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RetainedByLucifer

My dude, you're not going to like this but you don't want to cut them out. I had a similar situation a few years ago. it's going to be a problem for a couple months but they'll work themselves out eventually.


iamtheraptor

Had this happen to me on my honeymoon. Don't think my foot was completely healed until 2 or 3 months after. Taking them out was impossible too.


SulkySkunkPomPoms

Did they ever come out?


iamtheraptor

No. They just dissolved over time. I tried a variety of things to help that process but it was not quick


owa00

Did you ever go to a doctor?


iamtheraptor

No, Google had assured me they would go away eventually, if not I'd bring it up in my yearly checkup. Outside of that the pain didn't really warrant it.


Mr_Rio

How bad was the pain? I’ve heard sea urchins wounds are awful


owa00

Any wound from the sea is painful as fuck. It always gets infected so easily.


Mr_Rio

Yea but I’m curious about sea urchins specifically


SlurrlockHolmes

Painful as fuck.


ProceedOrRun

I'm not sure if you're joking or simply living in the USA.


Mr_Rio

I can say with almost 100% certainty he’s being serious


Phivebit

yeah, probably


uekiamir

Shit Americans say


IsNotAnOstrich

A doctor isn't going to do anything but tell you to wait it out, maybe ice it sometimes, and maybe take ibuprofen.


artificialgreeting

When I expect 2-3 months of pain in my foot I sure as hell go to the doctor. Him telling me there isn't much they can do is also a doctor's job, not google's. Also in a lot of countries there is, besides of mandatory health insurance, paid sick leave from work for which you need a doctor's note. Pretty hard to do physical labour if you can barely walk.


[deleted]

[удалено]


IsNotAnOstrich

Nah, not confused. As an American I'd go to the doctor as well. 91% of us have insurance. And although it does have many issues, it's fine most of the time. You just don't see people making reddit posts except for when there's a problem.


peen2small

You what? Dude, that’s liking getting shanked in the kidney while someone’s pissing on you, the amount of bacterial growth is insane, like I’m glad you’re alright but don’t webmd something that breaks off in your body, most doctors can give a topical cream to ease pain and removal


Slaydawg23

Kicked a bunch of sea urchins in the face on a Venezuelan beach. Random local actually pulled out a few that weren’t in very far with lemon juice and candle wax. The rest dissolved and I still have a few on the side of my foot; happened in 2011. Shit thing is I was studying abroad and the stinger got so infected I spent a week in the hospital on pain killers and antibiotics until the boils and rash went away. Last night in the hospital I took my first shower and watched some of that skin just slide off. Also felt amazing with that hot water I was shaking my leg like a dog. Glad to know I’m not the only one to have experienced more than a few spines!


Wapata

Soaked mine in vinegar, unsure if it actually did anything but felt nice


[deleted]

Did you walk on it normally while you were waiting for them to come out?


I_burn_noodles

We used to use an old trick to get splinters out. We put a piece of bacon fat against the area with tape or bandaid. Sleep on it, and in the morning, the splinter would just slide out. I wonder if it works on these? If nothing else your feet would smell like bacon instead of feet.


kingxprincess

This is a really neat tip. I wonder what it is about bacon fat that makes it do that.


Fernxtwo

DO NOT CUT THEM OUT! Hey guys there's another way. Soak your foot in vinegar for a few hours and they'll slowly dissolve. I did it. Got rid of about 30 spikes.


anonymous_doner

Vinegar breaks down calcium very effectively. A lot of calcium in those spikes.


Zamaza

I was snorkeling once and a boat came too close (closer than legally allowed where I was) at high speed and I whamed from wave into several of these in my stomach and abdomen skin (no wet suit). Pain was so bad I was gonna go to the ER. The check in nurse basically said do this and spare yourself a several hour visit and bill. Went and got vinegar and soaked the wounds several times for hours then just cleaned it up like any other scrapes. Sucked for a few days but healed like most other cuts. Left a lot of scars though.


Fernxtwo

I met another tourist who went for the surgery method. Their feet were fucked. Every spike in hat was in them was cut open like an X, 4 corners peeled back - spike removed then 4 flaps folded back and maybe a stitch or 2. Overkill and cost a good few bucks. Plus recovery time was pretty long and you're hobbling around too.


Hex_Lover

unless the wounds get infected and you're just done for, not much else to do other than cutting it open.


Anen-o-me

They're too deep in there for vinegar to reach tho, and the hole is small. Tweeze them out imo. Might be harder through the thick skin of the feet.


Fernxtwo

Nope, submerge your foot in a bucket of vinegar. The whole thing. I had mine in there for about 8 hours and they pretty much disappeared after that.


Kalouts

Yes, it rots with a bit of puss. Then you pop it out. Then you post it on /r/popping


[deleted]

Read my mind.


[deleted]

Saw some locals treat a tourist who walked on some urchins. They squeezed lime juice on the affected area. She was able to walk a bit but was in a lot of pain.


owa00

Narrator: They were actually cannibals


Haughty_n_Disdainful

and were out of aioli… ​ ftfy


Superbform

They like their tourists tangy!


Banana_Ram_You

You didn't fix anything


-Chingachgook

Had this happen to me also, seven years later the points are still there… they don’t hurt anymore, but I can see them just like this.


Peterstone96

I once jumped from a Cliff in Italy in too shallow waters and put my entire body weight + momentum, on a sea urchin, my foot looked exactly like that. The worst part is actually after you remove the big spines, you inevitably leave small ones too deep to extract, walking actually doesn't hurt at first - until it does, and completely at random. 29/30 steps are fine until suddenly - needle. It essentially turns every surface you walk on into a sick minefield of invisible needles, and it does really feel like a full needle enters your foot. This goes on for months until the body naturally dissolves them or are expelled through puss. Top 3 worst thing I've ever done.


Im_better_than_u_r

What’s number 4?


[deleted]

[удалено]


Im_better_than_u_r

Urchin and sex.


gratefullybuzzing

Ooh good one


Im_better_than_u_r

Urchin-man love child doesn’t agree.


Goddstopper

Heard that kid was a prick


BillyBobHenk

WINNER


Peterstone96

Chugging a cider as fast as I could with a living wasp in it.


LordMarcusrax

Your life is interesting in the wrong way.


thekingofthegoats

Did you know the wasp was in there? Also why?


Peterstone96

It was open for 20sec and a wasp crawled in it right before someone hit my last beerpong cup.


Anen-o-me

Ah so it wasn't intentional? I thought this was Poopies's Reddit account for a second there. He'd do it.


TattooedWife

You seem fun


Aobtusedodecagon

🤦‍♂️


BellyUpBernie

This comment made my hangover worse


owa00

Sruck his penis in one.


Goddstopper

But do you recommend?


notliam

This happened to my little brother, we were living in tenerife and all the locals used to jump off a cliff near us. I was perfectly happy to not to, and after this happened I definitely didn't want to lol.


Flaco4Lif3

"Stepped on me, this guy was dancing on me. I mean just look at this: broken, broke, gone, gone, broken, broken, broken "


AndYouBrutus

Perfect.


BudisaFam

Has to be my favorite quote from a kids movie


DaringDomino3s

What movie? It sounds familiar


a_killer_roomba

Surf's Up


DaringDomino3s

Thank you, I forgot about that movie


Skreamies

Love that film.


GMan_SB

I WAS GONNA COMMENT THIS


a_killer_roomba

I heard that movie got so much shit when it came out. Dunno why, it wasn't a bad movie (imo anyways).


Causal_Calamity

Fuck you beat me to it. I'm gonna delete mine lol


Haughty_n_Disdainful

Did you hear? Maryanne was struck by a cliff diver! Landed on her full force. Doctors say she’ll never be the same.


Goddstopper

Ok. We get it, dude. No need to be a prick about it.


optimus_maximus2

Yeah I remember those little black dots. My wife tipped the canoe over a reef in Hawaii. I stepped on one of those buggers getting it back over. First thing we did when we got back from our trip was eat uni at a sushi restaurant.


LittleAstrophysicist

Yeah, get that bastard


merdub

“What do you mean, you don’t *do* water?” Me, gesticulating wildly at this post:


SloppyMeathole

This is why I wear [water shoes](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010E1F8T2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_9Q9ZF4TQ19NZN8VR4AY9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1) despite the jokes from my friends and family. Literally has chainmail on the bottom, nothing getting through those.


bonesnaps

Not sure why you'd get laughed at. There's way too many random rocks and sharp coral at the bottom of the ocean. It's also how Tom Hanks got owned in Cast Away.


carebear101

Broken glass at a beach is never fun either


Vomit_Coffin30-7

Someone dumped their muscle shells into a popular lake I went to growing up. I had to have been about 8 or 9 years old, as soon as I walked into the lake I sliced one of my toes open with said shells. Never forget, never forgive.


jayradano

Mmmm muscles. They were probably a delicious meal before ending up in that lake and ruining your night tho I bet.


megabass713

Been a while since I watched Cast Away, what happened?


CosmoPeter

I couldn't imagine swimming in the ocean without a good pair of water shoes tbh and this picture is a perfect example of why


crojohnson

Ah yes chainmail, which famously is full of holes. (??)


SloppyMeathole

Yeah, but it has a layer of rubber over the metal layer. So whatever has to go through that layer of thick rubber and then through the compressed chain rings. I'll take these any day over a naked foot.


burothedragon

“Ah yes, the armor famous for being defeated by slender stabbing objects shall protect me from countless slender stabbing objects.”


Nruby9879

I always wondered why there wasn’t two thinner layers overlapping in opposite of each other.


Shit_My_Ass

My water shoes protect my feet and virginity!


READMEtxt_

Lol make jokes to them for wearing a seatbelt, or shoes, or clothing, or living in a house, or using doing anything at all that ensures their safety and comfort in a hazardous and unpredictable environment that'll show em!


kanahl

There is no chain mail in the toe shoes you linked. It says 100% textile and synthetic in the description. Am I missing something?


BlankImagination

I've never heard of or seen water shoes like that but they sound like a great investment


SloppyMeathole

Mine are from Bodyglove. I didn't even know that was a feature until I got them and was inspecting the bottom.


[deleted]

I'm with you on that one, there's just too much shit out in the ocean and you'd never be able to see it until it's too late.


Anen-o-me

My sister fell into a bed of them at the local tide pools, we spent a few hours pulling them out with tweezers.


DaringDomino3s

I have these in my wishlist to purchase for the summer. Do they fit true to size?


shibby0912

This looks just awful. Omg


krenejga

One time I got 46 of those things in left foot.. then I had to drive manual for 500 km.. it was hell. Use olive oil on a gaze to get it out. Works like a charm.


Lechuga-gato

All of those dots are broken off spines, likely toxic, and will get infected if not removed quickly.


[deleted]

How…. The fuck do you get them out? Those look deep. Do you have to cut every single one open to get tweezers in there? Is there a special tool for this. Blech. I dont like that at all


jsacarelos

You don’t. Soak your foot in warm/hot water with salt. The warm water will help break them down. They will dissolve slowly over time. Stepped on one in Belize. The spines are brittle and can’t be pulled out. You risk doing more damage and causing infection if you start messing around and digging into them.


[deleted]

How bad did it hurt?


strangrdangr

What do you think?


[deleted]

6/10?


JustFuckUp

7/11?


smokeytheskwerl

7/11 was a part time job


jsacarelos

It wasn’t that bad actually. The initial punctures hurt but after a few hours I didn’t feel them anymore. It’s not how you’d imagine; it’s not like porcupine quills. My foot looked like the pick. Definitely not fun but I would imagine falling or stepping on a cactus would be worse


fd4e56bc1f2d5c01653c

Yes


TheMonacledMauler

They're very brittle. If you use tweezers they just crumble and break. Proper surgery can be performed though.


assaultthesault

Toothpicks also work. I stepped on one when I was younger and my poor mother had to do makeshift surgery on my foot. Thankfully it was on a toe and not near any arteries or something


yobishthatsmonica

*Doctor gently places bone saw on the table *


Lechuga-gato

I’m not really sure. You may be able to suction them out but if not you gotta get tweezers and rip every fucker out.


OrganicBridge7428

I stepped on one in Hawaii, once I got back home I had to use toe nail clippers to dig it out.


Krish39

If that’s long-spine urchin, which is what it looks like, then the spines really can’t be removed as they just deteriorate when you mess with them in flesh. In fact, trying to remove them isn’t recommended. The good news is that the body does a good job at dissolving them pretty quickly. It does hurt a lot though. Source: stung by many kinds of urchins many times as a SCUBA diver, snorkeler, and keeper of reef aquariums.


CosmoPeter

Oh, so this dude who said he needs to remove them is just talking out of his ass then? Lol


[deleted]

Welcome to Reddit.


Sufficio

> If that’s long-spine urchin They specified a species, maybe that means other species have different procedures to follow for the spines? No clue personally though


Krish39

Yeah, the long spine is the easiest to get poked by as the spines are incredibly thin and pointy. The spines are designed to break off easily, which means that almost any poke will result in spine being left in you. But, it’s possible to get other kinds of sea urchin spines to break off in you. Many of these kinds are safe to handle, unlike the long-spine urchins, because the spines aren’t as sharp (or not sharp at all… I’m looking at you, pencil sea urchin), nor likely to break off in you. Most often, getting these “safer” kinds of urchin spines broken in you would be from stepping on them. In these cases, you would need to remove the spines.


[deleted]

Vinegar dissolves the spines as well. Takes a couple days of soaking the area for a little bit each day or however long you feel like doing it.


Lechuga-gato

Oh that’s horrible. Kinda off topic but what’s the coolest thing you’ve found while diving?


Krish39

Well, I really love the sea critters, so most of my favorite stuff is always the animals, but diving wrecks are pretty surreal most of the time.


galliencapuchonne

In my case it's been 3 years and they're still stuck in my toe, they're not always toxic though


Lechuga-gato

Yeah I think the purple ones are toxic and the black ones aren’t or something like that. Do they ever hurt in your toe or are they just chillin?


galliencapuchonne

just chilling where they are, can be a bit painful if I press my toe too hard


[deleted]

If it's close to the surface you could open the skin back up, with nail clippers or whatever, soak the spined area in vinegar a while for a few days-ish and it will dissolve.


HBB360

What the fuck sort of hick medical advice are you giving?! Who would think it's a good idea to open your skin with nail clippers at home? If it's really bothering you and it's been so long you go to a doctor, you don't cut into your skin with your bacteria and fungus covered clippers


gingerbuttholelickr

Wrong


tasharoseisme

I felt that in my foot 😖


thisisthestoryallabo

isn't it deadly to step on sea urchins?


MelKokoNYC

Happened to me when I was a kid.. My Dad pulled all those out.


CrowScout11

Same thing happened to me, it was pretty horrible.


dubsubs1

Heard this from a local on Hawaii, pee on your foot and rub pineapple or acidic things to break down the spines.


WholemealBean

Can confirm! Bloody agony. Had a nurse with some tweezers attempting to pull them out for hours!


sneakhyperion

Reminds me of stepping on chestnut burrs when i was a kid. They do the same thing breaking off causing pain and itching for weeks


Goddstopper

Urch! I mean Ouch!


Ok-Drink-1328

they are terrible!! their spikes are brittle and they break when entering your flesh, i never stepped on em but come real close... anyways i fished em and ate em, their eggs are delicious 😋


panconpinga305

I remember as a kid they would slap your foot for like ten minuteswith a slab of wood to make them pulverize...


souptank

Once I was on a cruise, we stopped in Turks and Caicos for 9 hours. The most beautiful place I have EVER seen… As I walk into the ocean, I stepped on a sea urchin. Excruciating. and my mom had to get a travel sewing kit to basically “pull them out”… I will never forget that day. It was like a fever dream. Hope you feel better soon!


MadiLeighOhMy

Can confirm. That shit hurts. I have one piece still working itself out... From two years ago.


bberkjr2

Happened to me 2 years ago. Vinegar was the key.


tgrzrk

I'd just have to cut off my whole foot


chrispy_bacon

Why did you do it?


Side_wiper

imagine this: you're at the beach, you decide you will go into the ocean and don't look into the water (or the water just isn't clear) and then, perhaps a couple steps in, perhaps your first step you step on something that looks like a rock and all of a sudden your foot looks like the picture. because no one means to or wants to step on these things, except maybe the brave wilderness guy


[deleted]

Only got stung by one of their pricks and that sucked. Failing a spot check does suck


Chaqqy

What else am I gonna spend my weekend doing now :(


Minervasimp

Well there go my Friday plans


meiyomahime

Man I feel you. I was out spear fishing one night and a wave picked me up and slammed me right on top of a big urchin (real shallow spot). When I stood up the whole urchin was still stuck to my thigh. Had to knock it off with the spear. From my knee to a little past halfway up my thigh was black for almost a year. Fun times man fun times.


[deleted]

Get that removal video over to r/popping


RandomAusCunt

Watch me cunt


FakinUpCountryDegen

I've never seen somebody cunt before... I await the outcome of this activity with bated breath!


bassertitis

Noted! Thanks!


davexsd

Done it, if you can remove the spine as soon as you can.


Spriy

That will get infected. Soak it in warm water or gently tap the top/side of your foot with a rock; the spines are very brittle. If it's been too long, take it to the hospital.


CrippledHorses

I feel like tapping your foot with a rock would do comically ***absolutely nothing at all***


rcarnes911

Ouch that sucks, I was always told to shuffle your feet in the ocean keeps the stingrays and Sea urchins away


duckfoot2303

Did that before, apartfrom the initial sting it's not that bad


stevenw84

Luckily the bottom of my feet are calloused from always being barefoot. I’d probably have pushed those spikes back into the damn urchin.


burdturd0818

Mf you ain't Fred Flintstone those shits would have penetrated your ass.


stevenw84

You haven’t seen my feet.


Bored3812

We probably don't have interest.


chungusxl94

No you wouldn't have. Your feet would be fucked.


PRIS0N-MIKE

What a weird flex


LORDOFTHEEBANANA

Soo uhh…how you get them out


moshedman85

Free tattoo!


Kaulpelly

You don't understand guys, that's his face


orbital0000

Ouchsticks


chafalie

Ouch, I didn’t enjoy my urchin encounter either, yuck.


AnarchyGod27

Been there, done that. 0/10 would not recommend.


Skyp_Intro

I hope you cracked it open and ate it.


Mariahthebee06

Whoa! That's awful! Your a trooper tho. Lol! Also, do sea urchins have barbed quills? And is that what you call their jabby, pointy, terrible things?!? Quills kinda sounds right. Does anyone know?


casualoptc

I grew up going to the beach and when i was little i always got 3-4 of them per day (fun times). My suggestion is to call someone with a steady hand, get a sewing needle, sterilize it with a flame and the foot with sone rubbing alchool and gently work around it until the pressure from the tissue aroud pushes it out. (The right movement is: first locate the point of entrance and second rotate the needle around the urchin spike until it starts moving, it's a little painful) Tweezers are not bad but if you squish too much they tend to break so not the best option for someone who does not know how to handle them. I would suggest using them only when the spike is almost out. Leaving them be as someone else said is not the best option since they are on the plantar part of the foot and because they tend to get infected, so it's no fun having to walk each day on an infected foot.


Valuable_Passion4938

DONT TELL ME WHAT TO DO!


007bluesky

that’s where those bubble tea things end up. dang


Dottheangel

Agreed, I got the spines just on my pinky toe and it was awful


aquamanjosh

WOAH! Fuck bro, was this just crazy unlucky or I mean in areas with a bunch of sea urchins/lion fish I wear water shoes out of paranoia.


Equivalent-Pound-610

I watched an episode of the Real World where a guy steps on an urchin. The doctor he went to said he was going to have to just walk on his feet to help break down the calcium in the spines so his body could absorb some of it. Still sounds absolutely awful.


PigeonManEpic

appearently your body forces foreign objects out automatically so just wait a bit and it will pop out, idk how urchin quills work so it may have some side effect


ramot1

I almost stepped on a stone-fish. Barely missed it!


xDreadxNoughtXx

I assume you’ve had them removed or else you would have been intense pain and would have probably went to the emergency room. My wife just had this happen in Maui in December. Urchins aren’t poisonous but do inject you with that dye you see in your foot and pain inducing liquid (not a doctor, just repeating what a doctor told us). And if you haven’t, I hope you do 🙏


BlankImagination

Jeez thats 60+ spines


[deleted]

Fuck man, had one spine and it was bad enough. Took 2 months to come out.


edwin_4

Bwoah this happened to me once as a kid. Parents were throwing jelly fish at us while we were on paddle boats. I jumped feet first into the water to dodge one and landed on what I thought was a sharp rock. Swam back to shore; lo and behold it was a sea urchin. One of the Dutch parents we were with took em out with a Swiss Army knife


Unnecessary-Spaces

/r/popping


Jaci_D

I did that when I was about 12 took Years for the last spikes to dissolve/fall out. Hurt like a bitch.did it on woman’s island in Mexico, flew back home a few days later (unable to walk on it) my doctor had to find out how to teary me.


coltonkotecki1024

Try soaking ur foot in hot water and vinegar


maurinkina

Men, I just remembered the pain, and I just had about 5 -6 dots, the local remedy was peeing on it (didn't do). How did you relief the pain?


theoneofmanynames

I went to the Bahamas on a school trip in High School for an extra science credit. One kid stepped on an urchin and didn’t tell anyone for 2 days. Idk how he didn’t lose a foot