Jellyfish Sting

[sweetchariot]

Hi folks,

2 1/2 weeks ago I was on a fishing trip, and whilst swimming was stung by a jellyfish. Being on a boat out at sea, no immediate treatment was available, and being slightly inebriated at the time I wasn't overly concerned, although it did feel like my arm was on fire.

When I got home that evening, my g/f and her sister in law went scouting for some leaves with torches, which they ground down and applied inside a bandage for 2 days and nights (only in LOS ). Surprisingly they also went to the pharmacy and bought some steroid based tablets, which again I took for 2 days (I can't remember the name of them, but I googled it at the time and Wiki said they were steroid based, and would make your face look fat).

The burning sensation eased after a couple of days, and I forgot all about it until yesterday, when the stung area came out in a big, raised, red rash. It's slightly sensitive, but not nearly as painful as before.

Anything to worry about do you think? I'm sure there must be a few sting-ees reading this that can offer some experience.

Cheers,

SC....swing low

[Sheryl]

No, it will pass.

Can apply a topical steroid cream to it (available in any pharmacy, many brands), will help. That;s topical not systemic steroids..

[bratpack]

Thank buddha it wasnt your bell end lol

[percy2]

No, it will pass.

Can apply a topical steroid cream to it (available in any pharmacy, many brands), will help. That;s topical not systemic steroids..

It may take several months to completely clear up and it may well start to itch like the proverbial bar steward.

Cheers

[FarangCravings]

Hi folks,

2 1/2 weeks ago I was on a fishing trip, and whilst swimming was stung by a jellyfish. Being on a boat out at sea, no immediate treatment was available, and being slightly inebriated at the time I wasn't overly concerned, although it did feel like my arm was on fire.

When I got home that evening, my g/f and her sister in law went scouting for some leaves with torches, which they ground down and applied inside a bandage for 2 days and nights (only in LOS ). Surprisingly they also went to the pharmacy and bought some steroid based tablets, which again I took for 2 days (I can't remember the name of them, but I googled it at the time and Wiki said they were steroid based, and would make your face look fat).

The burning sensation eased after a couple of days, and I forgot all about it until yesterday, when the stung area came out in a big, raised, red rash. It's slightly sensitive, but not nearly as painful as before.

Anything to worry about do you think? I'm sure there must be a few sting-ees reading this that can offer some experience.

Its too late now it will pass but will take time.

Next time anyone gets stung by a Jellyfish you always have first aid on hand just piss on it (not joking) piss in a cup and pour it over the sting area the sting will immediately subside as the piss will render the stings harmless instantly.

Do not rub the area with bare hand as you will spread the sting and activate the stinging cells causing a larger area to be stung.

other fluids that will render the stings harmless instantly is vinigar windex or any ammonium based liquid

[guava]

Hi folks,

2 1/2 weeks ago I was on a fishing trip, and whilst swimming was stung by a jellyfish. Being on a boat out at sea, no immediate treatment was available, and being slightly inebriated at the time I wasn't overly concerned, although it did feel like my arm was on fire.

When I got home that evening, my g/f and her sister in law went scouting for some leaves with torches, which they ground down and applied inside a bandage for 2 days and nights (only in LOS ). Surprisingly they also went to the pharmacy and bought some steroid based tablets, which again I took for 2 days (I can't remember the name of them, but I googled it at the time and Wiki said they were steroid based, and would make your face look fat).

The burning sensation eased after a couple of days, and I forgot all about it until yesterday, when the stung area came out in a big, raised, red rash. It's slightly sensitive, but not nearly as painful as before.

Anything to worry about do you think? I'm sure there must be a few sting-ees reading this that can offer some experience.

Its too late now it will pass but will take time.

Next time anyone gets stung by a Jellyfish you always have first aid on hand just piss on it (not joking) piss in a cup and pour it over the sting area the sting will immediately subside as the piss will render the stings harmless instantly.

Do not rub the area with bare hand as you will spread the sting and activate the stinging cells causing a larger area to be stung.

other fluids that will render the stings harmless instantly is vinigar windex or any ammonium based liquid

Vinigar almost universally recommended. Window cleaner is a definite maybe at best - the ammonia possibly helps, the alcohol probably not. The old advice (for box jellyfish anyway) used to be methylated spirits or isopropyl alcohol, but at least one study has shown this can cause further firing of nematocysts. Ditto for urine.

Note that even if you do apply vinegar immediately that the pain will NOT subside immediately, nor any time remotely soon after.

If it was a box jellyfish you'd know about it no matter how inebriated you were. The pain is like nothing else, and life threatening respiratory distress is almost guaranteed. I believe they are in waters around Thailand and people do get stung occassionally. If you ever see someone stung treat it very seriously - get the tentacles off them, be ready to give them CPR if they lose consiousness, and get them to a hospital ASAP as they may well need further/professional resuscitation, possibly even an epinephrine (adrenaline) shot, and they will need further care for pain relief, minimising scarring etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_jellyfish

[RakJungTorlae]

Yeah vinegar neutralizes the burn. Should be a few good products in a chemist to treat it, or find some aloe Vera jell witch will always keep the skin cool. For the rest of your life it will Itch up from time to time.

[shawndoc]

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2283933

Urine has not been scientifically proven to help in jellyfish stings, said Dr. Paul Auerbach, an emergency physician at Stanford University Hospital and an expert on jellyfish stings.

Instead, vinegar is the best first treatment, he said, when treating stings from North American jellyfish.

At best, urinating on a jellyfish sting will do nothing. Experiments indicate that in some jellyfish species, urine actually sets off the remaining stinging cells, making the sting even worse.

The urine cure and other folk remedies miss the mark, anyway. The point of rinsing the wounded area is not to alleviate the pain. The venom’s already in you. Urinating on it will not help any more than it does to urinate on your thumb after you hit it with a hammer.

The point of the rinse is to get rid of any remaining tentacles or other jellyfish tissue that might still harbor stinging cells, or nematocysts, which could still fire and make the sting worse. (These cells, which are all over jellyfish, contain a tiny poison dart that shoots out at a touch or because of a chemical reaction; thousands of them typically fire simultaneously.) For the aforementioned reason, urine is a terrible candidate for the job.

http://archives.stupidquestion.net/sq6704.html

[sweetchariot]

Thanks for all the advice - I didn't realise how potentially serious it could be. The weird thing is it disappeared for nearly 2 weeks and then flared up again.

I got some cream as Sheryl suggested, will see what that does.

I've heard the stories about peeing on it, and as it was on the back of my upper arm I couldn't work out the logistics of peeing all the way up there without giving myself a golden shower! Glad I didn't bother now after reading some of the above posts.

[Samuian]

... and as it was on the back of my upper arm I couldn't work out the logistics of peeing all the way up there without giving myself a golden shower! .

...well or .... in a cup (something) but well, next fishing trips, trips to the sea, have a bottle of vinegar, as first aid at hand!

And on many beaches is a creeper with mauve/white flowers growing, locals use the leaves, mashed up, sometimes mixed with lao kao (we read about alcohol so..) and applied.

Edited June 28, 2008 by Samuian

[IMA_FARANG]

Hi folks,

2 1/2 weeks ago I was on a fishing trip, and whilst swimming was stung by a jellyfish. Being on a boat out at sea, no immediate treatment was available, and being slightly inebriated at the time I wasn't overly concerned, although it did feel like my arm was on fire.

When I got home that evening, my g/f and her sister in law went scouting for some leaves with torches, which they ground down and applied inside a bandage for 2 days and nights (only in LOS ). Surprisingly they also went to the pharmacy and bought some steroid based tablets, which again I took for 2 days (I can't remember the name of them, but I googled it at the time and Wiki said they were steroid based, and would make your face look fat).

The burning sensation eased after a couple of days, and I forgot all about it until yesterday, when the stung area came out in a big, raised, red rash. It's slightly sensitive, but not nearly as painful as before.

Anything to worry about do you think? I'm sure there must be a few sting-ees reading this that can offer some experience.

Its too late now it will pass but will take time.

Next time anyone gets stung by a Jellyfish you always have first aid on hand just piss on it (not joking) piss in a cup and pour it over the sting area the sting will immediately subside as the piss will render the stings harmless instantly.

Do not rub the area with bare hand as you will spread the sting and activate the stinging cells causing a larger area to be stung.

other fluids that will render the stings harmless instantly is vinigar windex or any ammonium based liquid

Next time anyone gets stung by a Jellyfish you always have first aid on hand just piss on it (not joking) piss in a cup and pour it over the sting area the sting will immediately subside as the piss will render the stings harmless instantly.

That is supposed to work...never tried it myself...or if you can't get the p##s up you can always have a companion do it for you.

Did you ever see that episode of the American sitcom "Friends"...where Rachel gets stung by a Jellyfish at the beach? Problem is: she can't reach the spot to pee on, so her friends have to come to her aid, so to speak.

Funny show.

P.S. Actually since it is probably an acid base sting...I would bet that bakeing soda (Sodium Bi-carbonate) which is a base, would nuetralise the acid, and relieve the pain.

Edited June 28, 2008 by IMA_FARANG

[Beardog]

I worked in Maui Hawaii for a while as a Scuba instructor for a while. We kept vinegar aboard for jelly fish stings. For the men we used to tell them Piss on the affected area immediately & it does work.

If a cup isn't handy a golden shower would work . Better than feeling like your burning up. Unfortunately when you are scuba diving if a jelly fish particle gets in your wet suit you got to grin & bear it, as you can't rise out of the water quicker than a foot per second.

[raro]

just to add my little story...a couple of years ago we wanted to do wind surfing at Blue Lagoon. The Thais told us better not to go out becasue of jelly fish. We heeded their advise, but the next day I asked a colleague of mine if this is really that bad...he showed me a would on his leg that looked like a hot iron rod was used to burn his flesh. A 2 year old jelly fish sting...

[BigBikeBKK]

Fascinating thread- here's what happened to me about 6 weeks ago while surfing at Laem Mae Pim beach near Rayong.

I was standing in shallow murky water, perhaps 4-5 feet deep. Felt something brush my leg, which I first thought was trash- there's a lot of crap in the water these days... Then I felt the sting. Unfortunately I never saw what stung me.

I've been stung before in Japan and Hawaii and Phuket, but this one was different- the pain more intense, but oddly more localized.

Rather than a long welt which is what I usually get from the tentacles of a jelly, this sting left a short 3-4 inch long half inch wide "wound". Usually it takes a while for the sting to become visible, but this one became red and extremely painful almost immediately.

I got stung on the middle of my calf. I didn't have any vinegar on hand so I did the only thing I could which was a nice warm "golden shower". I'm not sure any of the locals saw me pissing on myself, and quite frankly I was in so much pain at the time that I didn't give a fok.

So anyway- I didn't think more of it, as I'd never heard that there were any dangerous jellies in Thailand.

The pain was bearable so I kept surfing and went home.

But the wound wouldn't heal. Itchy and oozing, and discolored around the edges it was not a pretty sight. No pain- in fact other than the itching most of my calf was completely numb.

I swam a lot in our pool, thinking that the chlorine might help keep the wound clean- don't know if there's any merit to that belief...

I waited about a week and things seemed to be getting worse, so I went to Samitivej hospital in Bangkok. I've always believed Samitivej to be one of the better hospitals in Thailand.

I told them I thought I was stung by a jellyfish. The nurse thought it was so funny and taught me how to say jellyfish in Thai: "Mangaprune" (My spelling could be WAY off)

They cleaned up the wound, told me it was infected and necrotic (sp?), gave me antibiotics, iodine and antibiotic cream and told me I should be better in a week or so.

Well, I kept the wound clean, ate all my meds, and after a week passed it was still a nasty oozing mess.

Went to a local clinic near my house to get it cleaned again, and the doc put me on another round of antibiotics, and now, finally, about 6 weeks after I was stung, the wound is dry, but still ugly- I'll have a pretty weird looking scar and there's still a lot of discoloration around the wound.

Anyway- I'm still not 100% sure what stung me. It had to be some kind of jellyfish, and I've done a lot of reading about jellyfish since this whole thing started.

Apparently there are many varieties of box jellyfish, some more deadly than others. If I had to guess I'd say I was stung by some kind of box jellyfish. Could even have been a piece of a dead one as I did see some washed up on the shore.

Moral of the story- add some vinegar to your first aid kit! If you are stung, don't expect Thai doctors to know much about treating jellyfish stings. I'm not dissing Thai docs, I just think it's something they probably almost never have to deal with.

And hey... maybe that's why all the locals swim in jeans and T-shirts... Hmmm...

Surf's Up!

[Beardog]

Fascinating thread- here's what happened to me about 6 weeks ago while surfing at Laem Mae Pim beach near Rayong.

I was standing in shallow murky water, perhaps 4-5 feet deep. Felt something brush my leg, which I first thought was trash- there's a lot of crap in the water these days... Then I felt the sting. Unfortunately I never saw what stung me.

I've been stung before in Japan and Hawaii and Phuket, but this one was different- the pain more intense, but oddly more localized.

Rather than a long welt which is what I usually get from the tentacles of a jelly, this sting left a short 3-4 inch long half inch wide "wound". Usually it takes a while for the sting to become visible, but this one became red and extremely painful almost immediately.

I got stung on the middle of my calf. I didn't have any vinegar on hand so I did the only thing I could which was a nice warm "golden shower". I'm not sure any of the locals saw me pissing on myself, and quite frankly I was in so much pain at the time that I didn't give a fok.

So anyway- I didn't think more of it, as I'd never heard that there were any dangerous jellies in Thailand.

The pain was bearable so I kept surfing and went home.

But the wound wouldn't heal. Itchy and oozing, and discolored around the edges it was not a pretty sight. No pain- in fact other than the itching most of my calf was completely numb.

I swam a lot in our pool, thinking that the chlorine might help keep the wound clean- don't know if there's any merit to that belief...

I waited about a week and things seemed to be getting worse, so I went to Samitivej hospital in Bangkok. I've always believed Samitivej to be one of the better hospitals in Thailand.

I told them I thought I was stung by a jellyfish. The nurse thought it was so funny and taught me how to say jellyfish in Thai: "Mangaprune" (My spelling could be WAY off)

They cleaned up the wound, told me it was infected and necrotic (sp?), gave me antibiotics, iodine and antibiotic cream and told me I should be better in a week or so.

Well, I kept the wound clean, ate all my meds, and after a week passed it was still a nasty oozing mess.

Went to a local clinic near my house to get it cleaned again, and the doc put me on another round of antibiotics, and now, finally, about 6 weeks after I was stung, the wound is dry, but still ugly- I'll have a pretty weird looking scar and there's still a lot of discoloration around the wound.

Anyway- I'm still not 100% sure what stung me. It had to be some kind of jellyfish, and I've done a lot of reading about jellyfish since this whole thing started.

Apparently there are many varieties of box jellyfish, some more deadly than others. If I had to guess I'd say I was stung by some kind of box jellyfish. Could even have been a piece of a dead one as I did see some washed up on the shore.

Moral of the story- add some vinegar to your first aid kit! If you are stung, don't expect Thai doctors to know much about treating jellyfish stings. I'm not dissing Thai docs, I just think it's something they probably almost never have to deal with.

And hey... maybe that's why all the locals swim in jeans and T-shirts... Hmmm...

Surf's Up!

Boy did you get the unlucky card that variety is I think # 2 to the monster box jellyfish caught early this year in Japan.

I think all the home remedies are mainly for discomfort.

By the way Where are you finding a place to surf in Thailand?

Edited July 20, 2008 by Beardog

[ZZZ]

Rather than a long welt which is what I usually get from the tentacles of a jelly, this sting left a short 3-4 inch long half inch wide "wound". Usually it takes a while for the sting to become visible, but this one became red and extremely painful almost immediately.

I got stung on the middle of my calf. I didn't have any vinegar on hand so I did the only thing I could which was a nice warm "golden shower". I'm not sure any of the locals saw me pissing on myself, and quite frankly I was in so much pain at the time that I didn't give a fok.

Sounds like it could have been a stingray.

The best way to neutralize the stingray venom is to soak it in really hot water, vinegar will have no affect on this venom.

[Crushdepth]

The 'vinegar' treatment works on a lot of jellyfish stings by discharging remaining stinging cells, but it doesn't work on all - it will make some kinds of jellyfish stings worse. Piss won't help at all, that's a story spread by people who didn't like people who got stung by jellyfish. A cortisone cream can give a bit of symptomatic relief, but taking cortisone pills is not a good idea without medical supervision (they can be very dangerous if misused).

[FarangCravings]

The 'vinegar' treatment works on a lot of jellyfish stings by discharging remaining stinging cells, but it doesn't work on all - it will make some kinds of jellyfish stings worse. Piss won't help at all, that's a story spread by people who didn't like people who got stung by jellyfish. A cortisone cream can give a bit of symptomatic relief, but taking cortisone pills is not a good idea without medical supervision (they can be very dangerous if misused).

I worked as a professional diver for 20 years owning 3 dive centers and taking tens of thousands of divers diving and i can tell you piss works vinigar is best but if not piss works without a doubt I speak from 20 years experience in the field.

[mommysboy]

Hi folks,

2 1/2 weeks ago I was on a fishing trip, and whilst swimming was stung by a jellyfish. Being on a boat out at sea, no immediate treatment was available, and being slightly inebriated at the time I wasn't overly concerned, although it did feel like my arm was on fire.

When I got home that evening, my g/f and her sister in law went scouting for some leaves with torches, which they ground down and applied inside a bandage for 2 days and nights (only in LOS ). Surprisingly they also went to the pharmacy and bought some steroid based tablets, which again I took for 2 days (I can't remember the name of them, but I googled it at the time and Wiki said they were steroid based, and would make your face look fat).

The burning sensation eased after a couple of days, and I forgot all about it until yesterday, when the stung area came out in a big, raised, red rash. It's slightly sensitive, but not nearly as painful as before.

Anything to worry about do you think? I'm sure there must be a few sting-ees reading this that can offer some experience.

Cheers,

SC....swing low

doesn't sound good really.

[Beardog]

Piss works well. On my 5 & 1/2 meter rubber boat in Hawaii I would often get zapped by jellies(most box jelly varieties) when fishing & sometimes diving. Since the boat had little storage the golden shower was quick relief followed by neosporin powder & bactroban for bacterial(possible infection) Vinegar or Piss is the norm in scuba diving & is required knowledge to pass the divemaster & Instructors test It only Provides relief from sting & it is up to the individual's to follow up as you would any injury.

Most surfers in Maui use the golden shower to relieve the sharp sting.

[BigBikeBKK]

I was surfing at Laem Mae Pim near Rayong. On rare occasions when the weather is just right there are surfable waves there.

In Phuket now where the Kalim Surf Contest just finished- outstanding conditions! Overhead waves, offshore breeze- perfect!

The swell is supposed to continue for some time- Surf's Up!

[BigBikeBKK]

Rather than a long welt which is what I usually get from the tentacles of a jelly, this sting left a short 3-4 inch long half inch wide "wound". Usually it takes a while for the sting to become visible, but this one became red and extremely painful almost immediately.

I got stung on the middle of my calf. I didn't have any vinegar on hand so I did the only thing I could which was a nice warm "golden shower". I'm not sure any of the locals saw me pissing on myself, and quite frankly I was in so much pain at the time that I didn't give a fok.

Sounds like it could have been a stingray.

The best way to neutralize the stingray venom is to soak it in really hot water, vinegar will have no affect on this venom.

Hi ZZZ,

Don't sting rays usually give you a puncture wound? Never ben stung by one (or maybe I was ) so really not sure...

[Beardog]

Stingrays(if you step on one will leave a barb lodged in your foot . I have a friend in Florida now in Cali. that got hit by a stingray. it was 1/2 " from his Achilles tendon. He was luck , he most likely would be a gimp. He had to have it surgically removed & took close to a year to totally heal. The Croc hunter (Steve)TV show out of Australia Died from a puncture to the heart by a ray. You would know a ray if it got you. I treated many surfing buddies with Bactroban -Keflex & moderate stitches in Maui. No rays ever all box Jellies & wounds from getting dragged on the reef. Most likely a box Jelly.

Doesn't look like much surf. I am used to seeing 8ft-40 ft. waves in Maui & Java in Indonesia. I fish I leave the surfin for the young bucks....& tend to their wounds later!

Edited July 22, 2008 by Beardog

[BigBikeBKK]

LOL Beardog,

I hear ya- Thailand is not known for epic surf, but then again, a day of small surf beats a day in the office any time! I'll take what I can get

Yeah- I really didn't think I got hit by a stingray, but since I don't know much about them and someone suggested it, I thought I should explore the possibility

Happy to report some decent swell in Phuket over the past week- see photo

[ZZZ]

Rather than a long welt which is what I usually get from the tentacles of a jelly, this sting left a short 3-4 inch long half inch wide "wound". Usually it takes a while for the sting to become visible, but this one became red and extremely painful almost immediately.

I got stung on the middle of my calf. I didn't have any vinegar on hand so I did the only thing I could which was a nice warm "golden shower". I'm not sure any of the locals saw me pissing on myself, and quite frankly I was in so much pain at the time that I didn't give a fok.

Sounds like it could have been a stingray.

The best way to neutralize the stingray venom is to soak it in really hot water, vinegar will have no affect on this venom.

Hi ZZZ,

Don't sting rays usually give you a puncture wound? Never ben stung by one (or maybe I was ) so really not sure...

If the sting ray barb just grazed your skin it would caused exactly the symptoms you describe. To me your symptoms were not typical jelly fish sting symptoms, much more like what you could get from a sting ray.

[Beardog]

LOL Beardog,

I hear ya- Thailand is not known for epic surf, but then again, a day of small surf beats a day in the office any time! I'll take what I can get

Yeah- I really didn't think I got hit by a stingray, but since I don't know much about them and someone suggested it, I thought I should explore the possibility

Happy to report some decent swell in Phuket over the past week- see photo

Big that is some nice waves! And I thought Thailand only saw a wave when a Tsunami was on them!

Pleasant surfin...........Surfs up!