeling irritated at Claude for not pulling the car off more quickly and Zenchai said "Look! An apple tree." In my irksome state, I nearly dismissed him, but then looked up and there was a beautiful fig tree with fully ripened fruit hanging off the branches, practically calling to be picked.
Quickly out of the car we got, immeasurably excited about Zenchai's discovery. Most of the other fig trees on the island will not be ready until August, so we couldn't believe our stroke of luck. Greedily but gently, we tugged the figs from the tree, filling a shopping bag.
All thoughts of sea urchins and wasps had magically been wiped away in that moment.
Finally, back in the car, stocked-up to the hilt with figs, we made our way to the unfamiliar beach. There we found total refuge and were rewarded with a lovely, warm, sandy, shallow sea water that we could all relish together.
A thorny start to the day with possibly a fairytale ending? You decide.
Abrams Family Travel Tips: If you have the pleasure of being spiked by a sea urchin, once the initial shock has passed there is no need to fret too much. Use clean tweezers to remove as many of the spines as you can - this can be tricky as they have reverse barbs making your job more tedious - sanitise the area with hydrogen peroxide (I used colloidal silver gel) and just let nature take its course. Sea urchin needles are of similar composition to our bones and they will over time dissolve or our bodies will eliminate them. To aid the process you can try applying vinegar compresses, soak your feet frequently in the sea (or use Epsom salts) and I read you can wrap the area in duct tape. Most important is to keep the area clean. If you are in a lot of pain or there is sign of infection then use common sense and go see a doctor.
My injury is fairly nominal. I tweezed out as much as I could, have been soaking my feet in the very salty Adriatic and applying colloidal silver gel. I still have some semblance of spines in the tips of two of my pedal digits, but it can take weeks, even months, for the spikes to dissolve or expel completely.
Hopefully there is no need for me to write this, but obviously I am not a doctor and the above information provided is based solely on my experience and what I found on the internet regarding sea urchin injuries.
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