We had one trip a few years ago when my daughter got stung on her ankle by a stingray and as
@jwalk03 said, it didn't itch but it was PAINFUL for days. She said it felt like somebody shot a length of barbed wire into her leg that wrapped around her ankle and then yanked it out just as quickly. The remedy is to soak the puncture point in water as hot as you can stand ASAP; in the ten minutes it took her to get off the beach and back to the house she was screaming in agony, and it took a few hours of refilling the pan every 15 minutes or so for the pain to subside. She was a twenty-something at the time, not a little kid! Years later she still has the scar.
I didn't know until that trip that stingrays were a thing at Hilton Head. All I knew about them was that a friend had gotten stung at Anna Maria Island in Florida and she ended up with an infection that landed her as an inpatient in the hospital. We learned the beach shuffle while we were there but now we do it at HHI, too.
The things at HHI that cause a second or two of pain and then itch horribly for days are a type of jellyfish and it's not that they bite you - when they brush across your skin they have tiny razor-like things on their tails that break the skin. The lifeguards have a spray bottle with some kind of solution that alleviates the immediate discomfort, and using Benadryl cream or taking Benadryl tablets helps with the itch.
During certain perfect air/water/humidity conditions there will be critters at any beach, enough to turn everyone away from the beach if we think about them long enough!
Good info, Susan.....thanks!!!
From my reading in general, as for diagnosing the origin of stings, bites, injuries, etc,
severe pain that lasts a
long time is usually from a
stingray.
Also, itches are not from a stingray but from a
jellyfish.
The CRITICAL thing is to determine "WhoDunnit?" .... It definitely makes a difference!
Jellyfish: We know that meat tenderizer (in a shaker) is an instant treatment that works for jellyfish stings, and some recommend vinegar as well.
We always carry meat tenderizer to the beach because it's convenient, but thankfully we've only used it once or twice, but we've loaned it out while on the beach
following an episode involving someone else.
Some online quotes: (any bold letters were
bold in the quotes)
1. A study published in The Medical Journal of Australia showed that removing any tentacles left by a jellyfish, then dousing an injured body part with commercial vinegar or its crucial ingredient, acetic acid, could alleviate pain and “rapidly and completely” prevent the release of more venom.
2. What do lifeguards put on a jellyfish sting? As well as dousing jellyfish stings with vinegar or hot water, the new EMS policy says lifeguards should
scrape venom sacs from the skin. Clark said if lifeguards aren't in sight, beachgoers could remove the sacs in a pinch, as long as they're careful. Tweezers also help.
3. What should I take to the beach for a jellyfish sting? To be prepared for your day at the beach, it's recommended that you bring along
a small bottle of vinegar and a pair of tweezers. While you're not likely to get stung often, it's always better to be prepared!
4. Can you put meat tenderizer on jellyfish sting? To help relieve the pain caused by a jellyfish sting, try this remedy. Meat tenderizer —
The papain enzyme found in most meat tenderizers helps break down the protein found in jellyfish venom to reduce swelling, pain, and itching.
5.
Vinegar inactivates the jelly's nematocysts so they can't fire, which means when you go to remove the tentacles you won't end up with more venom than before. Of course, once you treat with vinegar you still have to remove the stingers with tweezers.
6. What neutralizes jellyfish venom?
Vinegar is used to stop the venom in stingers. Caution: Do not use ammonia, urine, rubbing alcohol, fresh water or ice. They all can trigger the release of more venom. If you don't have vinegar, move on to scraping off the stingers.
7. Is Windex good for jellyfish sting? What
not to do for jellyfish stings > Irrigate with ammonia. One common home remedy involves spraying the affected area with a product containing ammonia, such as Windex window cleaner. The ammonia allegedly neutralizes the venom in the nematocysts, but
this has not been proven scientifically.
8. Most jelly stings are relatively mild, though some -- particularly the Portuguese Man-of-War -- can cause a great deal of pain. However,
most stings can be treated simply by rubbing the affected area with vinegar, meat tenderizer or even sand.
9. How long will a jellyfish sting last? The pain usually decreases or stops after 1–2 hours and the sores may fade after a few days. You may also have a rash or redness in the area which was stung.
Stingray:
Quotes that got my attention:
1. Can stingrays paralyze you? The wounded area may become swollen and may turn blue or red. Lymph nodes may become swollen. Symptoms such as nausea,
vomiting, fever, chills, muscle cramps, tremors, paralysis, fainting, seizures, elevated heart rate, and decreased blood pressure may develop.
Death may even occur.
2. Do I need to go to the hospital for a stingray sting? "If you are stung by a stingray,
call an ambulance immediately. If a spine is embedded in your skin,
it's generally best to leave removal to medical professionals. You can rinse the area with salt water to remove any sand or debris. Usually, the sting is very painful."
3.
Call 911. The patient of a stingray sting will need medical attention. Stingray stings are very painful and patients will at a minimum need to undergo treatment for pain control.
4. Typically regarded as inquisitive but wary fish, all stingrays are armed with at least one serrated
venomous spine at the base of their whip-like tails. Short-tail stingrays possess two tail spines: a slender spike in front of a huge jagged bayonet.
5.
Emergency medical evaluation is also important for stings that cause any kind of systemic symptoms, like:
......a.Chest pain.
......b. Dizziness.
......c. Nausea.
......d. Vomiting.
......e. Seizures.
Other random quotes:
1. How do you make a stingray sting hurt less? Flush the wound with fresh water. For pain relief,
soak the wound in water as hot as the person can tolerate
(approximately 110 F, 43.3 C). Use tweezers to remove the stingers. Scrub the wound with soap and fresh water.
2. How long do stingray stings last? The main symptom of a stingray sting is immediate severe pain. Although often limited to the injured area, the pain may spread rapidly, reaching its greatest intensity in < 90 minutes; in most cases, pain gradually diminishes over 6 to 48 hours but
occasionally lasts days or weeks.
3. Does vinegar help stingray sting?
Soak jellyfish stings in salt water or vinegar (fresh water will increase pain and may release more of the toxin). Soak stingray stings in hot (but not scalding) water until the pain diminishes.
4. How do you treat a stingray sting at home?
....
Stingray Injury Treatment:
......a.Bathe Wound in Seawater and Remove Pieces.
......b. Stop Bleeding.
......c. Soak Wound in Hot Water For Pain Relief.
......d. Scrub Wound.
......e. Go to a Hospital Emergency Room.
......f. Follow Up.
5. If you step on a stingray, immerse the puncture wound in very hot water to reduce the pain, then visit a doctor for a
tetanus shot.
6. Stingrays have a Painful Toxin....."It causes this intense pain sensation —
a throbbing, kind of aching pain sensation. And it literally takes hours to go away."
7. What is the stingray shuffle? The shuffle is simply moving your feet along the sea floor instead on taking steps that involve lifting your foot. The shuffling sends vibrations that scare away stingrays in the immediate vicinity, thus you won't accidentally step on one.
8. Why are stingrays so close to shore? Stingrays come into shallow Gulf waters
for their mating season and settle in; they get partially covered with sand which makes it difficult to see them. By shuffling your feet during these months, you give the Stingrays a chance to glide out of your way and you help to avoid the chances of sustaining a painful sting.
(Per stingrays, I've never feared them until Steve Irwin got killed by one back in 2006. He was stabbed 100 times within seconds.)
. We went to Rehoboth Beach, DE one summer when we were kids and several of us got stung by jellyfish. They were everywhere that week so we didn't go back in the ocean. They definitely had the tentacles. When I was in HH last May, there were a lot of jellyfish washed up on the shore, but the guys at the umbrella stand said they weren't the stinging type. I thought I saw tentacles in some, so I thought those stung. We've seen several shark just off the beaches of Singer Island frequently in Spring. My brother caught a 130 lb. Hammerhead within view of Oceana Palms. My brother almost walked on top of an alligator near Marco Island when on a birdwatch hike.