Jellyfish Sting Treatment

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Jellyfish stings can have different reactions depending upon the species they belong to and the location of the sting. In most cases, however, jellyfish stings are very painful in the first hour of the sting. The symptoms may include a rash on the location of the sting which can be very itchy and can cause mild burning sensation. You may feel weakness, dizziness, nausea, headache and experience severe vomiting, cramps, accelerated breathing and chest pain. The rash is known to persist for hours, days and even weeks depending on the species of the jellyfish and is sometimes known to leave a permanent scar.

Stings from a box jellyfish are considered to be the most dangerous to human beings. If you are stung by a species of box jellyfish, seek medical intervention immediately as a sting from a box jellyfish may cause cardiovascular collapse along with respiratory and neuromuscular paralysis that can kill an adult within minutes.

In the case of most jellyfish stings, the following steps of first aid are required until medical help arrives:

Pour a lot of vinegar on the location of the sting. This will help deactivate any nematocysts that have remained lodged in the skin.
Never rub the location of the sting. It will cause embedded nematocysts to discharge their venom and aggravate the symptoms of the sting.
If you do not have access to vinegar, use sea water to clean the rash. Never use fresh water for this purpose as fresh water can also cause embedded nematocysts to discharge their venom.
If there are any remaining tentacles attached to the skin, wear gloves and use a pair of tweezers to remove them. Never touch the tentacles of a jellyfish. Even when they are not attached to the jellyfish, the nematocysts are capable of injecting venom into your flesh.
You could also use a sterilized razor to remove any adherent nematocysts after applying shaving cream or baking soda to the location of the sting.
Never tie the area of the sting and close off the blood circulation. This will increase the toxicity levels in the area and can cause a lot of damage and may even lead to amputation.
Use of painkillers is advisable if the pain caused is very high.

Find jellyfish sting protection and relief products on Ebay (best price) or your local diving supply store.

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