Misc GRAPHIC IMAGE Suspected Krokodil Exposure

[negrogesic]

Go to the hospital as soon as possible.

 

[Xorkoth]

The argument about whether it's krokodil or not is entirely irrelevant. That wound is going to kill you if you don't go to the hospital. Real talk. This is an emergency and you need help.

 

[polarthedog]

It’s kind of worrying me that he hasn’t posted anything in about a day

 

[HOOH]

That I can agree with. You insisting it's "krokodil" is far fetched idea.

Your insistence about my perceived insistence is far more insisting than my insistence.

 

[EasyE]

A few months back, I had an abnormal reaction from IV methamphetamine use unlike I'd ever had before. I've gotten access from dirty needles, blisters from accidentally skin popping, and knots from missing and shooting in my muscle. I've come to expect these unfortunate side effects that come along with IV meth use, but what happened to me was abnormal, unsettling, and downright frightened me.

I got a perfect hit; no sting of a missed vein and a decent rush. A grey spot appeared on my skin not at the injection site, but about 3mm or 1/8th of an inch below the injection site. I wondered if I'd missed a portion of my shot and somehow didn't feel the sting.

5 minutes later, I checked on the abnormality. It had grown tremendously and had turned even more grey, nearly black. Now I was thinking that it must be an abscess, although I was confused why it wasn't atop the injection site like usual and how it was possible to have formed instantly after I injected.

In another 5 minutes, it was larger and had become completely black. It was so unsettling that I realized that this was something completely unbeknownst me. I was frightened. The only thing I could think of is that the meth had actually killed my skin and caused it to become gangrenous. I was afraid it might spread and take my whole arm out. I'd be just like Harry Goldfarb.

I left it alone for a while and checked on it the next day. The black spot was at least half-an-inch in diameter by then. I decided to go to the hospital asap. They used an ultrasound to check for abscesses on my body and found one just on my chest. They drained that one, and claimed the spot on my arm was a skin infection. They gave me antibiotics and sent me on my way.

After I finished the entire series of antibiotic medication, the black spot hadn't shown any signs of healing like my absence did. In fact, it had become more troubling. The black spot did stop growing, but it had become a dry, leathery patch. There was no denying that the skin had actually died from the meth use. I was frustrated with the ER for simply saying that it was a skin infection and had little concern that my skin had literally turned black and died. This prevented me from going back to a doctor to see if the leather patch of skin had to be surgically removed, or if they thought it would clear up on it's own.

Eventually, the skin around the leather patch became dry and the patch had begun to separate from my healthy skin. Naturally, I did what anyone would have done; I grabbed that fucker and ripped it off.. Or at least I tried.. I tore off just a portion of the dead patch, only to discover there was even more under it. I picked and dug around the thing just to find out how deep that bitch went. It was deep, extending all the way to my muscle; every single layer of skin had died and turned into leather. I came the conclusion that the meth had been laced with Krokodil!

I showed all my friends the patch. Most of them agreed that my score must have been laced with Krokodil, some even bringing it up before I had the chance to tell them my theory, while some of them thought I was just being a paranoid and dramatic tweaker, however they failed to give me an alternative explanation for what would have caused me skin to completely die.

Another few weeks passed, and I went straight back to picking. Since I refused to see any doctors who can't tell and infection from dead skin to get it surgically removed, I was determined to do it myself. After many tears and silent screams, I finally got the entire patch of leather out of my skin. Underneath, I could see that some of my flesh had rotted away. I took a photograph for science, but unfortunately I don't seem to have any pictures of the leather patch.

If anybody has any theories or explanations for this, please let me know!

Spoiler: GRAPHIC IMAGE WITHIN

It has been many years since I have had a shot but I had a much larger patch like this that was not responding to antibiotics. I too ripped the black leather off and as a desperate last resort after even opening antibiotic capsules and sprinkling it into the wound. I eventually rapidly healed the necrosis with no shit 300mgo Manuka honey applied liberally to the open wound 6 times a day or more. This honestly worked miracles and was the only thing that stopped me needing amputation. Goodluck. Drugs are not what they used to be. Flesh eating bacterial, not krokodil. Meth is draino so if you miss and have golden staff infection it becomes gangrenous. Very very scary. Scared me off IV drug use. I know it is long over now but anyone else in this situation try Manuka honey, the highest mgo you can afford.

 

[TheUltimateFixx]

It has been many years since I have had a shot but I had a much larger patch like this that was not responding to antibiotics. I too ripped the black leather off and as a desperate last resort after even opening antibiotic capsules and sprinkling it into the wound. I eventually rapidly healed the necrosis with no shit 300mgo Manuka honey applied liberally to the open wound 6 times a day or more. This honestly worked miracles and was the only thing that stopped me needing amputation. Goodluck. Drugs are not what they used to be. Flesh eating bacterial, not krokodil. Meth is draino so if you miss and have golden staff infection it becomes gangrenous. Very very scary. Scared me off IV drug use. I know it is long over now but anyone else in this situation try Manuka honey, the highest mgo you can afford.

Medical use of honey does work on antibiotic - resistant infected tissue ; however necrotic tissue that deep inside a wound is best surgically excised.