Toxic Crab

The day before our Big Island vacation I went shopping for our trip while Jason took the kids to the beach. As usual, they found some cool stuff in the ocean and ended up bringing a crab home to cook up and eat. I talked to Jason on the phone soon after they got home. They had a great time at the beach. I was still shopping and NO mention was made of the crab. I returned soon after our conversation to an empty house. I was a little puzzled to find the truck gone and no one home since Jason said, " see you soon!" before we hung up.

I started putting stuff away, cleaning up, etc. That's when I saw big pieces of pink crab shell in the kitchen garbage. From what I could tell the shell looked pretty big. I also found the pot the creature was cooked in sitting in the sink with a strainer inside. I began to get a little curious...I wondered if the crab had tasted good...and if so, if they had saved any for me. Then I wondered again, "Where are they?" I got my phone and called. I heard Jason's phone ring. He had left it behind and it was sitting on our bed. It's not like Jason to leave his cell phone behind. Then I went to the computer. On the screen was the phone number and address to Papalina pharmacy. I pressed the back button. Jason had googled the pharmacies in our area. "Uh-Oh," I thought. Then I continued to follow his internet trail which led to a search of crabs and resulted in a page which said. "TOXIC CRAB." with a picture similar to the one below that Jason took.

Now I am worried and I get more worried as I read things like...may result in death. I looked at his phone and could tell he had called a couple of the pharmacies. I pressed redial...no answer. It was late Saturday afternoon. The pharmacies in our town most likely are closed. I looked in the bathroom...he had been looking through the medicine. I called our pediatritian....closed. I went back to the computer and read more. I get more worried the more I read. I wonder if he left in such a hurry that he didn't have time to grab his phone. Was one of the kids having a severe allergic reaction? I call both hospitals on Kauai. No Murrays in the ER at either one. Then I start wondering how he can help one of the kids with a reaction WHILE he is driving to the hospital or pharmacy or wherever he went. Then I start getting mad that he didn't call the paramedics. I am pacing. I don't know what to do, I don't know who to call or where to go. I begin praying. After what seems like FOREVER, the truck pulls up. I RUN downstairs to meet my family. They are okay! After I have been having a nervous break down they casually get out of the truck. Questions come flying out of my mouth. And the answers come.

After boiling and taking pictures of the crab. Jason fed the meat to the kids...he didn't eat any of it himself for some reason. The crab tasted good and the kids enjoyed it. AFTER the crab has been eaten Jason decides to look it up on the internet to see what kind of crab the kids have devoured. After discovering that they have eaten a crab that is toxic and can cause severe reactions he tells all three of the kids to make themselves throw up. This is something they do not know how to do. My kids have been fortunate to have not been sick very much in their lives...they have only thrown up once. Jason is unsuccessful in trying to instruct the kids in making themselves barf. So he searches through our medicine collection for ipecac, which I no longer keep on hand. He calls the pharmacies finding all those nearby closed. So they all get in the truck and drive to the nearest hospital, which is about 20 minutes away. Upon arriving at the hospital Jason asks a nurse about the reaction. The nurse reassures Jason that the kids are okay...that they would have had some reaction by now and that they don't even have Ipecac at the hospital pharmacy anymore. After which they all get back in the truck and drive home to meet an anxious mother.

The next time Jason gives me a hard time for doing something dumb I will have the crab story to remind him of.

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A note from the editor:

BY THE WAY, This is one of the websites that I found while looking to identify our crabby friend. The spots, color, etc, were an exact match... unfortunatly. Reading this put me into ACTION!!!

http://www.ird.fr/recherche/santo2006/blog/6oct/6oct_2_cru.htm

It has an exact picture of our Mr. Crab.

Here is the descripiton. Exellent to read wilst dipping your crab in melted butter...

October 6th, 2006
Poison crabs Some tropical crabs or « poison crabs »are known for their toxicity ; mortal poisonings due to their eating were reported from many different indo pacific regions, including Vanuatu.The more frequent incriminated species belong, for most of them, to the big family of the Xanthidae, wich lived in coral recifs. However, other families are also reported (Majidae, Portunidae) and the list is growing every year, with approximately 80 species registered at this time.The « Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning » or PSP, appears within 30 minutes following consumption. The poison attacks the nervous system and death may occur within a few hours by paralysis of the breathing muscles.The liable toxins, first isolated from the crabs meat are molecules of the saxitonine family. This is the strongest neurotoxin known, similar to cyanide in that it stops the nervous message progression, but it is one thousand times more powerful than cyanide. These thermically stable toxins are synthetised by marine and fresh water mirco-algae and incorporated intothe food chain, probably accumulating in the fish and mollusc meat, which are subsequently eaten by the crabs.

It is my recommendation to first identify, then enjoy. Anyway, that's what I am going to try next time. --Jason