A Friday to remember
It started out well. I got to make deliberately contextless remarks on Facebook about getting a free ride in the back of a police car - as I was off to Kapiti for a police debriefing from some from the district who went down to Christchurch, so it made sense to grab a lift with the Inspector & Senior Sergeant from Porirua. The debriefing went well, lots of useful learnings, and then we had lunch.
I (and about 4 or 5 others) ordered the seafood basket - a piece of fish, a crab stick, two squid rings, a mussel, a scallop & chips, all deep fried - tasted quite nice really. Nice fresh fish, non-rubbery squid.
Got back to my office around 1.30. Went to the bathroom and noticed a red mark by my mouth, thought I'd missed with some beetroot, but it wouldn't come off, and closer inspection revealed that it seemed to be some kind of small blood blister bruise type thing. Sat down at my desk and googled to see if bruising around the mouth was related to some kind of seafood allergy - since I get a slightly different bruise on my chin if I have too much MSG. Couldn't find anything, but noticed that my lip was feeling a bit funny, then a bit numb, like dental anaesthetic wearing off, but in reverse. I knew that wasn't a particularly good sign, so rang Healthline to see what advice they had. While I was chatting to the nurse there, the numbness spread down my chin and along my jaw. She recommended I make an appointment to see my GP if I could get in that day, so I rang my local surgery who couldn't fit me in until 4.30, but at this stage the numbness was spreading down my neck, so they said I should go to Kenepuru Hospital immediately, so I did, right on 3pm.
Didn't take long to be seen, and by that time it had spread to my tongue and it felt like I'd been sucking on one of those anaesthetic throat lozenges when I swallowed. My CYP2D6 poor metaboliser status caused some consternation as they had to check if their standard antihistamine would be metabolised properly, but after some calls to and fro from the Emergency Department at Wellington, and the fact that I didn't appear to be going into any kind of anaphylaxis, or have any other allergic responses, they guessed it was either paralytic shellfish poisoning or pufferfish, so didn't need anti-histamine. Since we figured that Fisherman's Table wouldn't spring for fugu on the $15 lunch menu, that pretty much narrowed it down to the shellfish. Either way, I was going to have to be sent to Wellington Emergency Department for observation for 12-24 hours. Boy, did I wish I'd stopped by home to pick up a book first, but when possible imminent anaphylaxis is on your mind, you don't think of those things.
The numbness (no actual paralysis) had gone down both arms and down to my chest, and I was starting to feel a little spacey, so they put in a line & a drip, as that would help flush things through and give them easy access for mainlining other exciting drugs should they be required.
There is actually no antidote for saxitoxin, so all they can do is make sure you stay breathing and your heart keeps beating while your body clears the stuff from your system. (some reading up today seems to indicate it's metabolised in the liver - which may mean I don't metabolise it properly...). They organised for an ambulance transfer around 4pm, but with the awful weather causing accidents & traffic delays & higher priority use of ambulances, I wasn't going anywhere for a while, so I got hold of Stephen to get me some reading material. He stuck around and kept me entertained until the ambulance finally showed up around 8pm. Not often you get a ride in a police car & an ambulance on the same day. All I needed was a ride in a fire truck to make the trifecta, but I wasn't going to get the chance.
Some quite exciting dizzy spells & feelings of vertigo in the ambulance and at the hospital, but the numbness was getting less. I got to sit on a gurney in the corridor of the Emergency Department reading, with people checking my vital signs periodically, and calls from the Health Protection Officer (who I work with a lot) until about 1.30am (finally got some food around midnight), when they finally got me a bed in the Short Stay Unit, and I went to sleep (lovely hospital pjs...) Got woken up at 6am to check my vitals, then back to sleep until 8, then 10 when I got some breakfast and then was discharged. Tam was great and came & picked me up - had to remember their number since it was in my phone and I'd used up the battery. Only took three goes to get it right.
Good to be home. Still some minor numbness, especially my lips & left arm still, but definitely much improved.
None of the other policemen have reported anything untoward - I sent out an email as soon as I realised I was having a real reaction, but Regional Public Health is doing a pretty major follow-up to track down the source - might have been the NZ-sourced mussel, might have been the scallop from China. Either way, I'm glad I only ate one of each. I'd hate to think what the reaction would have been like if there had been more on the plate.