TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida man is being treated for flesh-eating bacteria he contracted while fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mike Walton tells Tampa television station WFTS that he was stuck by a fishhook while fishing about 20 miles off the coast of Palm Harbor on Saturday. He later went to a hospital, where he received antibiotics for his hand, which had started swelling.

Walton says that by Easter Sunday, there were black bubbles growing on his injured hand. He was rushed to Tampa General Hospital, where infectious disease doctors began treating him.

He says doctors considered amputating his arm, but were able to remove bacteria.

Walton said he’s expected to be released from the hospital Thursday and will be on antibiotics for a month.