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Man left in excruciating pain after holiday swim goes horribly wrong

A Queensland man has described his excruciating pain after a stonefish turned his short break into the getaway from hell.

Keven Renshaw, 51, originally from Salford, UK, was enjoying a holiday at a coastal town Bargara, near Bundaberg in Queensland, over the weekend with his partner when the pair decided to go for a swim in Seventeen Seventy.

But just moments into their relaxing dip in the Coral Sea, Mr Renshaw, who lives in Rockhampton, endured a sharp pain he says nothing can prepare you for.

"I was pushing my partner on an inflatable and something bit me straight away like a serrated tooth," Mr Renshaw told Yahoo7 News.

Keven Renshaw was enjoying a swim in the sea at Seventeen Seventy when disaster struck. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw
Keven Renshaw was enjoying a swim in the sea at Seventeen Seventy when disaster struck. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw

He was stung between his toes on his left foot by a stonefish which left a 1.5cm barb embedded in his foot.

Stonefish are among the most venomous of all fish species and can be found in shallow coastal waters around rocks in Australia.

Concerned bystanders rushed to Mr Renshaw's aid after he returned to the beach in excruciating pain.

"I came out the water in agony but to me it was just a bite, but a bloke said 'thats not a bite its a sting' as blood was pumping out of it," he said.

Mr Renshaw was taken to Bundaberg Hospital where the barb was eventually removed the following day. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw
Mr Renshaw was taken to Bundaberg Hospital where the barb was eventually removed the following day. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw

Paramedics were called as his condition deteriorated quickly.

"The pain was so intense I was shaking and trying to hold it together, thinking no way is this going to break me as I was in the fetal position on a bench.

"The only way I could describe it was like someone constantly hammering your foot with a hammer then going over the top of it with a nail file."

He was driven to Bundaberg Hospital where the relenting pain was finally eased after five hours with anesthetic following the initial sting.

Mr Renshaw says he has never felt pain like it. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw
Mr Renshaw says he has never felt pain like it. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw
It took Mr Renshaw five hours to get to the hospital where he was finally relieved of his piercing pain. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw
It took Mr Renshaw five hours to get to the hospital where he was finally relieved of his piercing pain. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw

Fittingly, Mr Renshaw, an anesthetic nurse, instigated his treatment – something he was crying out for in the ambulance.

"All I needed was a local anesthetic but they didn't have it. I thought I'll do it my bloody self. I was at the point where I was starting to cry and I’m not normally like that."

Despite his plea for stronger pain relief, Mr Renshaw thanked the emergency services and the hospital staff who he desrcibed as "excellent".

Doctors initially thought it was a clean puncture but later discovered a hook-shaped barb embedded in his foot after an x-ray. Doctors were able to remove the barb successfully the following day.

He attended a check up on Wednesday and doctors revaled random twitches in his leg he was getting could last for months.

Stonefish are one of the most venomous fish species with a series of sharp barbs across their back. Source: Getty
Stonefish are one of the most venomous fish species with a series of sharp barbs across their back. Source: Getty

Despite his harrowing ordeal, Mr Renshaw says he has no plans to return to the UK anytime soon.

"I still love it here though. I still adore the heat, the people and the lifestyle, even if its trying to kill me."

Mr Renshaw says he wants to raise awareness of attacks following his incident and hopes children take care when in the water.

"There was kids, adults, pets all in the water. It could have stung anyone. I wasn't even near rocks at the time. It was climb off the ceiling pain."

Mr Renshaw's sting comes as the latest stonefish-related injury in a string of cases in Queensland this summer.

Gold Coast Surf Life Saving coordinator Nathan Fife advised anyone who comes in contact with a stonefish to seek help immediately.

"Get medical attention straight away, because the sting can get pretty bad once the venom gets into you," he told the ABC.

The anesthetic nurse says he tried his best not to cry during the ordeal. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw
The anesthetic nurse says he tried his best not to cry during the ordeal. Source: Facebook/ Keven Renshaw