The Jellyfish

This experience REALLY warrants a blog- so here it is!

Last weekend we went to PC Beach to relax for the day... no big oil has been reported there YET so we are trying to make the most of our remaining beach opportunities. Well, no oil, but some jellyfish! I got stung on my belly... looks like three tentacles got me from top of my belly all the way down to my hips and around to my back. It stings and its very uncomfortable when running, but other than that no big deal. EXCEPT... I sure don't want scars!!



So I called the clinic on post and asked for an appointment. No appointments left, but they told me a nurse would call. She did call later in the day and asked what was wrong. I told her what had happened and when, and said I wanted to know if I was doing the right things to treat the sting and prevent scarring.



WELL- she then told me that it would only scar if it was an open wound/bleeding. I told HER that I wasn't so sure, since I have scars from curling iron burns and THOSE weren't open wounds. (Seriously what woman among us hasn't been burned my a curling/straight iron or stove/hot pan before??!) So she said she would go ask a doctor what I should do or see if I need to come in.



Then she got back on the phone and started reading verbatim from a "physician's wilderness guide to medicine" (what happened to asking a DOCTOR??). She told me to rinse it with salt water/urine during the first few minutes after the sting (even though I had JUST told her it was a few days old). She then told me to try meat tenderizer (already told her I had tried that) and vinegar. And now comes the best part... she asked what type of jellyfish stung me. I told her I had no idea- I'm not familiar with the jellyfish species that might be present on the Florida gulf coast. So she asked... "Are you SURE it wasn't a BOX jellyfish?"



At that point I was torn between saying something funny or rude. Seriously? Hmmm... well I didn't travel to a location close to Australia... and I didn't get rushed to the hospital or DIE... so... no... don't think it was a box jelly. Should I also make sure I wasn't victim to an underwater bear attack?