So I was cleaning headless shrimp today, removing shells, taking out the veins, etc
All of sudden I felt a irritation in my middle finger, I ignored it and kept on cleaning the shrimp.
Now my finger is swollen and red on one side.
Has this ever happened to anyone? Are the shrimp safe to eat? Should I go to the doctors, this has never happened to me before!
5 Answers
OMG this exact thing happened to me. Background, I’m allergic to fish, but NOT shellfish. I was removing the tails of some shrimp and one cut my finger. It was so small I did not notice it when it happened. My finger felt funny and 1-2 min later when I looked down it had swollen up really bad. I found the tiny cut and washed it out. In the next 20 min the swelling spread to my whole hand and part of forearm and it got red and splotchy, then slowly went away. I now wear plastic gloves when cleaning shrimp. You probably got a tiny cut also.
Allergies to shellfish such as shrimp are very common. You should see a doctor to test you because a severe allergy can be life threatening. At the very least you need to know what to avoid.
Be careful when eating it. Some people can die from eating shellfish. Just like some people can die just kissing someone who had one peanut several hours earlier. It is that deadly to some people.
I have friends who can’t eat shellfish. If they do, their throat closes and they have to go to the hospital.
You can also call your doctors office to ask about it or call your local emergency room (although they may just tell you to go in).