[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by abba821

I really think the public needs to be warned about this exposure. From my research, those persons already suffering from respiratory ailments can become significantly worse when exposed to this toxin.

If you read the newspaper or go on the local messageboards on the internet, there is plenty of warning.
There were signs on our beach.

[sg928]

This is very interesting. We have been down to Sarasota for the last two years for Easter. Both years I had a head cold when we left. The entire time we were down there I lived on cough medicine and my children's asthma medicine. I have never needed it until then. The weird thing is that my children and husband didn't have any asthma symptoms down there. And they have very bad asthma in NY. There were no signs of red tide when we were there. But it makes me wonder....

[LLyn]

Killed thousands of fish off Long Island

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by sg928

This is very interesting. We have been down to Sarasota for the last two years for Easter. Both years I had a head cold when we left. The entire time we were down there I lived on cough medicine and my children's asthma medicine. I have never needed it until then. The weird thing is that my children and husband didn't have any asthma symptoms down there. And they have very bad asthma in NY. There were no signs of red tide when we were there. But it makes me wonder....

If there had been red tide when you were there, I think you would know it.
It is a special, occasional event. It is a big deal.

My husband had terrible chronic allergies the entire time we lived in Colorado.
They are absolutely gone since we moved here.
Me, I had my first allergies ever last January.

[redtidehealthissue]

Originally Posted by sickfromredtide

I totally agree with you that "they" have no idea what causes the Red Tide and from what I'v read its been documented to be around since 1947 centered in Venice. The problem I have is when I bought a home in South Venice in 2006 no one told me a thing about Red Tide, this board was just starting out so there was no info about it when I was researching the area.
It wasn't until I move my Mother down there and she got sick in July 2006.
Even the doctors and lung specialist in Venice would not admit anything about Red Tide being a problem for your lungs. Most of the people living in Venice are old and they would look at me like I was nuts. Now I know why they nver leave the house. Sorry for being pain on this subject but I have my personal reasons, and I think everyone checking the area should know.

Sickfromredtide, you are right on the money! The toxins from this algae are lethal to the breathing, among other body functions. Right now, my mother is struggling to breathe after being exposed to red tide at Panama City Beach, Florida in mid October. She made the unfortunate mistake of taking a very deep, cleansing breathe while there was a wind blowing the toxin inshore. She experienced a SEVERE burning deep within her chest and she was so stunned physically that she was essentially paralyzed for a moment! Her chest was tight and she could barely get any air inside her lungs. She had already been exposed to the "fumes" of red tide for several days before with only mild eye irritation, throat burning, and constant coughing. This was quite different!

She left the beach almost immediately to go home to the doctor some 80 miles away in a different state. The red tide connection was not really taken seriously. My mother insisted on a chest x-ray. It showed a fairly large infiltrate in her right upper lung. A pulmonologist came on board and ordered a bronchoscopy. Those results were inconclusive. Then, a surgeon took a biopsy of her nodes above the area in her lungs. She has adenopathy present. The results are not yet back.

In the meantime, my mother's breathing has worsened. Her daughters and husband convinced her to go to the emergency room today. I am awaiting to hear what is happening. I am about 1000 miles away. I am a former nurse and it is sickening that this can happen just from a simple beach vacation! I am sure that my mother is not alone. I would like to hear from anyone who has had a family member significantly affected by red tide. This could be bronchitis, pneumonia, ARDS, asthma, gastrointestinal or neurological symptoms...anything like that.

My eyes are wide open now after speaking to the "Marine and Freshwater Toxin Hotline" otherwise know as the "Red Tide Hotline." The reps. there will tell you that the only thing a human experiences is flu-like symptoms that go away when you leave the area. NO! This is untrue! The rep. tried to cite studies that show this. He cited a grand total of ONE! I asked for study resources that indicate that red tide only affects humans the way he claims; he could not give this information to me because he did not have it.

I asked him HOW he documents information from people who report it. Apparently, your zip code is entered and then they look up to see if any doctor entered "red tide exposure" as a diagnosis into the database. If not, there is no record of the case!! Faulty documentation!! As Sickfromredtide says, most beach area health care workers are not going to document that...their very livelihood depends on not doing so, doesn't it? AND...there is the pressure from the local government.

OK...so WHO will gather my mother's information? Who will come to test or investigate this very real-world, real-time case of severe red tide toxin inhalation? We'll see...I've written to plenty. I'll also be asking all involved physicians if reports will be filed at the NCDC and the Florida Department of Health. THEN...it will be time to get the politicians on board! How much pressure must they be under to "lood the other way?" We'll find out...

WARNING!!! ALERT!!! IF you have a slight cold AND you are over 70...do NOT go to a beach that has ANY red tide (HAB "harmful algae bloom") toxins (brevetoxins) blowing in the wind!!! For, if you do, you will be adversely affected---suffer severe immunosupression and subsequent opportunistic infection. Your respiratory status will be severely compromised and it may be TOO LATE for you to recover!!

Sickfromredtide, I'd like to speak to you further about this matter. I think your mother, my mother, and every other mother out there who visits the beach should NOT be subjected to this unnecessary suffering!!

Redtidehealthissue

Sick of the Red Tide Cover Up!!!

[redtidehealthissue]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

There seems to be some consistent symptoms with red tide exposure in both humans and animals. These symptoms are all given by the hundreds of people writing in and or living on island that have become sick from red tide exposure. This is not the go by the text book description, this is laymans observations, take it for what it is worth. Many of us have lived this for 20+ years with each episode making us more sick.

After experiencing on going redtide in various toxicity, many on our island have come up with some interesting observations.

I will first address the symptoms seen in the dogs then discuss what observations the islanders have presented for us humans. These are exact symptoms the dogs showed EACH time. Many dogs were sick and islanders got to know the warning signs.

The dogs have all shown exact symptoms, and the Vets with the correct treatment Treated them the same. This knowledge came from being there thru 16 dogs getting sick. It never changed.

1. Limited to uncontrollable sneezing.

2. Backwards cough, it's a cross between a cough and a choke. Once a dog has had a high exposure they can continue this type of coughing even if they have been brought inside. Beware, this has proven to be a strong indicator of impending problems. Keep the animals in clean air.

3. Uncontrollable swallowing accompanied by foaming at the mouth. This is seen when they get high doses of toxic air on the beach. Dogs have dropped as they walked on the beach. This happened on our island. And letters also pointed this out in St.Pete.

4. Drunken walk, they lose their motor skills, and are not sure of the location of their feet. They are losing sensory perception. This is FACT.

5. Lack of appetite and lack of energy for a day or two. This is seen in the dogs that have the toxins building in their systems. At times they may swallow constantly like they have something stuck in their throat, and droll slightly. This may pass or continue to full blown seizures.

6. Intestinal problems, digestive problems.

7. If exposure is severe there will be a Total shutdown of the nervous system, accompanied by blindness and deafness.

At this point ALWAYS keep the dog in a very quiet, dark area. Try not to move them too much. Their brains are over stimulated and any noise or light sets off convulsions and upsets them. They don't know where they are so be patient with them. Keep them out of the heat. Bring them to a vet who has knowledge of what to do. asap. Some will require a sedative just to keep them quiet.

There seems to be no difference between the dogs that ate fish and those that just had air or water exposure. There were three instances on island of families having two dogs, and only one got sick. Both dogs in the families were exposed to the same levels of brevetoxin. Olivia Gaines had enough toxin in her body, 3 weeks later, to kill a Manatee. Lazy had a relapse 3 weeks later when exposed to red tide air during another lovely red tide episode.

Note to all: These symptoms in the dogs are severe but can be counteracted very quickly but only by the perscribed method. See the page on the red tide articles, ie. red tide and dogs. Never give up on your dog. Even if things look extremely severe, they Will recover.. Port Charlotte Emergency vets, and Englewood Fl Vets, Dr. Botelson and Gilkerson know the treatments WELL.

The human symptoms we have all pinned down are:

1. Headache/migraine

2. Dry mouth, cracked lips

3. Extreme fatigue

4. Constant thirst

5. Extreme respiratory problems, coughing, lack of breath, laryngitis, sinusitis, and extreme irritation of the lungs.

6. Upset stomach

If a person arrives on island and has never been exposed to red tide, it seems to take a few days to a week for the symptoms to suddenly hit them.

Whether or not this indicates that the severity of reactions increases as exposure increases is a theory that needs to be addressed.

One person I know was within a few hours of total respiratory failure. She has lived on this island for 30 years and has been exposed many times to the red tide but had never suffered the affects she did last April.

The feeling on this island, is that after years of constant immersion in this toxic air, we are all hypersensitized to the red tide, and get worse with each episode.

These are our observations, hope it helps, please send yours.

I have been doing some research on red tide and its effect on humans. My 73-year-old mother recently went to Panama City Beach, Florida for a few weeks. She was exposed to the toxins from red tide while there. Before she knew anything about the problem, she was exposed to the toxins for several days. She breathed in deeply at one time while in hot tub outside her resort and felt some intense burning within her respiratory passages...down deep, she says.

At the time she went to the beach, she had a slight cold. However, upon returning, she became increasingly sicker which resulted in hemoptysis at one point (I am a former registered nurse). At the time of exposure, she had the typical non-stop coughing and burning eyes. Upon returning to Dothan, Alabama, my mother began to have no appetite and lose weight quickly. Her cough did not improve so she went to the doctor. She *insisted* on having an x-ray after antibiotics did little to help her condition.

Her x-ray revealed a suspicious area in her right lung. A CT scan was ordered. The CT scan revealed a mass about 3.7 cm by 3.5 cm in size in the right apex. My mother had been complaining of some right arm pain at the time.

My mother continues to cough up thick, yellowish sputum which she says is "thick like glue." She continues to lose weight. She has been very SOB on exertion. Just this past week, a biopsy was taken of a node near her right clavicle. She is awaiting the results now. A bronchoscopy done previously showed the specimen was of "no significant diagnostic value."

Naturally, my siblings and I are concerned that a malignancy will be found. While my mother was a smoker for quite a many years, she had not smoked for decades. She had not had any breathing problems before, and she has enjoyed a healthy life for the most part. BUT...this red tide exposure has sent her on a downward spiral which is noteworthy!

My medical background and recent research lead me to believe there is something more here than meets the eye. The red tide may not have *caused* the growth, but it has certainly affected its current effect on my mother's health. Most obvious is the fact that she cannot fight off the cold and it has progressed very quickly.

While she up in years, there is no reason that this cold should have affected my mother in this way. She's enjoyed walking for some time; since the red tide exposure, she is winded on very short walks.

Can you point me in the direction of more research findings? I want specific information on immunosuppression in humans after brevetoxin exposure. IS anyone actively studying human exposure right now? WHO might be interested in looking at my mother's case?

Even if my mother had a latent malignancy in her lung, the red tide has dramatically affected her respiratory condition. She has always enjoyed long walks on the beach, but she has never before encountered "red tide." She didn't even know what it was! She walked for over an hour in the toxin-filled beach winds...each day while there.

Thank you for your assistance! I strongly believe that she would be a very interesting case which highlights red toxin's affect on the elderly...even healthy ones!

Redtidehealthissue

[redtidehealthissue]

Originally Posted by sickfromredtide

I read this post a million times and some of it really bothers me. " You only have to worry about red tide if you are very young, very old, or have breathing problems. Other than that, red tide really isn't anything more than an anoyance" Just an annoyance! This is exactally the same response I got from people that live in that area, its just ignorant.
The problem is pollution, chemicals used to keep the grasses green,
Check out some letters written in about it. It effects everyone.
Letters and Questions Red Tide Alert

I'm with you sickfromredtide!! I have noted that there is a strong "PR Machine" associated with this issue. Posts with blanket generalizations are made in an effort to SPIN the matter. In truth, this problem is SERIOUS. Only those affected know for sure as oftentimes the caregivers are NOT reporting the cases to the appropriate organizations.

What is needed is for the RED TIDE EXPOSURE VICTIMS to network, to share experiences, to speak out!!

Any suggestions on how that might be done?

Redtidehealthissue

[redtidehealthissue]

Originally Posted by sickfromredtide

Here's a link to some research done about it. It seems to strike in the summer months when the water is very warm but looking at the stats from the past it has been high levels through December. There's alot of info on the web about the affects to humans and the more I find the scarier it gets. If you live at least 5 miles from the water, chances are you won't feel it. It only took 1 visit to the beach during the height of Red Tide in late July 2006 to make my Mother ill. In September 2006 Sarasota County started an alert system to warn of high levels... just a little too late for my Mom...
The other scary part is that Doctors in the area refused to admit it was a problem. As my Mother laid in the Critical Care Unit on a breathing machine at Venice Regional, only the nurses on duty would tell us about how bad the Red Tide was. I wonder how many people are dieing from it and they just cover it up and blame it on old age or something else. We knew when the biopsy came back from a second lab that we requested exactly what it was. At first they told us it was a disease.

Study: Red tide may weaken people's immune systems | Gainesville.com | The Gainesville Sun | Gainesville, Fla.

Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

Saras-3192ota County Beach Reports

Please let me know what the biopsy test was, sickfromredtide. Was it a test to determine the presence of brevetoxins? I need to get this done in my mother's case. Her results are due back anytime now. We don't have time to waste as you experienced yourself!

Redtidehealthissue