OK…so you know how I just wrote yesterday about our jellyfish stings? Well, don’t you know it, our local paper ran a story TODAY about how to treat jellyfish stings!
Apparently the number of jellyfish is on the rise due to breeding conditions and climate changes. Not really an interesting tidbit by itself but it might have grabbed our attention TWO WEEKS AGO prior to vacation.
And good golly…the number 1 tip they list is going straight to the doctor because death can occur with some types of stings!
Luckily, we’re all here, safe and sound. But again, I ask you, WHY couldn’t this have been published 2 weeks ago?? (and how exactly do you know, at the beach and in the discomfort of getting stung, what kind stung you??)
Courtesy of Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, here is how to treat a jellyfish sting:
Seek immediate medical attention. Death can occur within minutes with sea wasp and lion’s mane stings.
If you know for certain that the person has been stung by a Portuguese man-of-war or sea nettle, wash with salt water (ocean water is OK, but make sure you do NOT get sand in the wound). Protect affected area if possible. Soak the area with a solution made of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water for about 30 minutes. This helps remove the tentacles. Rinse the area and then resoak with more 1/2 strength vinegar.
You may also remove tentacles by applying a paste made of flour or shaving cream and scraping the area with a dull instrument such as a credit card.
Apply a cream containing a painkiller, an antihistamine, or a corticosteroid.
And, ironically, do you know the number 1 tip for avoiding getting stung by jellyfish??
Check with lifeguards to find out if jellyfish are abundant at your beach this summer. If so, stay out of the water.
Yes, this is Murphy’s Law at its finest…
Tags: avoiding jellyfish, family vacation, jellyfish, jellyfish stings, treating jellyfish stings
