For Charleston, South Carolina, resident Brent Norman, a regular stroll along the beach became a health concern. The passionate hiker, who often takes walks of more than 15,000 steps, often heads down the beach between Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms. But last week, while going about his regular business, an apparently insignificant slip on a seashell—obscured by the diminished visibility caused by high tide—caused a major issue.
He told the local television station WCIV, “Unfortunately, I stepped on several seashells because of the way the tides were pretty high.” “I’ve grown up on beaches all my life and stepped on probably over 10,000 shells.”
Over the next few days, Mr. Norman claimed to be suffering increasing foot pain. The pain quickly became more intense, developing into what he described as feeling like a nail being driven through the afflicted location.
“I was no longer walking,” he stated, following weeks of discomfort and swelling in his foot.
When Mr. Norman’s leg started to show signs of concern by Thursday, he hurried to the emergency department. Medical personnel responded quickly to handle the problem as they arrived.
“Everyone behind the check-in counter, their eyes were about double the size they normally were,” he stated. “I could tell people were uncomfortable sitting around me looking at it.”
Doctors examined Mr. Norman’s foot and delivered the startling news that his foot was afflicted with vibriosis, which is brought on by the vibrio bacteria, according to the Independent.
“[The nurse] lanced it, removed the debris from in there, and then they gave me an antibiotic shot and then also pills that I’m taking for two weeks,” added the man.
According to the media site, Mr. Norman most likely stepped on a shell in the ocean and then came into contact with the salt-tolerant bacteria.
Numerous diseases, including necrotizing fasciitis—a dangerous ailment in which the tissue surrounding an open incision dies—can be brought on by Vibrio bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists only one of the twelve known vibrio species as highly dangerous because of its ability to consume flesh.
An “estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year” are attributed to the bacteria, according to the public health department.
The majority of vibrio infections, according to the CDC, are brought on by eating raw or undercooked seafood or by exposing exposed wounds to seawater. May through October are the warmest months, when the risk is highest.
Even after this terrifying incident, Mr. Norman still loves the beach and intends to go back as soon as his foot heals completely.
